3D Joy,

I disagree with both of your explanations, although I'm not sure I can backup my point any further than I did initially. Maybe somebody else can chime in one way or the other?

The "burning gasses of the enine" is work potential that is converted to kinetic energy. My understanding of torque is that it is the moment acting upon a given point, or in this case the line of thrust, and it is a result of the prop (for the reasons I mentioned earlier). The force is produced by the engine, but the torque is due to the prop.

F=ma Force is a function of mass. Assuming acceleration remains constant (which may be a big assumption here), increasing m increases F.

Your truck example is not true because KE=1/2mv^2. The loaded truck is heavier, so it's kinetic energy is proportionally greater. The loaded truck has more kinetic energy when at the same speed as the unloaded truck, regardless of acceleration or turning.

I'm not an expert by any means. I'm just a student at Georgia Tech (aerospace engineering)

Can anybody else shed some light on this?

-Eli