Aeroplanes with less than the Wrights' 12 horsepower?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Herts, UK
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And my own contribution...
Flew many early hang-glider\Trike combinations. and a few other powered hang glider combinations too.
.. The original Hiway Trike used a nominal 10 HP 150cc Valmet two-stroke. They flew well with a still air climb rate for an 11 stone pilot roughly 150 ~ 200 ft/min
We reckoned some of those Valmets gave 10.5 to 12 HP and the static thrust from a 48" or 50" propeller about 100 to 110 lbf.
Cruise speed in those ver early days very dependent on glider above but 25 to 35 mph
Flew many early hang-glider\Trike combinations. and a few other powered hang glider combinations too.
.. The original Hiway Trike used a nominal 10 HP 150cc Valmet two-stroke. They flew well with a still air climb rate for an 11 stone pilot roughly 150 ~ 200 ft/min
We reckoned some of those Valmets gave 10.5 to 12 HP and the static thrust from a 48" or 50" propeller about 100 to 110 lbf.
Cruise speed in those ver early days very dependent on glider above but 25 to 35 mph
To me, as a former automotive engineer, one of the obvious issues with a car-to-aircraft conversion is that modern car motor model cycles are likely to be far shorter than aircraft engine designs. Car motors change every few years and even the underlying designs no longer last many decades as some post-war designs did. (BMC A series for example).
The Original Flights at Kittyhawk were done using engine power and a horizontal launching rail.
One horsepower? 
Heading off on a tangent a bit, but the ill-fated Bugatti 100P replica used motorcycle engines. The accident report highlighted that it wasn't the engine but the clutch/transmission/gearbox that contributed to the power failure and subsequent crash. If your engine runs up to 10,000 rpm, you're going to need some way to get those revs down to below 2700 for your prop.
