Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.

Joseph Arun
Unit 1 – Introduction to Aircraft Design 7. How can the weight of the airplane be as low as possible?
1. Define Aircraft Design. The weight of the aircraft must be as low as possible. This implies use of
Airplane design is the intellectual engineering process of creating a flying • High strength to weight ratio material
machine • Aerofoil with high thickness ratio
a. To meet certain specifications and requirements established by potential • Wing with low aspect ratio
users • Relieving loads (e.g. wing mounted engines) etc.
b. To initiate innovative, new ideas and technologies into the airplane.
c. To produce an aircraft that is strong, lightweight, economical and can carry an 8. Write the advantages of Tail-less Design
adequate payload • Horizontal tail and that part of the fuselage carrying the tail is eliminated.
d. To ensure safe flight of aircraft in its entire life period. Hence less structural weight.
• Small drag
2. Name four performance specifications of a fighter aircraft.
a. Long range corresponding to the mission 9. List out the various types of aircraft based on mission
b. Capacity to carry and deploy intended bomb load • Simple Mission – Civil Airplane
c. High values of speed, endurance, and ceiling • Air Superiority Mission – Interceptor Jet
d. Ability to fly in adverse weather conditions • Low Level Strike Mission - Fighter Jet
• Strategic Bombing Mission – Bomber Plane
3. List out the merits of Tractor Layout Configuration
a. The heavy engine is at the front, which helps to move the centre of gravity 10. List out the requirements of Civil Airplane
forward and therefore allows a smaller tail for stability considerations. a. High level of safety in operation,
b. The propeller is working in a free stream and there is a more effective flow of b. Adequate payload carrying capacity,
cooling air for the engine. c. Economy in operation,
d. Comfort level depending on range and cruising altitude
4. What are all the key parameters involved in aircraft design?
a. Study of working of all components involved
Unit 2 – Preliminary Design Procedure
b. Iterative Techniques
1. What is meant by Wing-load? What is its significance?
c. High level of configuration trade off
Wing Loading is the ratio of weight of the airplane to the area of the wing. It is
d. Analysis and Testing
denoted by
e. Examination by Civil Airworthiness Authorities
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5. Define Maintenance Man-hour per Flight Hour
Maintainability is calculated by dividing the labour hours expended to maintain a where W = Weight of Airplane and S = Area of the Wing
particular aircraft during a given period, by the flying hours during that period. Wing loading affects stall speed, climb rate, takeoff and landing distances and
‫ܪܯܯ‬ൗ ܰ‫݋‬. ‫ݏݎݑ݋ܪ ݁ܿ݊ܽ݊݁ݐ݊݅ܽܯ ݂݋‬
turn performance. The wing loading determines the design lift coefficient and
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impacts drag.
2. Define Wing Span
6. What is Lofting Process Wing span is the distance from one wing tip to the opposite
It is a drafting technique used to draw curved lines of the aircraft. This models wingtip.
the precise shape of the outside skin of the airplane, making certain that all sections
of the aircraft properly fit together
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Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph
V.P.Josep Arun
3. What is Thrust Loading? 8. Define stall speed
Thrust Loading is the ratio of Thrust of the airplane to the weight of the airplane. It Stall speed is defined as the minimum steady flight speed at which whic the
is denoted by airplane is controllable. Stall speed is simply the minimum speed needed for an
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‫ = ݃݊݅݀ܽ݋ܮ ݐݏݑݎ‬൭ܶൗܹ ൱
airplane to produce lift. If an airplane drops below its specified stall speed, it will no
longer produce lift.
where W = Weight of Airplane and T = Thrust produced by the airplane.
9. Define Root Chord and Tip Chord.
The aircraft with higher thrust loading will accelerate quickly, climb more rapidly,
The
he maximum chord length is at where the wings joins the fuselage is called Root
and reach higher maximum speed. However, it will have bigger engines which will
chord. The minimum chord length is at the tip of the wing is called Tip Chord.
consume more fuel.
4. List out four features included in Data Collection
(a) General features of the airplane.
(b) Geometrical parameters of the major components of the airplane.
(c) Various types of weights of the airplane.
(d) Performance parameters.
