Performance: Range

DEN/305
Range of Fixed-Wing Aircraft
Turbojet and turbofan aircraft

Propeller driven (turboprop and piston engine ) aircraft

Turbojet and Turbofan Aircraft
.
Thrust-specific fuel consumption mFT = mf / T kg/s/N

Assume level cruise: T= D, L=W, T=mg/(L/D), constant U

RBr= Ut = U(L/D)/(g mFT) ln {m0/(m0-mf)}

 Propeller Driven Aircraft
.
Power-specific fuel consumption mFT = mf / Peng kg/J

Peng = P / h = T U/ h

Where h = hprop htrans

Assume level cruise: T= D, L=W, T=mg/(L/D)
RBr = hprop htrans/(g mFP) ln {m0/(m0-mf)}
 Note Units
Many students make errors with units

either confusing km with m

or omitting g

Note g = g0 in this presentation

Re-writing in terms of Propulsive
Efficiency

Both Range Equations can be re-written in terms of propulsive

efficiency

RBr = hp hf (L/D) ln{m0/(m0-mf)

where hf is the fuel calorific value per unit weight of fuel

(J/N = m)
At simplest, maximum (ideal)
A=16, B=1 range
occurs at minimum drag airspeed
25
20D

15 In practise
y

the
total customer
10 ` profile usually
wants to fly
5 faster!
induced
0
U
0 2
© G. Dorrington Oct. 2001 4 6
 Actual Cruise-Climb
At minimum drag CD0 = K CL2 = constant

But if W is falling, L must be falling

so must q be falling, while U is assumed constant
r must be falling, so aircraft must be climbing
results is small correction to range equation

2km

200 km +
Inverting the Range Equation

Both Range Equations can be re-written as

RBr = A ln{m0/(m0-mf)}

This equation can be inverted to find the fuel used during a

cruise
mf = m0 {1 - exp(-RBr/A)}
End