The Flight Path Angle (FPA) is the angle between an aircraft’s velocity vector and the horizontal plane. It represents the trajectory of the aircraft in three-dimensional space. Positive Flight path angle indicates a climb, negative FPA denotes a descent, and zero Flight path angle corresponds to level flight. FPA is a crucial parameter for understanding an aircraft’s vertical movement during flight. The formula to calculate flight path angle as follows:
Where:
- is the Flight Path Angle in Radian,
- ROC is the Rate of Climb in m/s,
- is the true airspeed of the aircraft in m/s.