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And also the wing size, propeller sizer, body size, ruder, elevator needed.

I might sound stupid; I am a beginner and I just want to these basis.

Shamsuddeen Shehu
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    Not stupid, but way too broad of a question. You are basically asking the whole set of design priciples for a small acft. – Jpe61 Aug 14 '21 at 10:50
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    Does this answer your question? Is it possible to fly using a small engine? –  Aug 14 '21 at 12:44
  • The answers to this question may be of help: https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/45160/can-an-ultralight-aircraft-fly-with-a-18hp-engine/45161#45161 – xxavier Aug 14 '21 at 15:17
  • You might want to rephrase the question to eliminate things like gliders and balloons. Something like "What's the minimum power needed for a plane to maintain altitude in still air?" – jamesqf Aug 14 '21 at 16:51
  • Given that the asker mentioned wings and propellers, then surely they meant airplanes (powered fixed-wing); sadly the rushed tongue in cheek answers are never helpful and IMO should be deleted, and also the question closed until the scope in the body is narrowed down. –  Aug 14 '21 at 18:48
  • @ymb1 Human powered aircraft have wings, propellers, rudders, elevators, etc, as in the OP's question, but no engine. I don't see anything "tongue in cheek" in pointing out why the question was too vague to answer. – alephzero Aug 15 '21 at 15:17
  • @alephzero: How many times people asked about human-powered airplanes without specifying? If it's too vague, letting OP know in the comments is the way to go, not the answer box, because if it's too vague, then the answer box shouldn't be used. –  Aug 15 '21 at 15:44

2 Answers2

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Gliders fly without any engine at all, therefore, I would say the minimum horse power required is 0.

Jörg W Mittag
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    "Gliders fly without any engine at all": I guess that's a simplification. Gliders need engines and fuel to become airborne, even if there are particular cases: One time flight from a hill, winch rotated by wind, etc. – mins Aug 14 '21 at 11:48
  • It is perfectly possible for a glider to take off from a hill top with no mechanical engine or winch power, climb using the lift from the wind blowing over the hill, and land back on the same hill top for another flight. – alephzero Aug 15 '21 at 15:16
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Hydrogen/Helium balloons fly without any engine at all, therefore, I would say the minimum horse power required is 0.

user3528438
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