"Montblack" wrote in message
...
("cavelamb himself" wrote)
And a LOT of the drag is from cooling the engine!
There is an ideal place for big gains.


Ercoupe, Cessna 172, Piper Warrior:
How much drag would be eliminated it the prop was spun from, say, a
(hypothetically capable) electric motor - of the same weight as the
engine? An electric motor that needs little of the cooling air (drag)
required by the gas engines.

WAG, is a LOT ...33%?

Whatever the guesstimated drag number settled on, what then would that
number mean in cruise speeds, or fuel burn? 10% improvement? 20%
improvement? 30%?


Montblack

You're on the right track if you can work with a semi-trailer sized battery
or a 500 mile extension cord. ;-)

KB