Beginner's
Guide to Propulsion & RangeGames
Thrust to Weight Ratio Answers Answers will vary. Suggested answers are shown below:
1. What determines the weight of an airplane? size and materials used in construction, payload and fuel carried by airplane 2. What determines the thrust of an airplane? size and type of propulsion system and the throttle setting 3. The thrust to weight ratio indicates how efficient total aircraft propulsion is. 4. According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, the higher an airplane's thrust to weight ratio is, the higher its acceleration, its excess thrust, and its rate of climb. 5. Which plane would you expect to be able to climb faster, a fighter plane or an airliner? fighter plane 6. Based on the previous question, which plane must have the higher thrust to weight ratio, the fighter plane or the airliner? fighter plane Open RangeGames and use it to answer the following questions. Set the "Mode" to Play, "Units" to Metric and "Aircraft" to Exec Jet. Below the "Aircraft" menu, locate the aircraft Weight and on the dials to the right, locate the Thrust. 7. In the data table below, record the weight in Newtons and the thrust in Newtons for Executive Jet 1. 8. Change the plane type to Fighter and record weight and thrust in the data table for Fighter 1. 9. Change the plane type to Airliner and record weight and thrust in the data table for Airliner 1. 10. Change the plane type to Executive Jet and record weight and thrust in the data table for Executive Jet 2. 11. Change the plane type to Airliner and record weight and thrust in the data table for Airliner 2. 12. Change the plane type to Fighter and record weight and thrust in the data table for Fighter 2. Click on the AirPage and find the data to answer the following questions. Record your answers in the data table. 13. Using Search Manufacturer, find the Gates Learjet and click on the Specs. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust. 14. Using Search Manufacturer, find the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 "Hornet" and click on the Specs. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust. 15. Using Search Manufacturer, find the McDonnell Douglas F-15 "Eagle" and click on the Specs. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust. 16. Using Search Manufacturer, find the Boeing 747/VC-25 and click on the Specs. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust. 17. Using Search Manufacturer, find another plane of your choice and click on the Specs. Record the weight in pounds on the data table and convert to Newtons. Record the thrust. 18. Calculate the thrust to weight ratios in the data table. 19. Compare the thrust to weight ratios in airliners, fighter jets, and executive jets. thrust to weight ratio is generally highest in fighters, next highest in executive jets, and lowest in airliners 20. Conclude by explaining why certain types of planes require a higher thrust to weight ratio. fighter planes have to be able to accelerate quickly, so they need a high thrust to weight ratio 21. List any plane from the data table which can accelerate vertically. F-15 "Eagle", (also F-22 "Rapier")
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Airplane |
Weight in lbs. |
divide by 2.2 to convert to kg |
multiply by gravity = 9.80 to convert to Newtons |
weight in Newtons |
thrust in Newtons |
thrust to weight ratio |
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Executive Jet 1 |
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48,793 |
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0.327 |
Executive Jet 2 |
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Learjet |
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Fighter 1 |
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Fighter 2 |
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F/A-18 "Hornet" |
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F-15 "Eagle" |
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Airliner 1 |
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Airliner 2 |
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Boeing 747/VC-25 |
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**Because there are 4 engines, thrust must be multiplied by 4.