Power Required At Altitude Calculator

The power required at altitude refers to the amount of engine power needed by an aircraft to overcome aerodynamic drag and maintain a specific velocity while flying at a certain altitude. It depends on factors like aircraft weight, drag and lift coefficients, wing area, and air density at that altitude. The formula to calculate Power required as follows:

Where:

• P_req​ is the power required at altitude (Watts),
• $W$ is the weight of the aircraft (N),
• $CD$ is the drag coefficient,
• $\rho$ is the air density at the given altitude (kg/m³),
• $S$ is the wing reference area (m²),
• $CL$ is the lift coefficient.