n flight mechanics, “flight using thrust horsepower” refers to the process of analyzing and evaluating the performance of an aircraft based on the thrust generated by its engines, measured in horsepower. Thrust horsepower (THP) is the power output of the aircraft’s engines or propulsion system specifically in terms of the thrust produced.
THP = (0.5 * rho * v^3 * s * cd) / 1000
- THP is the Thrust Horsepower (in horsepower).
- rho is the air density (in kg/m^3 or slug/ft^3, depending on the unit system used).
- v is the airspeed of the aircraft (in m/s or ft/s).
- s is the wing surface area or the frontal area of the aircraft (in m^2 or ft^2, respectively).
- cd is the coefficient of drag, which is a dimensionless quantity representing the aircraft’s drag characteristics.
- 1000 is a constant used to convert the units of the result from watts to horsepower.