Flight Planning Tools

Flight Calculations

Descent planning, flight time and fuel calculations for MSFS.

Simulation Use Only — These are rules-of-thumb for flight simulation. Always follow your aircraft's FCOM/POH and ATC instructions in real operations.

Top of Descent

Current altitude (ft)

Target altitude (ft)

Start descending — nautical miles out

Rule: (altitude difference ÷ 1000) × 3 = NM before the target

Descent Rate

Ground speed (knots)

Descent rate — feet per minute

Rule: ground speed × 5 = FPM for a standard 3° profile

Time & Fuel

Aircraft

Distance (NM)

Ground speed (knots)

Fuel burn (per hour)

Fuel unit

Flight time — hours : minutes

Trip fuel: — With 45-min reserve: —

Time = distance ÷ ground speed · fuel = burn × time · presets are typical cruise figures — trim ground speed for headwinds

Quick Reference

Ground speed	Descent rate
120 kts	600 FPM
180 kts	900 FPM
250 kts	1,250 FPM
300 kts	1,500 FPM
350 kts	1,750 FPM

Ground speed × 5, rounded to the nearest 50