13. Aircraft Performance
In this chapter we will make the
connections between aircraft performance and propulsion system
performance. For a vehicle in steady, level flight, as in
Figure 13.1, the thrust force is equal to
the drag force, and lift is equal to weight. Any thrust available in
excess of that required to overcome the drag can be applied to
accelerate the vehicle (increasing kinetic energy) or to cause the
vehicle to climb (increasing potential energy).
Figure 13.1:
A schematic of the forces on an aircraft in steady level flight
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Subsections
UnifiedTP
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