Air Vehicle Design
AOE 4065 & 4066: Air Vehicle Design
I, Pradeep Raj, taught this two-semester (fall & spring) capstone senior design sequence from academic years 2011-12 through 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.
Catalog Description: Fundamental principles of innovative air vehicle design. Qualitative and quantitative decision-making tools. Multidisciplinary design teams with emphasis on ethics and professionalism. Project risks and mitigation plans. Oral presentations for design reviews. Written engineering design report. 4065: Proven conceptual design process. Tradeoff studies. Air vehicle weight estimation. Air vehicle concepts feasibility assessment; 4066: Preliminary design tools and processes. Efficient and light-weight air vehicles. Air vehicle design validation.
Course Summary: The AVD courses are structured to help students with senior standing transition from a classroom learner of aerospace engineering fundamentals to an AE practitioner who is ready for a professional career. In these two courses, students learn to (a) design air vehicles and systems that best meet customer requirements; (b) function in a multidisciplinary team; and (c) make oral presentations and write design reports in proposal style. The courses emphasize systems thinking as the framework for aircraft design and incorporates risk assessment. The courses require students to apply basic skills and competencies they learn in the previous courses to model and analyze aerospace vehicles. Additional information about the courses can be obtained from the hyperlinked Course Modules listed below. We strongly recommend that you review the Overview module first. Slide 43 of the Overview module provides a context for reviewing all other modules that are grouped in three categories.
Course Overview (Use the following hyperlink)
Course Modules (Use hyperlinks below)
I. Foundational Elements
F1. Design: An Engineering Discipline
F2. Systems and Systems Thinking
F3. Basics of Systems Engineering
F4. Decision Making with Ethics & Integrity
II. Air Vehicle Design Fundamentals
A4. Initial Sizing: Takeoff Weight Estimation
A5. Initial Sizing: Wing Loading and Thrust Loading Estimation
A7. Concept to Configuration: Key Considerations
A7A. Configuration Layout: Drawings & Loft
A10. Preliminary Design: Baesline Design Refinement & Validation
III. Project Management Topics
P1. Basics of Project Management & Project Planning
P3. Roles & Responsibilities of Team Members
P4. Project Execution: Teamwork for Success
P6. Delivering Effective Oral Presentations
P7. Writing Effective Design Reports
List of Primary References
Use the following link: Primary References