A discussion came up a while back on the Admiralty Trilog y list regarding aircraft climb performance. The crux of the argument was that the H 4 climb rates listed in the Altitude Change Table (3. 3. 4, page 3-7) are too restrictive. Currently, H 4 bases climb rates on agility. Real-world climb performance seems to be based on whether an aircraft has reheat (afterburner) . My recommendation is to first declare whether the aircraft is using reheat to climb. If it is, the maneuver rating really doesn't matter. If it is not using reheat, then the break point should be at a Maneuver Rating of 2. 0. My figures are provided in the table below. The climb rate drops off until the service ceiling is reached, where the climb rate is by definition zero. Double these climb rates at Low altitude. Use the listed rate of climb at Medium altitude. Halve these at High altitude and above. These are for lightly loaded aircraft. Halve the rate if the aircraft is fully loaded. These rates apply to aircraft at Medium altitude. Double them at Low altitude and halve them at High altitude and above. If the aircraft is fully loaded, halve the climb rate. Ed Note: These figures are supported by some excellent research by Peter, and are official rule changes. Thanks for another great contribution. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 26 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List & copy Copyright 2004 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com