Toks Desalu wrote:
Guys-
If we have higher L/D, we need higher thrust to maintain lift equal
weight. Am I reading this correctly? In this case, you would need higher
horsepower?

Toks Desalu
PP-SEL
Dyin' to fly!



A simple way to look at it is:

You need thrust to overcome drag.
You need lift to overcome gravity.

So, the more lift you have for a given amount of drag the less thrust
you need to achieve a given speed.

Or:
To maintain straight and level flight you need "X" amount of lift to
hold up the wieght of your aircraft. A wing with a higher L/D will give
you "X" amount of lift with less drag (L/D is just "amount of lift" per
"amount of drag"). Because you now have less drag you don't need as much
power to maintain a given speed.


Regards
Martin Morgan