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Air Propulsion
There are three ways of selecting your aerial propulsion system: By desired top speed, by engine power, or by mass.
To determine your aircraft's required thrust, you will first need to determine its Drag. This is easier than you might think: Take the aircraft's total Area, and divide by an amount based on the Streamlining, as found in the table below.
| Streamlining | |
|---|---|
| None | 1 |
| Mild | 2 |
| Moderate | 3 |
| Good | 5 |
| Excellent | 10 |
To find the thrust you need to meet your desired top speed, multiply the speed (in kph) by itself, then by your Drag. Divide this by 7,000. This gives you the thrust you need, in Newtons.
Airscrews
These are things that go around, and push air behind them as a result. Typically, propellors, ducted fans and helicopter rotors are built as small wings, relying on the Bernoulli effect to move air.
| TR | Type | Mass (kg) | Power (kW) | Cost (₠) | Volume (m³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 | Propellor | Thrust ÷ 16.5 + 8 | 1.5 × Thrust | Mass × 10 | – |
| 0 | Ducted Fan | Thrust ÷ 16.5 + 8 | 2 × Thrust | Mass × 10 | Mass ÷ 150 |
| 0 | Helicopter | Thrust ÷ 6.5 + 8 | 5 × Thrust | Mass × 20 | Mass ÷ 75 |
| 0 | Tilt Rotor | Thrust ÷ 4 + 12 | 5 × Thrust | Mass × 20 | Mass ÷ 75 |
| +1 | Ornithopter | Thrust ÷ 4 + 3.5 | 4 × Thrust | Mass × 45 | Mass ÷ 75 |
Mass and Power are per Newton of thrust. Helicopter blades and Tilt Rotors also produce 1kg of static lift per Newton. However, a Tilt Rotor can switch to forward flight, trading off its static lift for a 50% increase in top speed. Ornithopter wings generate 0.25kg of static lift per Newton.