Interactive module Conceptual aircraft design · Module 1

The History of Aircraft Design

Why did the airplane keep two wings for thirty years, then lose one in a decade? Why do airliners have swept wings and engines in pods? And why does a designer starting a new aircraft today still begin with the numbers of old ones? This module, written for third-year aerospace engineering students, follows the airplane from Cayley and the Wright brothers to the wide-body jet through the numbers designers use, in seven lessons with to-scale drawings, trend charts of NASA data and questions that check your work.

Start Lesson 1
  • 7 lessons
  • about 4½ h of lessons
  • Works offline

Choose

Seventy years of aircraft drawn to the same scale, seen from above: the 1903 Wright Flyer, the Sopwith Camel (1916), the Douglas DC-3 (1935), the Boeing B-29 (1942), the Boeing 707 (1959) and the Boeing 747 (1969). Grid squares are 10 m. The whole module is about how, and why, the first became the last.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module you can:

  • Describe an aircraft with the parameters designers use (\(\Wo\), \(\We/\Wo\), \(\WS\), \(W/P\) or \(\TW\), \(A\), \(\CDz\), \(\LDmax\)) and compute them from published data. (Lesson 1)
  • Explain how the pioneers solved lift, propulsion and control, and use the lift equation of 1900 and its Smeaton coefficient. (Lesson 2)
  • Explain the biplane era and the drag of struts and wires with drag areas, drag polars and \(\LDmax\). (Lesson 3)
  • Explain the technologies of the streamlined monoplane, and relate wing loading, \(\CLmax\) and stall speed. (Lesson 4)
  • Explain the jet engine, compressibility and the swept wing, and apply \(M_n = M\cos\Lambda\) in the standard atmosphere. (Lesson 5)
  • Use the Breguet range equation to connect aerodynamic, propulsive and structural progress. (Lesson 6)
  • Describe the design wheel and the phases of design, fit an empty-weight trend to historical data, and make a first estimate of takeoff weight. (Lesson 7)

How to use this module

Before you start: you should know the lift and drag coefficients, dynamic pressure and the standard atmosphere from an introductory aerodynamics or flight course, and be comfortable converting between SI and US units. The course text is Raymer's Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach; this module uses its notation.

Work through the lessons in order. The times allow for working the examples on paper and doing the checks. A suggested plan in four sittings:

  1. Lessons 1–275 min

    The designer's parameters; the pioneers, the lift equation of 1900 and the Wright brothers.

  2. Lessons 3–475 min

    The biplane era and its drag; the streamlined monoplane, flaps and wing loading.

  3. Lessons 5–680 min

    Jets, sweep and the sound barrier; the modern transport and the Breguet range equation.

  4. Lesson 7, Practice Lab and Self-Check Quiz100 min

    The design process and the first weight estimate, about 30 min of practice, then the 35-minute quiz.

About 5½ h in total:265 min of lessons, 30 min of practice, 35 min for the quiz

Get the most out of it

Lessons

Each lesson has interactive figures, worked examples and questions with instant feedback.

Practice, tools and reference

Use these alongside the lessons, or on their own when you revise.

Requirements

Any modern browser. Works offline.

  • A current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, with JavaScript on. A laptop or desktop screen works best; the pages also fit tablets and phones.
  • The 3D figures need WebGL, which every current browser has. If it is turned off, the figures show a short message and the rest of the page still works.
  • No internet connection, installation or account. Everything is inside this folder.
  • Your progress is saved in this browser on this device. Private or incognito windows do not keep it.

Something not working? Read README.txt in the module folder for how to open the module and fix common problems.