5. In an aircraft mission why is reserve fuel necessary? 10. What is Mission Profile?
The minimum fuel required to fly for 30 minutes at 1,500 feet above the alternate The
he flight of the airplane from take-off to landing can be described by a
airport is called Reserve Fuel. This fuel is required during unplanned circumstances conceptual sketch of altitude versus time called Mission Profile.
like irregular weather, unexpected air traffic, last minute addition of extra passenger
load.
Unit 3 – Power Plant Selection
6. Relate stalling speed and wing loading in constant density atmosphere. 1. List down the various power plants used in aircraft.
a. Piston Engines
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The relation between Wing Loading and Stalling Speed is given by
b. Turbo Jet Engines
ܵ 2 ௌ௧௔௟௟ ௅ ெ௔௫ c. Turbo Prop Engines
Where W/S = Wing Loading d. Turbo Fan Engines
Ρ = Denisty e. Ramjet & Pulse Jet Engines
VStall = Stalling Speed
CL = Lift Coefficient 2. What is the functionon of Diffuser in Turbo Prop Engine?
Diffuser is a divergent section which reduces the air velocity and increases the
7. Draw the location of stall area of the straight and taper wing pressure. The purposes of the diffuser are to bring air smoothly into the engine inlet,
to slow the fluid and to increase the pressure, and
and to deliver a uniform flow to the
compressor.
3. What is By-pass Ratio?
The ratio of the air that goes around the engine to the air that goes through the
core is called the Bypass Ratio.
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Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun
4. What are the merits of podded engines? Unit 4 – Design of Wings, Fuselage and Emphanage
a. Maintenance is easier as engines can be dismounted 1. Why T tail design is preferred for Cessna aircraft?
b. Engines are evenly located, hence wing loading is less. The main advantage of a T-tail is that during normal flight conditions the elevator
is above most of the effects of airflow from the propeller and the airflow around the
5. List out the merits & Demerits of Turbo Jet Engines. fuselage and wings. Hence it is preferred for Cessna Aircraft
Advantages:
a. These engines have simple construction and low weight to power ratio. 2. Define Wing Dihedral and Anhedral.
b. Higher rate of climb & High speed operation is possible. Dihedral angle is the upward angle from horizontal of the wings or tail-plane of a
c. Less number of mating parts which causes less wear fixed-wing aircraft. Anhedral angles is the downward angle from horizontal of
Disadvantages: the wings or tail-plane of a fixed-wing aircraft
• At lower speeds, the efficiency reduces.
• Noisy and high fuel consumption
• At takeoff and climb, low thrust is available.
6. Explain Buried Engines & Podded Engines.
• If the engines are integrated into the nose, fuselage or wings, the engines are
called Buried Engines. 3. Briefly explain NACA 5 Series Aerofoil
• If the engines are built up separately and mounted as a unique part on the The NACA five-digit series describes more complex airfoil shapes:
fuselage, wings or tail, then the engines are called Podded Engines. • The first digit, when multiplied by 0.15, gives the designed coefficient of
lift (CL).
7. Write briefly about thrust reversers. • Second and third digits, when divided by 2, give p, the distance of
Thrust reversers are part of an aerospace jet engine which helps to maximum camber from the leading edge (as per cent of chord).
decelerate the aircraft just after a touch-down, thus reducing the wear and tear
• Fourth and fifth digits give the maximum thickness of the airfoil (as percent
on the brakes, enabling shorter landing distances on the runway.
of the chord).
For example, the NACA 12018 airfoil would give an airfoil with maximum
8. Enumerate the merits of Turbofan Engines thickness of 18% chord, maximum camber located at 10% chord, with a lift
a) These engines have simple construction and low weight to power ratio. coefficient of 0.15
b) Higher rate of climb & High speed operation is possible.
c) Less number of mating parts which causes less wear. 4. Define Angle of Attack
d) Low maintenance and low cost The Angle of Attack is the angle at which relative wind meets an Aerofoil. It is the
9. What is Ram Effect? angle formed by the Chord of the aerofoil and the direction of the relative wind or
Ramjet Engine consists of a Supersonic Diffuser and then Sub-Sonic Diffuser. the vector representing the relative motion between the aircraft and the
These diffusers convert kinetic energy of incoming air into pressure energy. This atmosphere.
energy transformation is called Ram Effect
10. Write short notes on Under-wing Engine Location.
Under wing mounted engines are easily accessible from the ground and well
away from the cabin. The weight of the engines are evenly placed, hence it reduces
Wing Weight. However the presence of pods can disturb the air flow on the wing
and increases drag.
