Arrow Flight Time Calculator

Why flight time matters in archery

Once you let go of the string, the arrow is on its own, and it is slower than most archers expect. A 280 fps arrow takes about 0.43 seconds to reach a 40-yard target. That is enough time for a deer to take two steps, a 3D foam buck to swing if it is mounted on a moving frame, or a target butt to shift in heavy wind. Knowing your actual flight time lets you lead moving targets honestly instead of guessing.

The math

Flight time = distance ÷ average arrow speed. Arrows lose speed in flight from aerodynamic drag, typically about 2 to 3% per 10 yards for a finished hunting arrow with broadheads or fletched field points. The calculator uses 2.5% per 10 yards as a working figure and averages the release speed with the arrival speed to estimate the time.

Drop is plain gravity: d = ½ × g × t². At 40 yards with 0.43 s of flight, gravity pulls the arrow down about 35 inches in absolute terms. Sight pins or instinctive aiming cancel almost all of it, which is why you do not see a three-foot drop on the target. The drop number this calculator reports is the raw physics value, useful for comparing one distance to another.

Quick reference at 280 fps

Compound shooters cover most realistic hunting distances in under half a second. A traditional recurve at 180 fps takes nearly twice as long at the same range, one reason traditional archers tend to favor shots inside 25 yards.