Aircraft Design Course

Lesson 1 • Aircraft Categories and Configurations

Survey fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and hybrid configurations alongside their mission suitability. Connects vehicle category to design requirements and performance expectations.

Lesson 2 • History and Evolution of Aircraft

Trace milestones from early flight to modern jets, linking historical breakthroughs to current design principles. Provides context for understanding why modern configurations exist.

Lesson 3 • The Aircraft Design Process

Map the conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design phases and their decision gates. Students understand iterative loops and how each phase narrows design freedom.

Lesson 4 • Trade Studies and Design Drivers

Apply trade-study methodology to balance competing objectives such as weight, cost, and performance. Establishes the analytical mindset used throughout all subsequent design work.

Lesson 1 • Fundamentals of Airflow and Pressure

Review Bernoulli's principle, continuity, and boundary-layer behavior as applied to aircraft surfaces. Grounds subsequent lift and drag analysis in physical flow mechanisms.

Lesson 2 • Drag Estimation and Breakdown

Decompose total aircraft drag into parasite, induced, wave, and interference components. Accurate drag buildup is essential for propulsion sizing and performance prediction.

Lesson 3 • Wing Aerodynamics and Planform Design

Extend 2-D airfoil data to 3-D finite wings using aspect ratio, sweep, and taper corrections. Directly informs wing sizing in the conceptual design phase.

Lesson 4 • Airfoil Selection and Analysis

Evaluate airfoil families using lift-curve slope, camber, and thickness parameters. Students select airfoils matched to speed regime and structural requirements.

Lesson 1 • Engine Installation and Airframe Integration

Evaluate podded, buried, and distributed installation options for drag, structural, and safety impact. Correct integration prevents adverse aerodynamic interference and ground clearance issues.

Lesson 2 • Inlet and Nozzle Design

Size subsonic and supersonic inlets for pressure recovery and distortion limits. Nozzle geometry affects thrust, noise, and infrared signature.

Lesson 3 • Propeller and Fan Sizing

Apply momentum theory and blade-element methods to size propellers and ducted fans. Links rotational speed, diameter, and blade count to efficiency and noise.

Lesson 4 • Propulsion System Types and Cycles

Compare piston, turboprop, turbojet, turbofan, and electric propulsion thermodynamic cycles. Establishes selection criteria based on speed regime, altitude, and fuel efficiency.

Lesson 1 • Climb, Ceiling, and Maneuver Performance

Determine rate of climb, service ceiling, and sustained turn performance from excess power. Feeds structural load requirements and engine sizing decisions.

Lesson 2 • Takeoff and Landing Performance

Calculate ground roll, obstacle clearance, and landing distances using balanced field concepts. Directly sizes wing area and thrust-to-weight ratio in the constraint diagram.

Lesson 3 • Constraint Diagram and Sizing Point

Overlay takeoff, climb, cruise, and maneuver constraints on a thrust-to-weight vs. wing-loading plot. The intersection defines the design point for propulsion and wing sizing.

Lesson 4 • Equations of Motion and Flight Mechanics

Derive steady and accelerated flight equations governing thrust, drag, weight, and lift balance. Provides the mathematical framework for all performance calculations.

Lesson 1 • Component Weight Estimation Methods

Apply statistical regression equations to estimate wing, fuselage, empennage, and system weights. Covers both general aviation and transport aircraft weight-prediction databases.

Lesson 2 • Centre of Gravity Analysis

Locate component centroids and compute aircraft CG position for all loading configurations. CG range directly constrains tail sizing and stability margin.

Lesson 3 • Moments of Inertia Estimation

Estimate roll, pitch, and yaw moments of inertia using mass distribution data. Inertia values drive dynamic stability and control system design in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Weight Fractions and Initial Sizing

Use mission-segment fuel fractions and historical empty-weight fractions to estimate gross weight. This first-order sizing feeds all subsequent aerodynamic and structural analyses.

Lesson 1 • Fatigue, Damage Tolerance, and Fail-Safe Design

Apply fatigue life and crack-growth concepts to establish inspection intervals and structural redundancy. Airworthiness standards mandate damage-tolerant design for primary structure.

Lesson 2 • Wing Structural Concept and Sizing

Size wing spars, ribs, and skin panels to carry bending, shear, and torsion loads. Introduces idealized box-beam analysis and panel buckling checks.

Lesson 3 • Materials Selection for Airframes

Compare aluminium alloys, titanium, steel, and carbon-fibre composites on strength, stiffness, and cost. Material choice affects weight, manufacturing process, and damage tolerance.

Lesson 4 • Fuselage Structural Design

Apply semi-monocoque theory to size fuselage frames, stringers, and skin under combined loads. Pressurisation hoop stress and cutout reinforcement are key sizing drivers.

Lesson 1 • Dynamic Stability and Handling Qualities

Characterise phugoid, short-period, Dutch roll, and spiral modes using linearised equations. Handling-quality specifications define acceptable damping and frequency for each mode.

Lesson 2 • Static Longitudinal Stability

Compute neutral point, static margin, and pitching-moment curve slope for the complete aircraft. Establishes the tail volume coefficient needed to achieve desired stability level.

Lesson 3 • Lateral and Directional Stability

Evaluate dihedral effect, wing sweep contribution, and vertical tail sizing for directional stability. Ensures the aircraft meets minimum control speed and crosswind requirements.

Lesson 4 • Flight Control System Architecture

Compare mechanical, hydraulic, and fly-by-wire control architectures for reliability and weight. Introduces control law concepts and redundancy requirements for certification.

Lesson 1 • Fuselage Layout and Cabin Design

Develop fuselage cross-section, cabin arrangement, and cargo volume to meet payload requirements. Fuselage geometry feeds aerodynamic drag, structural weight, and CG calculations.

Lesson 2 • Landing Gear Design and Integration

Size and position landing gear for ground stability, retraction kinematics, and structural load paths. Gear type and placement affect fuselage and wing structural design.

Lesson 3 • Systems Architecture and Volume Allocation

Allocate volume and weight for fuel, hydraulics, avionics, and environmental control systems. Early systems integration prevents costly redesign in the preliminary design phase.

Lesson 4 • Design Convergence and Iteration

Close the design loop by iterating weight, aerodynamics, and propulsion until all parameters converge. Demonstrates the interdisciplinary coupling that defines aircraft design complexity.