Thermals and Horsepower

:-)
Who is Godon Bennet ? or am I just showing my ingorance again?

KK

HP is a unit for measuring power.

Yes but kW is the right one.

:-)

Ian

LOL ... I guess so ...

James Gordon Bennet II, 1841 - 1918 is the man referred to, and was
quite a colourful character. One of his many reported exploits was an
incident where he flew an aeroplane through an open barn. The surprised
onlookers were supposed to have said 'That was Gordon Bennett!', and
hence onward to the current shortened phrase. Became popular again
during the 1980s but is again falling out of use.

Earlier, Ken Kochanski (KK) wrote:

...I think HP is just a measure of work...

Well, in a manner of speakin', yeah!


Bob K.
http://www.hpaircraft.com

What do you expect from a Psych major ... :-)

I was trying to understand what the energy numbers involved in XC
soaring were ... to give a common sense explanation on the SRA page
(http://sailplane-racing.org/) ... the visual images are not too
exciting, however.

We pull 15 HP out of a thermal while climbing .... so is my 'exciting'
visual a 15 HP John Deere Lawn Tractor driving up a vertical wall.

And if an 800 pound sailplane needs about 30000' feet to get around a
racing course ... I think the energy used translates to less then 10
kwh ... well, if that is correct ... I guess I can supply the
electricity needs of my house for a day or so.


KK