← Back to App
Contents

TripCalc User Guide

Plan multi-leg flights with real airport data, live fuel prices, weight & balance, and side-by-side aircraft comparison — all in one page.

What is TripCalc?

TripCalc is a proprietary flight planning tool developed by bop Aero, exclusively for our program owners and lessees. Drop stops on the map, pick your aircraft, and instantly see flight times, fuel requirements, runway suitability, and a full cost estimate — for one aircraft or two side-by-side.

TripCalc is a general trip planning tool, not an EFB. It is designed to help you quickly evaluate routes, compare aircraft, and estimate costs — not to replace a full-featured Electronic Flight Bag application. For detailed flight planning, weather, NOTAMs, weight & balance certification, and navigation, use a dedicated EFB such as ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot.

✈ Real Airport Data

Runway lengths and airport identifiers from the FAA NASR database, refreshed every 28 days.

⛽ Live Fuel Prices

Per-airport 100LL and Jet-A prices pulled from AirNav, with a national average fallback when AirNav has no data.

⚖ Weight & Balance

Seat-by-seat payload entry for the SR22T and SF50 with auto-calculated max takeoff weight status.

📋 Side-by-Side Compare

Add a second aircraft to compare flight times, fuel cost, and total trip cost on the same route.

Quick Start

  1. Step 1 — Trip Routing. Select your Program Area and tap your home airport, or click + Add Origin and click the map (or type an ICAO code). Not in a program area? Skip the dropdown and go straight to the map or the button. An aircraft picker popup appears automatically after placing your origin. Steps 2 and 3 are grayed out until your origin is placed — this is by design.
  2. Step 2 — Aircraft. Tap SR22T or SF50 — the buttons are at the top of the Aircraft section. The Aircraft Details pane expands automatically. This section activates as soon as your origin is placed.
  3. Add more stops. Each map click adds the next stop. You can also type an ICAO code or city name into any waypoint's search field.
  4. Results. Scroll down to the Results section — total time, flight time, distance, and fuel appear as soon as origin and aircraft are set. Expand ▼ Route Details for a leg-by-leg breakdown.
  5. Step 3 — Trip Cost (optional). Expand the collapsed Trip Cost section to enter aircraft cost, pilot rates, and FBO fees for a full cost estimate.
  6. Close the loop (optional). Click ↻ Return to Origin to add a return leg back to your departure airport.
💡

Tip: TripCalc works best on a desktop browser with a wide screen. On mobile, use the Plan / Map / Results tabs at the bottom to switch views.

Adding Stops

Program Area Shortcuts

Select your Program Area from the dropdown at the top of Step 1. A grid of your home airports appears — tap any one to instantly place it as the origin. An aircraft picker popup appears immediately after placement.

Not in a Cirrus program area? Skip the dropdown entirely — click + Add Origin or tap the map to place your origin directly.

Add Origin

Click + Add Origin to add the origin yourself. A flashing badge appears in the sidebar — click anywhere on the map to snap to the nearest airport, or type an ICAO code or address into the search field.

Map Click

When a waypoint is pending (shown by the flashing badge in the sidebar), click anywhere on the map to place it. TripCalc snaps it to the nearest public-use airport within a reasonable radius.

ICAO or Address Search

Type directly into a waypoint's search field. TripCalc accepts:

  • ICAO codes — e.g., KSNA, KFCM
  • City or address — TripCalc geocodes the address and snaps to the nearest airport

A dropdown of matching airports appears as you type. Press Enter or click a suggestion to place the stop.

Reordering Stops

Drag the handle on any waypoint row to reorder the route. The map and results update instantly.

Moving a Stop

Click the re-place button on a waypoint to put it back into pending mode so you can click a new location on the map.

Removing a Stop

Click the × button on any waypoint row. The route reconnects around the removed stop automatically.

Canadian airports: Canadian airports use ICAO identifiers starting with C (e.g., CYYZ). Fuel-only stop filtering is disabled for Canadian airports since fuel type availability data is limited.

Aircraft

Primary Aircraft

The Aircraft section is grayed out until your origin is placed — once it activates, tap SR22T or SF50 to select your aircraft. The ▼ Aircraft Details pane expands automatically after selection. You can also choose in the popup that appears after placing your origin.

You can override the default cruise speed or fuel burn by typing directly into the Speed (mph) or GPH fields inside the expanded Aircraft Details pane.

Custom Aircraft

Click + Custom Aircraft under the primary slot to define a fully custom aircraft — enter a name, cruise speed, and fuel burn rate.

