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Inaviation,endurance is the maximum length of time that an aircraft can spend incruising flight. In other words, it is the amount of time an aircraft can stay in the air with one load of fuel.[1] Endurance is different fromrange, which is a measure of distance flown. For example, a typicalsailplane exhibits high endurance characteristics but poor range characteristics.[clarification needed]
Endurance can be defined as:
where W stands for fuel weight, F for fuel flow, and t for time.
Endurance can factor into aviation design in a number of ways. Some aircraft, such as theP-3 Orion orU-2 spy plane, require high endurance characteristics as part of their mission profile (often referred to asloiter time (on target)). Endurance plays a prime factor in finding out thefuel fraction for an aircraft.Endurance, like range, is also related tofuel efficiency; fuel-efficient aircraft will tend to exhibit good endurance characteristics.