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Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun
5. What are the advantages of High Wing Configuration Unit 5 – Design of Landing Gear & Control Surfaces
a. Allows placing fuselage closer to ground, thus allowing loading and
unloading without special ground handling equipment. 1. List out the types of Landing Gear.
b. Jet engines & propeller have sufficient ground clearance without excessive a. Single/Conventional Landing Gear
landing gear length leading to lower landing gear weight. b. Tandem Landing Gear
c. For low speed airplanes, weight saving can be effected by strut braced wing. c. Tail Dragger Landing Gear
d. Bicycle Type Landing Gear
6. List out the considerations done before mounting engines e. Tricycle Type Landing Gear
• The length of the engine compartment is approximately 1.5 times the length of f. Multi Boggie Landing Gear
the engine.
2. How are the functions of elevator performed in a tailless aircraft?
• The width of the engine compartment is approximately 1.2 times the width of
An elevator is a primary flight control surface that controls movement
the engine.
about the lateral axis of an aircraft. This movement is referred to as "pitch". When
• The rest of airplane is separated from the engine compartment by a fire- wall
extended, they increase the camber and, in most cases, the chord and surface area of
which is a fire-resistant sheet attached to a bulk head.
the wing resulting in an increase of both lift and drag and a reduction of the stall
speed.
7. What are the loads acting on an aircraft fuselage?
• Empennage loads due to trim, manoeuvring, turbulence and gusts
3. What are the loads acting on the landing gear?
• Pressure loads due to cabin pressurisation
• Impact Force
• Landing gear loads due to landing impact, taxiing and ground manoeuvring
• Braking Force
• Loads due to the weight of passengers and cargo
• Axial Force
8. List out the functions of Skin of aircraft fuselage.
4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of CAD in aircraft design.
• It resists the applied torsion and shear forces by transmitting aerodynamic forces
Advantages:
to the longitudinal and transverse supporting members
• Increases productivity
• It supports the longitudinal members in resisting the applied bending and axial
• Higher quality designs
loads
• Reuse and easily change designs
• It supports the transverse members in resisting the hoop, or circumferential, load
• Designing physical objects in a virtual workspace.
when the structure is pressurized
Disadvantages:
• Work can be lost because of the sudden breakdown of computer
9. What are the uses of V-n diagram?
V-n Diagram shows limits of aircraft performance. It shows how much load factor • Work is prone to viruses
can be safely achieved at different airspeeds. At higher temperatures, air is less • Work could be easily hacked
dense and planes must fly faster to generate the same amount of lift.
5. What is the need for aerodynamic balancing?
10. Define Flaps. The need for the aerodynamic balancing in flying control surfaces is to provide a
The flaps are high lift devices. These devices are deployed to increase the lift to the surface or to provide less air resistance to it.
maximum lift coefficient (CL max) during take-off and landing. The flaps are
generally located near the trailing edge. 6. State the functions of Rudder.
The rudder is typically mounted on the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer, part of
the empennage. It provides the directional control for an aircraft.
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Department of Aeronautical Engineering Prepared By: V.P.Joseph Arun
7. Define Control Surfaces. Name a few control surfaces in aircraft.
Aircraft flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust
and control the aircraft’s flight attitude. Development of an effective set of flight
control surfaces was a critical advance in the development of aircraft.
The main control surfaces are: a) Ailerons b) Rudder c) Elevators
8. Explain Phugoid Oscillations.
Phugoid is an aircraft motion in which the vehicle pitches up and climbs, and then
pitches down and descends, Phugoid Oscillations. is a characteristic oscillations of
the aircraft after a small disturbance of the steady flight.
9. List down the types of flaps used in aircraft.
10. State the three rotational movements of aircraft.
a. X axis – Roll
b. Y axis – Pitch
c. Z axis - Yaw
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