Interactive module Conceptual aircraft design · Module 4
Airfoil and Wing Geometry
Module 3 gave the business jet a weight and a wing area. Now the wing needs a shape: an airfoil chosen for its cruise, a span, a sweep and a taper, a mean aerodynamic chord to balance it by, and a tail to trim it. This module, written for third-year aerospace engineering students, makes those choices step by step for the same business jet, in eight lessons with interactive figures, a wing planform designer and questions that check your work.
- 8 lessons
- about 4½ h of lessons
- Works offline
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module you can:
- Describe an airfoil by its chord, camber and thickness, and build a NACA four-digit airfoil. (Lesson 1)
- Use thin-airfoil theory, the Reynolds number and the types of stall to judge an airfoil. (Lesson 2)
- Choose the design lift coefficient, and the thickness a cruise Mach number and sweep allow. (Lesson 3)
- Choose the aspect ratio, and estimate its effect on drag, lift-curve slope and weight. (Lesson 4)
- Choose sweep for a cruise Mach number, and explain what it costs. (Lesson 5)
- Choose the taper ratio, and compute the planform and its mean aerodynamic chord. (Lesson 6)
- Set the twist, incidence and dihedral, and choose the wing position. (Lesson 7)
- Choose a tail arrangement and size the tails from volume coefficients. (Lesson 8)
How to use this module
Before you start: Module 1 (the design parameters and the drag polar) and Module 3 (the business jet's weight, wing area and best-range \(L/D\)). 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:
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Lessons 1–3110 min
The airfoil: its geometry, its aerodynamics, and how to choose it.
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Lessons 4–6100 min
The planform: aspect ratio, sweep, taper and the mean aerodynamic chord.
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Lessons 7–865 min
Twist, incidence, dihedral and wing position; the tail.
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Practice Lab and Self-Check Quiz65 min
About 30 min of practice, then the 35-minute quiz.
About 5¾ h in total:275 min of lessons, 30 min of practice, 35 min for the quiz
Get the most out of it
- Keep pencil and paper handy
Try each worked example yourself before you open its solution, and keep track of units: thin-airfoil angles in radians, wing loading in N/m² for the lift coefficient.
- Do the checks
Every lesson has “Check your understanding” questions with hints and full solutions. You can type answers like
sqrt(8*28)or0.80*cos(25deg). - Practice until it is routine
The Practice Lab generates unlimited problems, each with a worked solution.
- Test yourself at the end
The Self-Check Quiz gives a score, solutions and a results page you can print or save as a PDF.
- Track your progress
Tick “Mark this lesson complete” at the end of each lesson. A ✓ appears here and in Contents; it is saved in this browser only.
- Keep the formulas close
Print the Formula Sheet and look up terms in the Glossary. The Wing Planform Designer draws and analyzes any wing you describe.
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.
- 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.