The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word NACELLE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
N
A
C
E
L
L
E
More clues leading to the result NACELLE
- Part of prison: a cell extended for engine casing
- Sodium battery covers energy for part of aircraft
- In France, she can ascend in balloon gondola
- In France she can ascend in a flying gondola
- Enclosure in new air-conditioning magazine
- Is able to put up with Frenchwoman in part of aircraft
- Unusually clean licence ends for motor’s cover
- Name enclosure in exterior of airplane — it houses the engine
- Little old boat, one lacking in nothing, housing a radio transmitter
- At Le Mans she is able to go round car
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "part of aircraft" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case part of aircraft = nacelle.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NACELLE mean?
NACELLE noun- A separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew.
- The part between the tower and rotor of a wind turbine.
- The compartment that holds passengers on a hot-air balloon, a dirigible, or an aerostat; a gondola.
- The submersed providers of buoyancy of a SWATH hulled boat.
- A small boat.