How is angle of climb affected if too much weight is added to the aircraft?

How is angle of climb affected if too much weight is added to the aircraft?

• A. Decreased
• B. Increased
• C. Unchanged
• D. Varies

Answer: (B)

The climb angle is determined by how much excess power you have to lift the aircraft against gravity. When you add a lot of weight, the aircraft needs more thrust (power) just to maintain the same airspeed, so the amount of power left to convert into altitude—excess power—shrinks. With less excess power available, the aircraft can gain altitude less steeply for a given forward speed, so the climb angle becomes shallower. In short, increasing weight lowers the climb angle; only by increasing power or reducing weight would the angle stay the same or improve.

The climb angle is determined by how much excess power you have to lift the aircraft against gravity. When you add a lot of weight, the aircraft needs more thrust (power) just to maintain the same airspeed, so the amount of power left to convert into altitude—excess power—shrinks. With less excess power available, the aircraft can gain altitude less steeply for a given forward speed, so the climb angle becomes shallower. In short, increasing weight lowers the climb angle; only by increasing power or reducing weight would the angle stay the same or improve.