📉 Descent Rate Calculator
Feet per minute needed for a 3° glidepath
About this calculator
The Descent Rate calculator tells you how fast to descend to hit a target altitude at a fix. Enter current altitude, target altitude, groundspeed, and distance or time available. It divides the altitude to lose by the time available, giving feet per minute, and can invert the math to show when to start down.
Tip: build in a buffer for slowing down — jets need roughly a mile per 10 knots of deceleration, and a descent planned to the exact fix leaves no room to stabilize for the approach.