Overview

To provide the student with a fundamental understanding of the design principles behind the design of an aircraft. The performance aspects are also extended to address the economics of flight of jet transports. Exposure and use is given to imperial and metric units as used in the aviation industry

Requisites

Prerequisites
AVA20005 Aircraft Structures

Rule:

Assumed Knowledge
Nil (for Concurrent requisites) but AVA10007 is recommended as either a pre-requisite or co-requisite

Assumed Knowledge
PHY10002 Introduction to Physics
AND
MTH10008 Aviation Mathematics

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Describe how factors such as weight, wing area, engine power, drag and high lift devices effect aircraft performance and to apply basic estimation techniques to determine an aircraft configuration to meet a specified mission
  • Compose gust and manoeuvre diagrams
  • Describe the principles behind jet transport performance in an airline environment and how they affect the cost of operation
  • Use imperial units in basic engineering calculations

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Lecture		 2.00  12 weeks  24
On-campus
Workshop		 1.00  12 weeks  12
Unspecified Learning Activities 
Independent Learning		 8.50  12 weeks  102
TOTAL     138

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssessmentIndividual 15 - 25% 1,2,3,4 
AssignmentIndividual 45 - 55% 1,2,4 
QuizzesIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4 
Tutorial ExercisesGroup 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4 

Content

Design process

  • Project design methodology, overall systems study, project design phase, detail design phase.

Project design

  • Estimation of take-off weight, empty weight, fuel weight. Estimation of required take off and climb power, wing area. Landing and take-off performance, climb and cruise performance. Estimation of parasitic and induced drag coefficients. Tail volume stability requirements.

Gust and Manoeuvre Diagrams

  • Effect of Manoeuvre Margin

Operation

  • Economy Climb
  • Force – Speed Diagrams
  • Maximum Range Cruise, Long Range Cruise and Specific Range
  • Economy cruise, cost index
  • Tankering
  • Payload Range curves

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.