Comparison Aircraft

Click + Add Comparison Aircraft to add a second aircraft. Both aircraft compute side-by-side results on the same route, with a time-difference row showing how much faster or slower the second aircraft is.

SF50 — Owner vs. Lessee

When the SF50 is selected, choose between OWNER and LESSEE modes. In Lessee mode, enter your remaining lease hours; cost calculations adjust accordingly.

Speed and GPH edits apply only to the current session. Clicking the aircraft quick-pick button again reloads factory defaults.

Payload & Weight

Both the SR22T and SF50 include a seat-by-seat payload calculator to help you stay within max takeoff weight. Basic aircraft empty weight and TKS fluid are included automatically as fixed entries.

Setting Occupants

Click the occupant count to open a popup with and + buttons. TripCalc fills seats in order (SR22T: pilot → rear left → front passenger → rear right; SF50: pilot → front → mid left → mid right → rear). Toggle Luggage to add standard baggage weight.

Payload Bar

Once an aircraft is selected, a compact payload bar appears in the Aircraft section showing Payload (total occupant and baggage weight) and Fuel avail (gallons remaining after payload). A note below the bar confirms the aircraft's Basic Empty Weight (BEW) and whether TKS fluid is included. Tap the bar to expand Weight Details.

Basic Empty Weight (BEW)

The aircraft's BEW is shown above the payload bar and is editable. It is pre-filled with the published value for your aircraft. If you know your specific aircraft's actual empty weight, update it here for more accurate range and fuel calculations. A warning will appear on first edit — BEW is critical to all weight and range math; only update it with a known value.

Weight Details

Tap the payload bar or click ▼ Weight Details to edit individual seat weights, baggage, and TKS fluid. The payload bar turns red when total weight exceeds the aircraft's max takeoff weight. Click Use Standard Weights to reset all seats to standard FAA weights (190 lbs per adult, 80 lbs per child).

SR22T default weights:

ItemDefaultStandardMax
Pilot190 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Front passenger0 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Rear left190 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Rear right0 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Baggage30 lbs30 lbs130 lbs
TKS fluid5.4 gal (~50 lbs)20 gal

SF50 default weights:

ItemDefaultStandardMax
Pilot190 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Front passenger190 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Mid left0 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Mid right0 lbs190 lbs300 lbs
Rear left (child)0 lbs80 lbs200 lbs
Rear right (child)0 lbs80 lbs200 lbs
Nose baggage25 lbs20 lbs100 lbs
Aft baggage0 lbs30 lbs150 lbs
TKS fluid3.3 gal (~30 lbs)20 gal

TKS fluid weighs 9.2 lbs/gal. The gallons value you enter is converted to pounds automatically in all payload and range calculations.

Payload calculation is a planning tool only. Always verify weight and balance using Cirrus's official Weight & Balance software before flight.

Overnight Stops

Mark any stop (except the origin) as an overnight stop by clicking the moon icon on its waypoint row. This tells TripCalc that you are spending the night and continuing the following day.

  • The Flying Days count in the Trip Cost section increments by one for each overnight stop.
  • The Route Details table shows a ☽ DAY 2 (or DAY 3, etc.) divider after each overnight stop.
  • Pilot cost in the cost estimate uses a daily rate, so adding overnight stops increases the pilot cost total.
💡

Use overnight stops on multi-day trips to get an accurate pilot cost estimate. Flying Days is set to 1 by default (day trip).

Fuel-Only Stops

The Fuel-Only Stops toggle in the sidebar filters intermediate stop candidates to airports that carry the right fuel type for your aircraft — 100LL for the SR22T, Jet-A for the SF50.

When enabled and no suitable fuel airport exists within range, TripCalc falls back to the nearest airport and shows a warning.

Map Controls

Helper Buttons (top-left)

ButtonWhat it does
ROUTEZooms and pans the map to fit the entire route in view.
LASTZooms to the most recently added stop.
RANGEToggles the aircraft range circle on and off.
MAP LOCKEDLocks or unlocks map scrolling. Locked by default to prevent accidental panning while scrolling the sidebar.

Map Layer (bottom-left)

Switch between DARK (default), STREET, and SAT (satellite) tile layers.

On mobile, the map is locked by default. Tap MAP LOCKED to enable panning, then lock it again when done to avoid unintended scrolling.

Range Circle

The range circle is a dashed ring centered on the last-placed waypoint showing the maximum distance your selected aircraft can fly on a full tank, accounting for a one-hour fuel reserve.

  • The ring label shows the range in statute miles and the time to reach maximum range.
  • The circle updates automatically when you change aircraft, edit fuel burn, or add/move waypoints.
  • Toggle visibility with the RANGE button in the top-left map controls.

