Engine power question???

J.Kahn wrote:

It forces you to use a certain minimum prop pitch to avoid overspeeding
it in flight.

An O-320 makes 120 hp at 2300 rpm and 26". At wide open throttle at SL
and 2250 it is probably around 130 hp. Add a couple thousand feet and
125 hp at the start of the roll sounds about right.

Any fixed pitch airplane is the same. A 150 with a stock O200 doesn't
have 100 hp available while static either, probably more like 80-85. So
all things being equal you still have 50% more power available than stock.

You know, we ALL really ought to go get another hour in a 150 every once
in a while.

When I was in high school, the 150 was IT! WoW!

But I flew one a couple of years ago and the prevelant thought was,
"What happened? This used to be FUN".




With all the old wives' tales about running constant speed engines
"oversquare" (rpm below mp) it's amusing to note that fixed pitch
aircraft are way oversquare all through their takeoff and climb phase
until they're going fast enough.

John