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Boeing 737 performance study notes

Three chapters on why the 737-800 is limited the way it is on takeoff, enroute and landing. This is the reasoning behind the numbers a performance app or an RTOW chart hands you, not a replacement for either, so a limit stops being a rule you memorise and starts being something you understand.

3 chapters 3 published, subject complete Original check per chapter
A note on the numbers in these chapters. Takeoff, climb and landing limits depend on a specific aircraft's weight, configuration, temperature, pressure altitude, runway and wind on the day. Every figure used here, VMBE examples, climb gradients, field length factors, wind additives, is a realistic worked example that teaches how the limit is built, not real dispatch data for any tail number or flight. Always use your own aircraft's RTOW chart, QRH-PI tables and dispatch release for anything operational.
Written from 737-800 performance principles and FAR 25 certification requirements
0 of 3 chaptersAll 3 chapters published
Chapters

How a chapter works

  1. Read the pages in order. Each chapter builds on the one before it, so read Takeoff, then Enroute, then Landing the first time through.
  2. Mark it up. Highlight or underline in four colours and write notes. Everything you save stays with the chapter.
  3. Study the diagrams. Figures are drawn to teach the shape of the limit, a profile, a comparison, a runway strip, not to stand in for a real chart.
  4. Clear the chapter check. Original questions follow the last page. A miss links straight back to the page it came from.
  5. Move on. Landing performance leans on ideas from Takeoff (V-speeds, climb gradients), so this section reads best in order.

About the B737 performance notes

These three chapters explain why the 737-800 is limited the way it is on takeoff, enroute and landing: performance-limited takeoff weight and its four limiting weights, V-speeds and the control speeds, optimum and maximum altitude, drift down, VREF and command speed, landing field length, brake cooling and the TALPA runway condition code system. This is reasoning, not a replacement for a real performance app, RTOW chart or QRH-PI table.

All 3 chapters are part of the B737 Type Rating Course subscription, alongside System Description and the question bank. Your reading position, highlights and notes follow you across devices. Start from Chapter 1, Takeoff Performance.

B737 performance notes, frequently asked questions

What does this B737 performance section cover?
Three chapters covering the reasoning behind 737-800 takeoff, enroute and landing performance limits: performance-limited takeoff weight, climb and obstacle limits, V-speeds, optimum and maximum altitude, drift down, VREF and command speed, landing field length and the TALPA runway condition code system.
Is this B737 performance material free?
No. Performance is part of the same B737 Type Rating Course subscription as the System Description chapters and the question bank. See the course page for pricing.
Are the numbers in these chapters real dispatch data?
No. Performance limits depend on a specific aircraft's weight, configuration, temperature, runway and wind on the day. The figures used here are illustrative worked examples that teach the underlying logic, not a substitute for a real RTOW chart, QRH-PI table or dispatch release for any specific flight.
Do I need to read System Description before Performance?
No. Performance stands on its own and can be read in any order relative to the systems chapters, though a working knowledge of engines, flight controls and flight instruments makes some explanations click faster.
How should I use these notes with the question bank?
Read a chapter, clear its chapter check, then open the matching B737 Type Rating question bank in Practise to drill it with practice questions before your simulator sessions.
Question Bank

Drill B737 Type Rating questions

When a chapter is clear, work the matching question bank: questions verified against 737-800 performance principles, with a written explanation on every answer.

B737 question bank