Jet performance and propulsion research
In this module, some of the background considerations for jet and propeller aircraft performance were introduced by taking a closer look at the different propulsion systems. During the next module, you will apply these fundamentals to your aircraft example and its unaccelerated performance. Nevertheless, since all of your example aircraft are propeller-driven, it makes sense to divert your attention for a moment to introduce some of the application of performance principles in jet aircraft.
Choose a jet aircraft to use as your example for this activity. It should not be an exotic jet aircraft, as you will need to find data online for the aircraft. If you choose a military aircraft, make sure you are not using classified data to support your work. Only use data that is available to all on the internet. You will then use the data you gathered for this particular aircraft to show examples of your performance problems and how you derived them.
To provide an outlook to some of the aspects of next module’s unaccelerated performance, select a jet aircraft of your choice, choose three (3) of the following items of performance, and prepare an instructional presentation (utilizing a presentation tool of your choice – see resources in the Online Tools section) that explains in-depth how to find these different items of performance for a jet aircraft. This will be a standalone presentation and will not be attached to your comprehensive presentation project. Available choices:
- maximum forward speed in level flight
- absolute ceiling
- best angle of climb airspeed
- angle of climb
- best rate of climb airspeed
- rate of climb
- maximum endurance airspeed
- maximum range airspeed
- influence of weight on performance
- influence of altitude on performance
- influence of configuration on performance
