RC Plane Propeller Calculator

BETA 1

Calculate RC plane propeller thrust, current, power and flight-time estimates for a single-motor, two-blade, direct-drive setup.

Single motor · two blades · direct drive

Climb estimates are provisional.

Fixed-wing inputs

01Aircraft

Specs & sources
All-up mass · Example
Include the battery and complete powertrain.
Wing area · Example
Use the wing area from the aircraft specification. 1 dm² = 100 cm²; 1 m² = 100 dm².

Include the battery and complete powertrain.

Model defaults · CLmax 1 · Cd 0.06

02Battery

Battery catalog

245 entries

Select a match to load its specs.

Specs & sources
Cells in series · Example
Capacity · Example
Continuous discharge · Example
Peak discharge · Example
Internal resistance / cell · Example
Resistance of one cell, not the complete pack. Use a matching catalog entry or a measured value at the intended temperature and charge state.
Mass / cell · Example
Open-circuit voltage / cell · Example
Rated voltage / cell · Example
Usable capacity · Example
Cutoff voltage / cell · Example
Advanced

03ESC

ESC catalog

315 entries

Select a match to load its specs.

Specs & sources
Continuous current · Example
Peak current · Example
ESC resistance · Example
Use a matching catalog entry or the manufacturer's effective ESC resistance. A current rating alone does not determine this value; do not substitute a guessed zero.
ESC mass · Example
Advanced

04Motor

Motor catalog

5,126 entries

Select a match to load its specs.

Specs & sources
Motor KV · Example
Motor resistance · Example
Use the catalog or the manufacturer's winding resistance at the stated reference temperature. KV alone cannot determine resistance.
No-load current · Example
The motor's no-load current from its datasheet or catalog. Keep it paired with the voltage at which it was specified.
No-load reference voltage · Example
The test voltage for the no-load current above. It is not automatically the battery's nominal voltage.
Motor rating · Example
Enter the manufacturer's motor rating and select its unit. A rating triggers warnings; it does not limit the calculated load.
Motor mass · Example
Case length · Example
Motor poles · Example
Resistance reference temperature · Example
Advanced

05Propeller type

Propeller type catalog

44 entries

Select a match to load its specs.

Pick a two-blade family, then set diameter and pitch.

Specs & sources
Diameter · Example
Pitch · Example
Power constant · Example
A propeller-family PConst from the supplied catalog. It is not the usual dimensionless power coefficient; do not infer it from diameter and pitch alone.
Thrust constant · Example
A propeller-family TConst from the supplied catalog. Selecting a type supplies these constants, while diameter and pitch stay as entered.

The catalog fills PConst and TConst by propeller family.

06Environment & cooling

Specs & sources
Altitude · Example
Air temperature · Example
Sea-level pressure · Example
Evaluation airspeed · Example
Airspeed used for the at-speed evaluation. This does not prescribe the aircraft's calculated level-flight speed.
Case temperature limit · Example
Use the applicable case-temperature limit. Review the component choice, propeller load and real cooling when exceeded; raising this value does not improve cooling.
Advanced

850 g · 3S · 10 × 4.7 in

Check the example values.

Ready to calculate.
Model & validation

propCalc Core Beta 1 models a single motor, a two-blade propeller, one battery string and direct drive.

Flight estimates combine physical equations with fits to public eCalc observations.

1,006 development reference cases passed. Hardware validation missed 25 vertical-speed and 19 climb-angle values.

12 of 5,126 catalog motors have matched loss profiles. The rest use estimates.

Calculate thrust for a specific RC powertrain

Choose catalog components or enter the motor, ESC, battery and two-blade propeller parameters for your RC plane. Calculate the operating point to estimate propeller thrust, current draw and power together. Check the reported limits before changing a component: more thrust alone does not establish that a setup is suitable.

How to compare thrust, current and flight time

Review thrust, electrical load, motor temperature and flight-time estimates together with the reported limits and warnings. Change one input and recalculate to compare configurations. Export the current result as JSON when you need to retain its inputs and outputs.

Supported propeller and aircraft configurations

The current calculator supports a single motor, two-blade propeller and direct drive. Results are model estimates rather than bench measurements; climb estimates are provisional. If you have not chosen a propeller size, start with Setup Finder to estimate your aircraft's requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Can I calculate a three-blade propeller or geared drive?

The current fixed-wing calculator supports single-motor, two-blade, direct-drive setups. A component appearing in the search catalog does not mean every configuration is supported; check the selection message before calculating.

How should I compare two propeller setups?

Keep aircraft and operating conditions the same, change one component or dimension, and recalculate. Compare thrust with current, power, temperature and reported limits; export each result as JSON to retain the inputs and outputs.

Is the flight-time estimate a guaranteed duration?

No. Flight-time results describe the modeled setup and entered conditions, while actual use depends on the flight and battery condition. Review the estimate alongside current draw and battery limits, then compare it with measurements from your own setup.