AERO 3002Conceptual Aircraft Design
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AERO 3002Third-year aerospace · twelve weeks

Conceptual Aircraft Design

One interactive module for each week of AERO 3002. They teach how a new aircraft is sized and laid out, from the first weight estimate to wing loading, thrust, aerodynamics, weights, stability and performance, using real aircraft data, interactive figures, worked examples and questions with instant feedback.

Start with The History of Aircraft Design See all the modules
  • 1 of 12 modules available
  • 7 lessons
  • About 4 hours of study
Wing loading of 91 aircraft against the year of their first flight, on a logarithmic scale: it rises from about 7 kilograms per square metre for the 1903 Wright Flyer to more than 700 for the Boeing 747.19001910192019301940195019601970198010301003001000Wright FlyerDC-3747CamelWing loading W/S (kg/m², log scale)
1914–181919–381939–45postwar propellerjet fightersjet transportsData: Loftin, NASA SP-468.

The modules

Each module is a complete unit: short lessons, then a Practice Lab, a self-check quiz, a printable worksheet, an interactive tool, a formula sheet and a glossary.

Available now

Open in your browser, or download for offline use

Week 1 · Module 1

The History of Aircraft Design

From Cayley and the Wright brothers to the wide-body jet, through the numbers designers use: weights, wing and power loading, drag, L/D, sweep and Breguet range, ending with the first weight estimate of a new aircraft.

  • 7 lessons
  • About 4.5 hours
  • Design Trends Explorer

Lessons
  1. 1Reading an Aircraft Like a Designer35 min
  2. 2The Pioneers: Cayley to the Wright Brothers40 min
  3. 3Wood, Wire and Fabric: The Biplane Era35 min
  4. 4The Streamlined Monoplane40 min
  5. 5Jets, Sweep and the Sound Barrier40 min
  6. 6The Modern Transport and the Breguet Range Equation40 min
  7. 7From Cut-and-Try to the Design Wheel35 min

Practice Lab · Self-Check Quiz · Worksheet · Design Trends Explorer · Formula Sheet · Glossary

Open the module Download for offline use (0.6 MB)

Coming up

Planned topics; the schedule may change

  1. Week 2The design process, requirements and mission profilesPlanned
  2. Week 3The first estimate of takeoff weightPlanned
  3. Week 4Airfoil and wing geometry selectionPlanned
  4. Week 5Thrust-to-weight ratio and wing loadingPlanned
  5. Week 6Configuration layout and fuselage sizingPlanned
  6. Week 7Propulsion selection and integrationPlanned
  7. Week 8Landing gear and subsystemsPlanned
  8. Week 9Aerodynamics: lift and the drag build-upPlanned
  9. Week 10Component weights and center of gravityPlanned
  10. Week 11Stability, control and tail sizingPlanned
  11. Week 12Performance, cost and trade studiesPlanned

Using the modules

Nothing to install and no account to create.

In your browser

  • Open a module above and start with Lesson 1, or jump to any lesson from its list.
  • Your progress is saved in this browser as you mark lessons complete, and shows on this page. It stays on your device; nothing is sent anywhere.
  • Any current browser works: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, on a laptop, tablet or phone.

Offline

Each download is a small zip of the whole module.

  1. Download the zip and extract it (Windows: right-click › Extract All; macOS: double-click).
  2. Open the extracted folder and double-click index.html.

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