At what fuel consumption rate does an aircraft weighing 4,000 lbs at 4,000 ft altitude range climb at 27 minutes to 16,000 ft?

To determine the correct fuel consumption rate, we first need to calculate the total fuel burned during the climb from 4,000 feet to 16,000 feet, which is a vertical altitude gain of 12,000 feet. The climb takes 27 minutes, and knowing the time it takes to ascend can help us estimate fuel usage.

First, convert the climbing time from minutes to hours since the fuel consumption is typically expressed in gallons per hour. Twenty-seven minutes is equivalent to 27/60 hours, which is 0.45 hours.

Next, we need to consider the average fuel burn for an aircraft of this weight during the climb. If we assume a typical consumption rate—an aircraft in this weight class might use fuel at around 7 gallons per hour during a climb phase.

To find out how much fuel would be expended for the climb, multiply the climb time in hours by the fuel consumption rate:

0.45 hours × 7 gallons/hour = 3.15 gallons.

Knowing that the total fuel used (3.15 gallons in this case) must correspond to the time in hours (0.45 hours), applying a slightly higher fuel consumption rate to arrive at the estimated usage during climb eventually indicates that a consumption