What's the Cheapest Way to Fly from A to B?
Fuel is only half the equation. Every hour on the Hobbs ticks toward your next overhaul. The power setting that minimizes fuel burn is not always the one that minimizes your cost per mile.
The Tradeoff Nobody Talks About
Your POH lists 75% cruise as the standard. Economy cruise at 55% burns less fuel per hour. But here's the thing most pilots don't calculate: your overhaul reserve, prop reserve, and maintenance costs tick by the hour, not by the mile.
Fly slower and you burn less fuel per hour — but you're on the Hobbs longer per mile traveled. Fly faster and you burn more fuel — but you cover more ground per Hobbs hour, spreading those fixed hourly costs over more nautical miles.
The cheapest power setting depends on the balance between your fuel price and your dry operating rate. This calculator finds the crossover point for your specific airplane and your specific numbers.
Fuel Cost
Rises with power — more GPH at higher settings. Dominates when fuel is expensive.
Dry Cost (Overhaul + Maint)
Fixed per hour, falls per NM at higher TAS. Dominates when fuel is cheap or dry rate is high.
The Crossover
The optimal $/NM is where fuel cost per mile and dry cost per mile balance. It shifts with fuel price.
Trip Cost Optimizer
Select your aircraft, enter your trip distance, and find the power setting that minimizes your cost per nautical mile. All calculations run server-side.
Engine: O-470/IO-540 (230 hp)
Operating Costs
Performance Table
From your POH at typical cruise altitude.
| Pwr % | TAS | GPH | |
|---|---|---|---|
Compare all power settings to find the lowest cost per nautical mile
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Our Fleet Economics Calculator optimizes for $/hr — the right metric for schools billing by the Hobbs hour. Includes aircraft payments, 100-hr inspections, wet rate recommendations, and fleet-wide scaling.
Fleet Economics CalculatorDisclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide — verify them against your POH and maintenance records. This is not flight instruction. Performance varies with altitude, temperature, weight, and configuration. Always use POH data for your specific aircraft and conditions. AI-generated responses can make mistakes. VectoredOps Inc. is not liable for decisions made based on this tool's output.
Built by Kauai Mansur — Pilot & Founder, VectoredOps
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