The range circle is a planning estimate. It does not account for winds, altitude, climb fuel burn (modeled separately), or ATC routing. Always confirm fuel planning with the aircraft's POH.

Airport Popups

Click any waypoint marker on the map to see a popup with:

  • Airport name and ICAO code
  • Coordinates in decimal degrees
  • Longest paved runway with a color-coded suitability indicator
  • Fuel price — live AirNav price (highlighted in color) or a muted *Natl Avg fallback when no local data is available
  • Return to Origin button on the origin marker when the route is open

Flight Results

The Results section appears once at least one stop is placed and an aircraft is selected.

Totals

FieldDescription
Total TimeFlight time plus all ground time at intermediate stops.
Flight TimeAirborne time only (climb + cruise modeled separately). Conservatively averaged across all legs.
Ground TimeTime on the ground at stops (configurable in Trip Cost).
Total DistanceSum of great-circle distances for all legs, in statute miles.
Average SpeedTotal distance divided by total flight time.
Total FuelEstimated fuel burn for the entire route (gallons). Blended across climb and cruise burn rates.

Route Details

Click ▼ Route Details to expand a leg-by-leg table showing distance, time, fuel burn, and maximum range per leg. Day separators (☽ DAY 2, ☽ DAY 3…) appear after overnight stops.

Side-by-Side Comparison

When a second aircraft is added, both results cards appear with a row showing the time difference between them.

Fuel Prices

TripCalc fetches fuel prices for each airport in your route from AirNav.com. Prices are shown in airport popups and in the waypoint list sidebar.

DisplayMeaning
⛽ 100LL $X.XX/gal coloredLive AirNav price for that airport.
⛽ loading… mutedPrice fetch is in progress.
*Natl Avg 100LL $X.XX/gal mutedNo AirNav data for this airport; national average shown as a fallback.

National average prices are updated automatically via a scheduled data pipeline and reflect recent nationwide averages for both 100LL and Jet-A.

💡

Fuel prices are used in the cost estimate. For the most accurate cost projection, verify prices with the FBO before your flight.

Trip Cost

Trip Cost is optional — flight times and fuel estimates appear without it. Click STEP 3 · Trip Cost to expand the section and configure costs for a full trip cost estimate.

Cost Inputs

FieldDescription
Aircraft Cost ($/hr)Ownership or charter cost per hour. Leave at $0 if not applicable.
Fuel/Oil/TKS ($/hr)Pre-filled based on aircraft GPH × current fuel price. Editable.
Pilot Cost ($/day)Minimum and maximum daily pilot cost. The estimate shows a range.
Flying DaysAuto-calculated: 1 + number of overnight stops.
Trip DaysTotal days away from base (may differ from flying days).
Ground Time Per StopMinutes budgeted at each intermediate stop. Default: 35 min.
FBO/Airport FeesAuto-filled from the AOPA Airport Directory for each airport waypoint. See details below.

FBO / Airport Fees

TripCalc automatically looks up FBO fee data from the AOPA Airport Directory for each airport waypoint and pre-fills the fee input. Fees are selected based on your aircraft type and stop type:

  • SR22T (Single-Engine Piston): Ramp and facility fees for transient stops; tie-down fees for overnight stops.
  • SF50 (Jet): Same as above, plus handling fees where applicable.
  • Overnight stays: Tie-down fees are multiplied by the number of nights, calculated automatically from Trip Days ÷ number of overnight stops.
  • FBO Selector: Every stop with AOPA data shows a dropdown listing available FBOs. Select your preferred operator — the fee input and breakdown update immediately. Airports with a single FBO show a one-item dropdown confirming which operator is being used.

All fees are editable — if the auto-filled amount is wrong, simply type the correct value. Pre-filled amounts will not overwrite a value you have manually entered.

Fee Not Disclosed: Some FBOs (e.g. Signature Aviation at busy airports) do not publish their fees in the AOPA directory. When this applies to a relevant fee type for your stop, TripCalc leaves the input blank and shows a warning: "does not disclose fees — call before arrival." The cost summary will also display a next to FBO Fees to indicate the total may be incomplete. Always call ahead to confirm rates at FBOs that do not disclose.

Use the ↗ AirNav and ↗ AOPA links next to each stop to verify fees directly on those sites before your flight.

Cost Breakdown

Click ▼ Cost Breakdown inside the cost estimate card to see a line-by-line breakdown: aircraft cost, fuel cost, oil/consumables, pilot cost, and FBO fees. The FBO row shows the stop, FBO name, and fee components (e.g. KGKT · Gatlinburg Airport Authority: Tie-down ×1).

