The BMEP Parameter for Airplane Cruising-Power Control 390134
VIBRATION characteristics and considerations of simplicity, rather than those of operating efficiency, have dictated present methods of aircraft operation, the authors contend. The bmep parameter proposed in their paper, they explain, is based upon cruising operation at or near maximum efficiency of the engine-airplane-propeller combination. They stress the importance of cruising-flight control by pointing out that cruising flight embodies 95 to 99% of all commercial flying.
The authors show how the parameter is related fundamentally to the operating efficiency of the engine as defined by fuel consumption and, therefore, to the overall efficiency of the airplane-engine-propeller combination. The parameter is discussed further as related to the engine alone; as tempered by considerations of airplane and propeller efficiency; as applied to the physical problem of controlling cruising power; and as limited by engine and airplane design.
