What You Can Build
The VPT API is designed to enable third-party performance tools. You build the user interface and we handle all the complex performance calculations. Focus on creating the best user experience for your aviation application while our engine delivers accurate takeoff and landing performance data for Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
The VPT API handles all the complex performance calculations — obstacles, engine failure procedures, climb gradients, contaminated runways, and more. You simply provide the inputs and display the results.
This API is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. The Virtual Performance Tool is designed for flight simulation enthusiasts and must NOT be used for real-world flight operations. Never use this data for actual aviation decisions.
Base URL
All API requests should be made to:
All API requests must be made over HTTPS. Requests made over HTTP will be rejected.
Pricing & Subscriptions
Free for developers: A demo subscription is sufficient to cover all your development needs. No upfront costs to start building.
User Subscriptions
VPT requires a paid subscription from the user to operate. Your users must subscribe to a VPT subscription to use your application's performance calculation features.
Commercial Subscriptions
A commercial subscription may be offered depending on the type of project you are developing. Personal projects will not receive free subscriptions.
If you wish to cover subscription costs for your users and obtain a special unlimited subscription, please contact us at info@virtualperformancetool.com to discuss partnership terms. Unlimited subscriptions involve substantial costs based on your intended usage volume. We welcome serious partners who are committed to building quality aviation applications.
Authentication
The VPT API uses JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication. This provides a secure, stateless authentication mechanism with automatic token refresh.
We've introduced a new JWT-based authentication system alongside the legacy API key system. New integrations should use JWT authentication for better security and features.
Key Features
- 30-day token lifetime with automatic sliding expiration
- Developer key validation for access control
- Token revocation when password changes
- Backward compatible with legacy authentication
Learn more about authentication →
API Versioning
It is highly recommended to specify a fixed API version in your requests. This prevents breaking changes when new API versions are released.
Specify the API version using the X-API-Version HTTP
header:
X-API-Version: 1.3.6
If no version is specified, the API defaults to
LATEST, which may change over time.
Use a specific version number (e.g., "1.2.9") for
production applications. Special values like
"LATEST" are available for development but not
recommended for production. Consult the
Changelog for version history and
updates.
Response Key Handling
We highly recommend converting all response keys to lowercase when parsing API responses. This ensures full compatibility with future versions of the API, as key naming conventions may change from uppercase to lowercase or camelCase.
Converting keys to lowercase before processing guarantees that your implementation will remain compatible even if key names are updated in future API versions.
API Units
All API responses use the following standard units:
| Measurement | Unit |
|---|---|
| Altitude | feet (ft) |
| Distances | feet (ft) |
| Weight | kilogram (kg) |
| Temperature | Celsius (°C) |
| QNH / Pressure | hectopascal (hPa) |
| Contamination Depth | millimeter (mm) |
Third-party applications may need to convert units to match user preferences (e.g., converting feet to meters, kilograms to pounds).