Warnings

TripCalc flags safety-relevant conditions at the waypoint and leg level.

WarningMeaning
⚠ SHORT RWYLongest paved runway is below the aircraft's caution threshold but above the hard minimum.
⚠ SHORT RWYLongest paved runway is below the aircraft's required minimum. Evaluate carefully.
⚠ EXCEEDS FUEL RANGEThe leg distance exceeds the aircraft's maximum range. A fuel stop is required.
⚠ NO FUELAirport does not carry the fuel type required by the selected aircraft.
OVERPayload total exceeds the aircraft's max takeoff weight (SR22T only).

Runway Thresholds

AircraftCaution belowMinimum
SR22T3,000 ft2,500 ft
SF504,000 ft3,000 ft

Default Settings

Click the ⚙ Settings button (below Clear All in the sidebar) to open the Default Settings panel. Preferences saved here are applied automatically every time the app loads or the trip is cleared — eliminating the need to re-enter your common values each session.

Default Origin

Type an ICAO or FAA identifier (e.g., KSUS, I67) into the Origin field. TripCalc resolves it to an airport name and coordinates; the name is confirmed below the field. The origin is placed automatically on every fresh load and after Clear All — with full runway data and warnings active from the start.

Two shortcuts for setting your default origin:

  • Use Current Origin button — copies the first waypoint from your active trip into the origin field. Only enabled when at least one waypoint is placed.
  • ⚙ gear icon on the origin row — in the waypoint list, click the gear icon on the origin waypoint to save that airport as your default origin with a single tap.

Default Aircraft

Select SR22T or Vision Jet to pre-select the aircraft on every load. When an aircraft is chosen, an Aircraft Details row appears allowing you to override the default cruise speed (mph), fuel burn (GPH), and aircraft cost ($/hr) — useful if your aircraft's performance differs from the factory defaults.

Below the performance fields, click ▼ Weight Details to expand an editable list of all seat, baggage, and TKS fluid weights for that aircraft. Values pre-fill from your previously saved settings, or from the current payload panel if that aircraft is active. Edit any field and click Save Settings — exactly what you see in the dropdown is what gets saved and applied on every load.

Default Occupants

Set your typical total occupant count (pilot included) using the and + buttons. This count is applied on load and after Clear All, suppressing the occupant prompt that would otherwise appear when adding the first stop.

Default Role

Choose OWNER or LESSEE to pre-select your operator role. The SF50 does not support the Lessee option; it defaults to Owner regardless.

Fuel Services Filter

Check Only choose Airports with Fuel Services to enable the fuel-only stop filter by default on every load, so TripCalc only snaps to airports carrying the right fuel type for your aircraft.

Owner-Pilot (Pilot Cost = $0)

Check I am the pilot to save a $0 pilot cost as your default. This setting is respected across aircraft changes — switching from SR22T to SF50 will not override the $0 value with the SF50 preset rates. If this option is saved, pilot cost fields default to $0 and the preset aircraft rates are not applied.

Pilot Cost ($/day)

If you are not the pilot, enter your typical Min and Max daily pilot cost. These values are applied on load as long as the selected aircraft matches your saved default aircraft. If you switch to a different aircraft, the new aircraft's preset rates are used instead, and a notification toast will appear reminding you to update Settings if the change was intentional.

💡

Pilot cost notification: When you manually switch aircraft and your saved Settings have pilot costs that differ from the new aircraft's preset, a brief toast message appears: "Pilot costs from your Settings are applied — update Settings to change." This is a reminder that your saved personal rates are active.

Reset All Settings

Click Reset All Settings at the bottom of the Settings panel to immediately clear all saved defaults — including aircraft selection, origin, occupant count, pilot costs, and weight details. The reset takes effect instantly and is persisted to cloud sync, so reloading the app (or opening it on another linked device) starts completely fresh.

Settings are stored in your browser's local storage. They persist across sessions but are specific to the browser and device you are using.

Saving Trips

Auto-Save

TripCalc automatically saves your current route to browser storage every 1–2 seconds. If the browser crashes or the tab is closed unexpectedly, you'll be offered the option to Restore Trip the next time you open TripCalc.

If you close the browser tab normally (via the tab × button or the browser File menu), TripCalc treats it as an intentional exit and will start fresh on the next launch — no restore prompt.

Named Saves (💾 Trips)

Click the 💾 Trips button (next to Clear All) to open the Saved Trips modal.

  1. Type a name for your trip in the Name this trip… field.
  2. Press Enter or click Save. The trip is saved to browser storage instantly.
  3. To reload a saved trip later, open the Trips modal and click Load next to any entry.
  4. To remove a saved trip, click Delete. Up to 30 trips can be saved.

