Every jump starts with a climb.

CO₂ per load and per jumper

We model a load from the plane’s flight manual. The plane climbs from sea level to 13,000 ft at its maximum weight, using the manual’s time and fuel to climb. The manual’s fuel allowance covers engine start, taxi and takeoff. The descent back down is at 1,100 ft/min. A jumper’s share is the load divided by the jumpers on board, without the pilot. We found no drop zone, operator or manufacturer that publishes a fuel figure per load we can check, so the fuel comes from the manuals.

How a load adds up

Each step in US gallons of avgas, from the flight manuals in the sources. CO₂ is the total at 8.31 kg per gallon.

• Cessna 182: the climb is Figure 5-8 of the 182T flight manual (maximum rate of climb, 3,100 lb, standard temperature, from sea level). The table lists 12,000 and 14,000 ft, so we read 13,000 ft halfway between them. The manual adds 1.7 gal for engine start, taxi and takeoff.
• Cessna 206: the climb is Figure 5-6 of the U206G flight manual (1978, normally aspirated, 300 hp; maximum rate of climb, 3,600 lb, standard temperature, from sea level). The table stops at 12,000 ft. The manual adds 2.0 gal for engine start, taxi and takeoff. Assumption: for the last 1,000 ft we keep the 12,000 ft row’s climb rate of 250 ft/min and its fuel flow of 17 gal/h. The real climb slows further, so this is a little short.
• Descent: 1,100 ft/min, the FAA and USPA figure for Cessna jump planes. Assumption: the flight manuals give no fuel flow for a descent. We use the lowest fuel flow in each manual’s cruise table at 4,000 ft: 9.7 gal/h for the 182 and 9.4 gal/h for the 206. A real descent can burn less.
• Assumption: the 13,000 ft jump altitude is our choice, with the airfield at sea level because the manual tables start there. AOPA reports that a jump Cessna 182 typically climbs to 12,000 ft above ground. A drop zone with another altitude or airfield elevation has other figures.

AOPA Pilot describes a jump Cessna 182 that flew 200 to 300 hours a year on 400 to 600 loads, or about 30 minutes a load, with jumps typically from 12,000 ft above ground. Our Cessna 182 load is 35 minutes of climb and descent from 13,000 ft, without the ground time.

Turboprop jump planes

The Twin Otter and the Cessna 208 Caravan are not in our calculator. Skydive Magazine reports about 30 US gallons of jet fuel per Twin Otter load, or 1.5 US gallons per jumper. At our jet fuel factor that is 293 kg per load and 15 kg per jumper.

A year of loads

The CO₂ and the yearly plan cost for a number of loads. The counts are examples, not statistics.

Yearly plan cost at the list rates on our pricing page. Above 15 tonnes a year there is no list price: contact us. See pricing

Not counted: a second pass over the drop zone, a jump run that takes longer than the climb, and fuel production and transport.

Aircraft in these figures

Each aircraft has a page with its hourly CO₂, its cost per hour and the source of its fuel flow.

• AircraftCessna 182 Skylane79 kg of CO₂ per load, and 112 kg an hour.
• AircraftCessna 206 Stationair105 kg of CO₂ per load, and 137 kg an hour.

Keep exploring

• GuideA practical sustainability plan for flight schools and flying clubsMeasure your fleet's emissions from the fuel records you already keep, cut what you can through training standards, offset the rest, and describe it in a way that stands up to scrutiny.
• GuideForget “carbon neutral”: what pilots, flight schools and clubs can say after offsettingEU rules that apply from 27 September 2026 ban calling a flight, a lesson or a rental hour “carbon neutral” because of offsetting. Who the rules reach, and the wording pilots, flight schools and clubs can use instead.
• ContactOffset a drop zone's loadsTell us your loads or your plane hours and we quote the drop zone.

Sources

Every figure comes from the sources below and from the fuel flows in our calculator. We read them on October 9, 2026. CO₂ is from burning the fuel only, at 8.31 kg per US gallon of avgas.

• FAA and USPA, Flying for Skydive Operations (P-8740-62): descent rates
• AOPA Pilot, Perfectly good airplane (2023): a jump Cessna 182, its jumpers, loads and altitude
• Cessna 182T Pilot’s Operating Handbook: climb table (Figure 5-8) and cruise table (Figure 5-9)
• Paracentrum Texel, Cessna 206: jumpers per load
• Cessna U206G Pilot’s Operating Handbook: climb table (Figure 5-6) and cruise table (Figure 5-7)
• Skydive Magazine, Skydiving & the Planet, part 1 (2020): Twin Otter fuel per load
• Cessna 182 Skylane: fuel flow in our calculator
• Cessna 206 Stationair: fuel flow in our calculator