doug.hunsaker
Member
Introduction to Aircraft Design
Wednesday evenings - 8-10pm Mountain Time
July 6 - August 24, 2022
Register before June 20 to get the course for ONLY $99.99
Wednesday evenings - 8-10pm Mountain Time
July 6 - August 24, 2022
Register before June 20 to get the course for ONLY $99.99
This is an 8-week intensive course. We’ll start with fundamental concepts of why aircraft fly, work through the steps of designing an aircraft, and include hands-on experience with free modern software.
You'll learn about:
- Airfoil Analysis – Learn to use XFOIL to analyze any airfoil geometry and extract the appropriate aerodynamic properties.
- Wing Design and Optimization – Learn to use MachUp for wing design, and how taper and twist affect performance.
- Mass Properties – Learn to estimate the mass properties of your aircraft, including the center of mass and moments of inertia.
- Static Trim – Learn how to design the mounting angles of the main wing and horizontal stabilizer so the aircraft will be trim.
- Static Stability – Learn to size and place the main wing and horizontal stabilizer to ensure static stability.
- Dynamic Stability – Learn how to estimate the dynamic properties of the aircraft and how they affect performance.
- Fly-Off! – Enter your final design in the virtual competition and see how it stacks up against others in a realistic flight simulator!
This course will be held online in a flipped classroom format - a format I've grown to love here at the university. You'll need access to a computer that runs Windows or Mac.
Students who took the course said:
"The biggest thing the course has given me is the hope, that I can be an aircraft designer one day." - 2022 Student
"This is a great course. I work as a UAV design engineer and I was looking for a course to refresh my basics and learn new tools. The best part is it's not too heavy like a semester course, but it gives you an in-depth overview of aircraft design. This is an excellent course for beginners and professionals. MachUp is a great tool for UAV design simpler than other design softwares. I hope you guys keep developing it further. You have a good website too love the quotes. Happy learning." - Raj S.
"I loved how the class worked for all backgrounds. It wasn't too difficult to start out as a beginner!" - 2022 Student
"The course made concepts I have been hazy about much clearer. I have plenty more to think about now and better and I'm grateful for it." - 2022 Student
"Thank you for making this class and your academy available. My largest and best feeling came from having achieved a better understanding of aerodynamic principles and processes from your class that culminated in that glider design. I was elated to have made a successfully flying design and the promise of being able to use what I have learned in the future." - Jay S.
"I enjoyed connecting the concepts introduced to practical applications of aircraft design." - 2022 Student
"Dr. Hunsaker's class was a fun and useful introduction to aircraft aerodynamics. Whether and experienced engineer or hobbyist, everyone learned new concepts that can be difficult to get outside of the classroom." - Richard B., P.E.
"The explanation of stability derivatives I thought was excellent. I have struggled to understand this for my whole career but for some reason it clicked in my mind with your description." - 2022 Student
"The content and your amazing explanations makes this course a hidden gem for those aircraft design enthusiasts." - 2022 Student
