6 ms·
Combustion aircraft also benefit from the weight reduction as fuel is consumed.
by kevin_thibedeau 4y ago
Combustion aircraft also benefit from the weight reduction as fuel is consumed.
- repiret 4y agoWhile that’s true, and makes a huge difference for rockets, it only makes a relatively small difference for airplanes. In cruise, most of an airplane’s energy is spent overcoming air resistance to move forward through the air mass (parasitic drag) rather than to create lift (induced drag).