Aircraft Design

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. There are three major phases of aircraft design: (1) conceptual design, (2) preliminary design and (3) detail design. The aircraft design process starts with identifying requirements and performing initial calculations to generate the overall concept of the aircraft. In preliminary design, we design the aircraft’s systems and subsystems. Finally, in detail design, we specify how the aircraft will be fabricated and tested. The course introduces students to tools and methods used in the conceptual and preliminary design of fixed-wing aircraft. Students will learn about aircraft design requirements, aircraft mission, weight estimation, aerodynamics and propulsion analysis, performance analysis, stability characteristics and cost estimation. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in AERO 321 ; grade C or better in AERO 401 , or concurrent enrollment.