"Jack" wrote in message
. net...
[...]
Just how elastic do you think the connections between the airframe and the
engine are? When it comes to acceleration, they better form pretty much
one piece, don't you think?

For the sake of this discussion, it doesn't really matter. The difference
in forces may be negligible, but *inasmuch as they might not be*, a lighter
engine doesn't help, it hurts.

Still, your comment about elasticity is irrelevant.

Gross weight is what we accelerate, not components.

The components are connected by structure designed for specific forces.

For example, I can add a one ounce weight to the back of my airplane with
some scotch tape, and it won't fall off, no matter how fast I accelerate.
But if I tried to pull the entire airplane by pulling on that one ounce
weight, the tape will fail, even at extremely low acceleration.

Pete