What is the difference between endurance and range in aircraft performance?

• A. Endurance is maximum speed; Range is maximum altitude.
• B. Endurance is the time aloft on current fuel; range is the distance flown with given fuel load and reserves.
• C. Endurance is the time aloft on current fuel; range is the distance flown with given fuel load and reserves.
• D. Endurance is distance to destination; Range is time aloft.

Answer: (B)

Endurance is the time the airplane can stay in the air with the fuel that’s on board, basically how long you can fly before you run out of usable fuel (including any required reserves). Range, on the other hand, is how far you can fly with that same fuel load, taking into account the cruise speed and efficiency and the need to carry reserves. So endurance answers “how long can I stay up?” while range answers “how far can I go before the fuel runs out?” In practice, endurance is influenced by the fuel burn rate and the amount of fuel carried, whereas range depends on the combination of fuel on board and the speed that gives the best distance per unit fuel (including reserves).