Abstract: In one embodiment, an aircraft includes a number of propellers Nprop, wherein each propeller comprises a diameter dprop, has a propeller efficiency ?prop, and is configured to absorb power pprop to rotate at a rate RPM to generate thrust for a flight speed V of the aircraft. The aircraft may further include a total power ptotal absorbed by the propellers that is approximately pprop×Nprop, a wing having a circulation distribution, wherein the wing comprises a wingspan B, a drag D that is approximately equal to ptotal×?prop/V. For V and B, the circulation distribution, dprop, and RPM substantially minimizes D.