"Bertie the Bunyip" wrote in message
...
"Mike" nospam@ microsoft.com wrote in
:

"Darkwing" theducksmail"AT"yahoo.com wrote in message
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How does rated thrust for a jet engine translate to actual power? I
guess my question is, for example, a Cessna Mustang has two engines
that produce 1,460 lbs of thrust each (x 2) so the total is 2920 lbs
of thrust for the two engines. The takeoff weight for the Mustang is
listed as 8,645 lbs. so the engines are only putting out a 1/4 of the
total aircrafts weights. So do they rate thrust different to the
actual weight that the engines can fly? Is the reason that is does
only produce 2920 lbs. of thrust but the wing is what actually makes
the plane fly so the thrust doesn't need to equal weight?

Max thrust is measured with the engine on a test stand and doesn't
correspond to the aircraft. It doesn't correlate to power, because
the power equation requires work to be performed and an engine on a
test stand doesn't produce work.


Actually, it does. It's moving a lot of air from one end to the other an
also producing quite a bit of heat.

You could say the same about any aircraft engine operating either on a test
stand on the ground or an aircraft in the air, however I don't think that
was the translation of "actual power" the OP was looking for.