What Gets Saved

Every named save (and the auto-save) captures a complete snapshot of the trip, including:

  • All waypoints — airport, coordinates, runway data, overnight flags
  • Aircraft selection — model, speed, GPH, and any custom overrides
  • Occupants & luggage
  • Payload & weight details — individual seat, baggage, and TKS fluid weights
  • Trip Cost fields — aircraft cost, fuel/consumables, pilot cost range, Trip Days, ground time per stop
  • Owner / Lessee role and lease hours (SF50 Lessee)
  • FBO selections — the selected FBO at each stop and the fee entered
💡

When a saved trip is loaded, FBO fees and fuel prices are refreshed from current data automatically — so recalled trips always reflect today's rates, not the rates at the time of saving.

Saved trips are also backed up to the cloud automatically — so they're safe even if you clear your browser. See Cloud Sync to access your trips on another device.

Clear All

Click ✕ Clear All to reset the entire trip. You'll be asked to confirm before anything is removed.

Cloud Sync

TripCalc automatically backs up your saved trips and settings to the cloud every time you save. Nothing to configure — it happens silently in the background.

Linking Two Devices

To sync between a phone, tablet, or computer:

  1. On the device whose data you want to keep (e.g. your phone), open ⚙ Settings and tap Get Sync Code. A unique 8-character code appears (e.g. AEFA-W3QL). Tap it to copy. The code is valid for 10 minutes.
  2. On the other device (e.g. your desktop), open ⚙ Settings, enter the code in the Have a code from another device? field, and tap Restore.
  3. The second device adopts the first device's sync token and immediately pulls all trips and settings from the cloud.

Direction matters. The device that enters the code switches to the other device's cloud slot. Always generate the code on the device that already has the data you want — then enter it on the device you're adding.

How Settings Sync Works

Cloud is the source of truth for settings. Whenever you open the app on any linked device, it pulls the latest settings from the cloud and applies them. Changes you save on one device are available on all others the next time they're opened or refreshed.

💡

You can link as many devices as you like — generate a fresh code from any already-linked device each time.

If Devices Fall Out of Sync

Open ⚙ Settings on both devices and compare the Token shown in the Sync Debug section at the bottom. If the last 8 characters don't match, the devices are no longer sharing a cloud slot — re-link using the steps above.

This can happen if a browser clears its local storage (common on iOS Safari). TripCalc now stores the sync token in both browser storage and a long-lived cookie to reduce how often this occurs.

Export & Print

Click the Export button in the header to access sharing and export options.

OptionDescription
Copy RouteCopies the airport sequence to the clipboard (e.g., KFCM KORD KSNA).
Open in ForeFlightLaunches ForeFlight (if installed) with the route pre-loaded. Works on iPhone and iPad.
Export FPLDownloads an FAA flight plan file compatible with most EFB apps.
Export GPXDownloads a GPX file for GPS devices and other aviation apps.
Export TXTDownloads a plain-text trip summary including all legs, distances, fuel, and cost.
PrintOpens a print-formatted version of the trip summary.

Aircraft Specifications

Cirrus SR22T Piston

SpecValue
Cruise Speed175 mph
Fuel Burn18 GPH
Fuel Type100LL (Avgas)
Max Range~800 statute miles (with reserve)
Seats4 (pilot + 3 passengers)
Max Takeoff Weight3,600 lbs
Min Runway (hard)2,500 ft
Min Runway (caution)3,000 ft

Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet Jet

SpecValue
Cruise Speed280 mph
Fuel Burn59 GPH
Fuel TypeJet-A
Max Range~1,000 statute miles (with reserve)
Seats7 (pilot + 4 adults + 2 children)
Max Takeoff Weight6,000 lbs
Min Runway (hard)3,000 ft
Min Runway (caution)4,000 ft

Aircraft performance values in TripCalc are planning estimates based on published cruise performance. Actual performance varies with weight, altitude, temperature, and wind. Always conduct a complete preflight performance calculation using the official Pilot's Operating Handbook.

Data Sources

DataSourceUpdate Frequency
Airport identifiers & locationsOurAirports (airports.csv)On each app load
Runway lengthsFAA NASR (National Airspace System Resources)Every 28 days
Fuel prices (per airport)AirNav.comLive, on demand
National average fuel pricesbop Aero data pipelineEvery 14 days

The current FAA NASR cycle is displayed in the header. When the NASR data is unavailable, NASR: OFFLINE is shown — airport lookups still work but runway data may be stale.


TripCalc is developed by bop Aero. For questions or feedback, contact raymond@bopaero.com.