In flight mechanics, “specific energy” refers to the amount of energy required per unit of aircraft weight to accomplish a particular task or flight maneuver. It’s a concept used to analyze and quantify the energy efficiency of an aircraft’s performance.
- : Specific energy required, typically measured in units of energy per unit mass (such as joules per kilogram or foot-pounds per pound). This represents the energy needed to fly a given distance or perform a specific task.
- : Coefficient of lift, representing the efficiency of the wing or airfoil in generating lift.
- : Coefficient of drag, representing the aerodynamic drag force acting on the aircraft as it moves through the air.
- : Thrust-specific fuel consumption, a measure of an engine’s fuel efficiency. It represents the amount of fuel consumed by an engine to produce a unit of thrust.
- ln: Natural logarithm.
- : Initial aircraft weight.
- : Final aircraft weight.