As for powerplant, Vne is not power dependent. None of the times I have flown to speeds exceeding Vne (Vd) have required full power. I always use some, just to be kind to the engine cooling. Vne is based upon and limited by indicated airspeed in light aircraft. I have flown aircraft which are capable of exceeding Vne in level flight with high power settings. You just don't do that! (oher than for testing purposes).
This is worth a read:
http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/hp_limts.pdf
Many pilots assume that operating at high altitude
(greater than 12,500 ft, say), even with the increased
power supplied by a turbocharger, will not be a problem
if the mechanical problems are solved. Sure, they
can go faster, but not so much faster that they exceed
the limitations marked in living color on the airspeed
indicator. How, they ask with apparently perfect logic,
can the airplane be exceeding Vne if the needle is in......
the green arc?
Because the airspeed indicator is The Gauge That
Lies. Despite its name, an airspeed indicator does not
measure speed. It measures “q” – dynamic pressure
caused by packing air molecules into a tube. Now,
several limiting speeds like stall speed (bottom of the
green and white arcs), gust loads (top of the green
arc), and maneuvering speed (blue line) are also functions
of q, so they may be read directly off the dial. In
these cases, the logic is true.
This logic is NOT true for the very important red
line at the top of the yellow arc. Here’s why:
Consider an aircraft flying in smooth air at cruise
speed. The aircraft structure is then slightly disturbed
(such as by turbulence). In response, the aircraft structure
will oscillate with amplitude decreasing until the
oscillation stops altogether. This dynamically stable
response is due to damping acting on the system, either
from the aircraft structure and/or air. If the cruise
speed is incrementally increased there will be a particular
speed at which the amplitude of structural oscillation
will remain constant. The speed at which constant
amplitude oscillation can be first maintained is
defined as the “critical flutter speed”, or more generi-
cally “flutter speed”. Flutter is almost a pretty word.
You’d associate it with butterflies and silk handkerchiefs.
But in the engineering sense, it can be highly
destructive. Once flutter has started, the amplitude
may quickly become so large that a structure will disintegrate,
literally shaken to pieces.
Remember, as the airplane climbs, there are
fewer air molecules and less air pressure, so the needle
on The Gauge That Lies reads a lower speed,
even though the airplane is actually going just as
fast. That’s why True airspeed is faster than Indicated.
But flutter does not depend on Indicated Air
Speed/dynamic pressure. It is directly related to True
Air Speed — the velocity of the air passing by the airframe.
The velocity of the excitation force is the prime
concern, not the magnitude. It is very possible to exceed
this critical “flutter speed” without encountering
flutter if there is no initial disturbance. But if the critical
flutter speed is exceeded and then a disturbance
is encountered, the aircraft structure will begin to oscillate
in response to the velocity of the passing air.
This is not a typical resonance, where either increasing
or decreasing the speed will move the aircraft
away from the critical frequency and the vibration will
stop on its own. Going faster merely pumps more energy
into the system, increasing the amplitude of the
flutter. Go faster, flutter harder. Only going slower
and lowering the velocity of the air over the airframe
will solve the problem.
....
It goes on to say that is why you should not "boy race" your Vans because their Vne speeds on the dial are based upon the engine not delivering 75% power at high alt. It also goes on to talk about Vne in gliders which may vary according to altitude.
Regarding old aeroplanes, we have just finished rebuilding a Commander that was going to be scrapped after a landing accident. I am glad we had the thing completely to pieces as we found corrosion in one of the rudder hinges and due to the location it would NEVER have been found had the rudder not been removed, which typically they are not unless there is a problem. We probably would have noticed when the hinge had broken.
As you are so trusting, you should also read:
AOPA Online: Never Again Online: Denali's rough ride
which describes a flutter incident in the Beaver
The FAA engineering team concluded that one aileron was 17 ounces out of balance and there was possibly a 0.003 discrepancy in a wing bushing that, when amplified to the length of the wing, was a contributing factor. General maintenance would not have detected this — everything was current and legal.
An FAA inspector who did the investigation stated — with no supporting data — that I had exceeded the aircraft's VNE speed and caused this to happen, a statement that caused me considerable hardship. I have since been totally exonerated from any wrongdoing, and I actually have been credited with a save of the three lives and my own, with my correct and swift response to the emergency.
Flutter is a very dangerous event, and any indication should be dealt with seriously. I'm glad that I was able to act quickly and nurse the aircraft back to a safe landing. I've also learned several important lessons.