Aircraft Aerodynamics & Performance

Overview

To provide students with a fundamental knowledge of lift and drag for aircraft, high speed sub sonic (up to Mach 1.0) aerodynamics and the performance of aircraft with particular emphasis on turbojet and turboprop aircraft with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) greater than 5,700kg

Requisites

Teaching periods

Location

Start and end dates

Last self-enrolment date

Census date

Last withdraw without fail date

Results released date

Semester 2

Hawthorn

04-August-2025
02-November-2025

17-August-2025

31-August-2025

19-September-2025

09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

Demonstrate their knowledge of airspeed through calculation and reading of tables and graphs while using Bernoulli’s equation, the ideal gas equation, the relationship between the speed of sound and air temperature, International Standard Atmosphere charts and airspeed error information
Demonstrate their knowledge of Aerodynamic lift theory at subsonic, transonic and supersonic speeds associated with wings and high lift devices using graphs, lift equation, general formulae and tables to transform Aerofoil Lift data into a lift curve for a wing at various Reynolds Numbers and wing aspect ratios and taking into account Mach number and wing planforms including straight, tapered, swept and delta wings. This will be supported by their ability to explain in writing and through calculation the high speed aerodynamic terms including, Drag Divergence, Critical Mach Number, Crest critical Mach Number and Mach Angle
Demonstrate their knowledge of drag and the components of drag (parasite, induced and Mach drag) at subsonic, transonic and supersonic speeds through the use of the drag and drag coefficient equations to construct the graphs for drag force and drag power to calculate and then apply this information to calculate the Lift on Drag Ratio at various airspeeds
Demonstrate their knowledge of Longitudinal. Directional and Lateral Stability and Control through describing in writing the principles associated static and dynamic stability and such terms as positive static longitudinal stability, stick fixed, stick free and neutral point as well as dynamic oscillations such as Phugoid, S.P.O and Dutch Roll
Demonstrate their knowledge of Cruise, Climb and Descent Performance for turbojet, turboprop and piston engine aircraft by using formulae and graphs to describe in writing and through calculation criteria for maximum range, maximum endurance, long range cruise, buffet boundaries, energy management, angle and rate of climb or descent, the condition for minimum glide angle, turning performance parameters such as bank angle, load factor, rate of turn and turn radius taking into account aircraft weight, altitude and engine type and performance. This includes the calculation of maximum range and long range cruise speed and describing how these speeds can be optimised
Demonstrate their knowledge of Payload – Range Optimisation through the construction of a payload range diagram that will allow them to solve a simple route analysis problem
Demonstrate their knowledge of aircraft Take-off Performance through describing in writing factors that impact on take-off including V Speeds, MTOW, aircraft characteristics, ambient conditions, obstacles, One Engine inoperative take off parameters and associated distances, take off path segments, gross and net flight path descriptors. This will also be demonstrated through the calculation of take-off path climb gradients and minimum third segment heights

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
Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning	1.00	12 weeks	12
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning	8.50	12 weeks	102
TOTAL			150

Assessment

Type	Task	Weighting	ULO's
Assignment 1	Individual	20%	1,2,3
Assignment 2	Individual	20%	6,7
Examination	Individual	40%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Quizzes	Individual	10%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Tutorial Exercises	Group	10%	1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

Properties of the atmosphere
Dimensional analysis and the derivation of the lift equation
Incompressible and compressible airflow
Airspeed measurement
Lift generated by aerofoils and wings
Drag
High speed flight
Buffet boundaries
Aircraft stability and control
Aircraft cruise performance and cruise performance optimisation
Payload-Range diagrams
Aircraft climb, descent and turn performance
Aircraft take-off performance for aircraft above 5,700kg MTOW
Take-off V speeds, take-off and accelerate stop distances, take-off climb and obstacle clearance requirements.

Study resources

Reading materials

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