Matrix Games Forums

Short of just setting up a small test scenario (which is probably my next step), is the a decent way to calculate an aircraft's time to climb and horizontal distance traveled for a given Loudout?

For example, I have a QRA on the ground. I'd like to know how quickly they can get up to intercept altitude, and how far they've traveled to see where I can realistically set up my AEW. I have British lightnings (which aren't well suited for endurance) and multi role aircraft id much rather use in the strike role.

Test the climb rate from min alt for the loadout, at least twice at the desired speed setting.

desired altitude / approx time taken = climb rate
desired altitude / climb rate per-second = approx time
(speed in knots / 3600) * approx time in seconds == distance

Example F-15EX with aim-260 maximum doing 0-36000 climb @loiter of 350kt ~137.40ftavg per second.
36000/ 137.4 = ~262 seconds to altitude (~4m 22s)
(350/3600) * 262 = ~25.47 nm

Unfortunately, there is no climb rate data in the db per loudout, and you can't convert the power of the engine data to a speed without knowing more about the airframe. I think its easier to just time a climb to a specific altitude and then look at the horizontal distance traveled to altitude in a test scenario. If I'm going to set the test scenario up, I think that'll be more a straightforward way to what I want rather than calculating avg clime rate, etc.

Come to think of it, I'm guessing interceptor aircraft on an intercept don't do maximum performance climbs and do something more similar to a cruising climb. Any aviators out there know if there was an analogous speed to Vcc for interceptors that climb performance for horizontal travel?

" I think its easier to just time a climb to a specific altitude"
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Isn't what I said with - "Test the climb rate from min alt for the loadout, at least twice at the desired speed setting. "? [:)]
Yes the database browser avg is useless vs reality per loadout\speed setting, the max isn't displayed in the browser either (only in raw db), which is why I didn't even mention the database. The calc I gave for distance matches what happens in the game with distance generally. What's not accounted for in it is time to get to speed given, and course profile vs agility, ie it assumes a relative straight line and good agility if not, nor does it account for speed caps changing in difference altitude bands which may or may not come into play and may or may not be lower\higher depending on alts and speed bands selected\involved for the aircraft. However it's highly accurate for distance traveled per second in the game if feed the right data for the circumstance. It should more than suffice for the generic planning purpose that you mentioned - but nothing beats actually testing all your specifics involved under any given build.