The pilot will perform a number of calculations during preflight planning and the one we used on the site are listed below for convenient access. Sometimes the use of a special aviation calculator (E6B models or electronic Jeppesen) is required.
Previous article discussed the formula's used in aviation calculations but sometimes we need to convert between different systems be that volumes, densities or mass. The table below shows some of the common ones used. For common fuel conversion see the image to the right. We also provide the most commonly used prefixes that are used with these base units.
Using these conversions is quite simple. For example: to convert 150 US gal to liters is 150 x 3.785 = 567.75 liters. If you want to convert from liters to US gal then divide the number of liters by the conversion factor.
| Convert from: | To: | Multiply by: |
| m3 | ft3 | 35.315 |
| in3 | cm3 | 16.387 |
| US Gal | liters | 3.785 |
| UK Gal (Imperial) | liters | 4.546 |
| US Gal | m3 | 3.785 x 10-3 |
| UK Gal (Imperial) | m3 | 4.546 x 10-3 |
| Convert from: | To: | Multiply by: |
| kg | lb | 2.2046 |
| lb | g | 4.536 x 102 |
| Convert from: | To: | Multiply by: |
| N/m2 (pa) | bar | 10-5 |
| lbf/in2 (psi) | N/m2 (pa) | 6.895 x 103 |
| lbf/in2 | hPa (mbar) | 68.948 |
| kgf/cm2 | N/m | 9.807 x 104 |
| inHg | hPa (mbar) | 33.864 |
| Bar | Pa (N/m2) | 105 |
| Convert from: | To: | Multiply by: |
| hp | kW | 0.7457 |
| ft.lbf/s | W | 1.3558 |
| Btu/hr | W | 0.2931 |
| kWh | MJ | 3.6 |
| cal | J | 4.1868 |
| Btu | kJ | 1.055 |
| Btu | kWh | 2.9307 x 10-4 |
Sometimes I see these prefixes not being used in the correct way. For example: the use of the kilo prefix is being mistakenly written as K (which is Kelvin) where it should be k (lower case). The table below shows them with their factor.
| Prefix | Symbol | Factor |
| Yotta | Y | 1024 |
| Zeta | Z | 1021 |
| Exa | E | 1018 |
| Peta | P | 1015 |
| Tera | T | 1012 |
| Giga | G | 109 |
| Mega | M | 106 |
| kilo | k | 103 |
| hecto | h | 102 |
| deca | da | 101 |
| deci | d | 10-1 |
| centi | c | 10-2 |
| milli | m | 10-3 |
| micro | μ | 10-6 |
| nano | n | 10-9 |
| pico | p | 10-12 |
| femto | f | 10-15 |
| atto | a | 10-18 |
| zepto | z | 10-21 |
| yocto | y | 10-24 |
More commonly used conversions can be found on websites like onlineconversion.com and wikipedia.
Experimental Aircraft Info