Linked Questions

1 vote
1 answer
11k views

How to calculate the thrust of a piston or turboprop engine? [duplicate]

This spawns from a related question. Propeller-drive engines (piston/turboprops) seem to always list their output in horsepower or kilowatts, which are units of power. I want to know the engine's ...
DrZ214's user avatar
  • 17.6k
0 votes
3 answers
169 views

How much can 3 fans 7 inches in diameter and each a generating 160 cubic feet per minute airflow rate lift? [duplicate]

I'm working on a hoverboard project and am having trouble finding out the maximum weight these fans could lift.
Mason's user avatar
  • 1
69 votes
10 answers
92k views

Why do jet engines get better fuel efficiency at high altitudes?

I'm told that this is true, but I can't imagine why. It seems like the fact that there is less air would make the engines less efficient... But that probably just shows how little I know about jet ...
Jae Carr's user avatar
  • 24k
25 votes
7 answers
10k views

Given the same engine, why install a gearbox on a turboprop but not on a turbofan?

I am reading the book Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion, by Hill and Peterson. I found out this image while reading the chapter 5, "Thermodynamics of Aircraft Engines": Why would there be a ...
Jose Lopez Garcia's user avatar
36 votes
6 answers
12k views

Why do propeller blades not have winglets?

On the first look this question might sound ridiculous and maybe it is. But as propeller blades act by the same physical laws as wings, and winglets reduce the induced drag by quite a bit, then why ...
Maverick283's user avatar
  • 3,932
36 votes
5 answers
20k views

How does a fan differ from a propeller?

Why is the fan in a turbofan different than a propeller in a small airplane? Why do propellers typically have 2 or 3 blades, but the fan has a lot more? And why is the fan shrouded but the propeller ...
Southbob's user avatar
  • 1,079
8 votes
5 answers
10k views

How much horsepower to weight is required for a 1:1 thrust ratio?

I did a math experiment today, but wanted to verify the results. I wanted to figure out how much horsepower is needed for an aircraft to hover in midair with no wings/lifting body (1:1 thrust/weight)....
YAHsaves's user avatar
  • 1,201
17 votes
2 answers
24k views

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ducted fans in designs such as the Airbus E-Fan?

I have read that it increases thrust and reduces noise. Is there a downside to this? (Image source: Wikipedia)
David's user avatar
  • 1,349
15 votes
4 answers
14k views

What is the propeller efficiency, $μ_p$, of modern propellers for light sport aircraft?

Roskam's book on preliminary design gives a value of 0.7 for "homebuilt" aircraft and 0.8 for general aviation. What explains this difference in propeller efficiency? The content of Roskam's book is ...
user26358's user avatar
  • 469
8 votes
5 answers
2k views

What factors influence the maximum speed of an airship?

I'm interested in learning about the physics of airships; in particular, how you determine an airships maximum speed. For example, the Hindenburg topped out at about 80 mph. The ship itself weighed ...
RetailPleb's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
32k views

Which are typical rpm values for aeronautical turbines?

I wonder which of these has higher or lower rotational speed: turboshaft turbofan turbojet turboprop Does anybody know the typical speeds for these kind of engines?
Gianni Alessandro's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
12k views

Why don't helicopters prefer shorter rotors with more blades? [duplicate]

My understanding of helicopters is that, despite theoretically increasing efficiency, longer blades are worse in practice than short ones in every respect (except, perhaps, cost): Longer blades are ...
feetwet's user avatar
  • 2,274
9 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why is thrust available constant with speed for turbojet engines, when it varies with speed for turboprop engines?

Similarly, why is power available (nearly) constant with speed for a propeller engine, while it varies for a jet engine?
Nirmal's user avatar
  • 309
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

Can this design provide more lift force than thrust from engine?

The problem is depicted in the picture: Generally, why we don't use engine blow wings to fly? Can we use wind-tunnel-like wing to generate lift force? Can it generate more lift than thrust? If it ...
Libo Liu's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

Would it take 7 to 10 times more energy to lift a turbofan-helicopter?

I want to figure out how much energy it would take to lift a turbofan-helicopter. For reference I started with a rotor helicopter and assumed $T=100\ \mathrm{kN}$ gross weight and $d = 16\ \mathrm m$ ...
tschifeif's user avatar

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