FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Performance, Weight and BalanceEasy
During a climb test, a pilot notes that at 14,000 ft the airplane's rate of climb has decreased to 100 fpm. This altitude represents the airplane's
- Aabsolute ceiling
- Bservice ceiling
- Ccritical altitude
- Dmaximum operating altitude
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. service ceiling
Service ceiling is defined as the altitude at which the maximum rate of climb decreases to 100 fpm for a single-engine airplane; absolute ceiling is where rate of climb reaches zero.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Absolute ceiling is where climb rate is zero, not 100 fpm.
- C. Critical altitude relates to turbocharger performance, not climb rate.
- D. Maximum operating altitude is a certificated structural/pressurization limit, unrelated to climb rate.
Service Ceiling
The density altitude at which the airplane's maximum rate of climb decreases to 100 feet per minute.
- Service ceiling = 100 fpm max climb
- Absolute ceiling = 0 fpm max climb
- Both decrease with increased weight or density altitude
Memory trick: Service stops at a hundred (fpm), Absolute stops at zero