Question 1

What is thrust-to-weight ratio?

Accepted Answer

Thrust-to-weight ratio (T/W) is the thrust produced by an engine divided by the total weight of the aircraft or rocket. A T/W greater than 1.0 means the vehicle can accelerate vertically. Most fighter jets have T/W around 1.0-1.3 in combat configuration.

Question 2

How is orbital velocity calculated?

Accepted Answer

Circular orbital velocity = sqrt(GM/r), where G is the gravitational constant, M is Earth's mass, and r is the orbital radius from Earth's center. At 400 km altitude (ISS orbit), this gives approximately 7.66 km/s.

Question 3

What is the Breguet range equation?

Accepted Answer

The Breguet range equation gives aircraft range as: R = (V/SFC) x (L/D) x ln(W_initial/W_final), where SFC is specific fuel consumption and L/D is lift-to-drag ratio. It shows why fuel fraction and aerodynamic efficiency are the dominant factors in aircraft range.

Question 4

Are these aerospace tools free?

Accepted Answer

Yes - completely free, no sign-up required. Results export to CSV or PDF.

Free Aerospace Tools & Calculators

Aerospace engineering calculators - from runway to orbit

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