Aircraft Design - free online resources for wannabe aircraft designers

yasotay

yasotay

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Any recommendations for a website that caiters to aspiring airplane designers and those who just plain like to chuck halfwit ideas out to the world? Looking for something slightly more educated than Deviant Art.
 
I've periodically looked around for the same but the landscape remains - as far as I can tell - somewhat perplexing.

There's a definite feeling of "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing" about the entirety of the resources, especially as there's a surprising amount of poorly rehashed clickbait around, even about a subject such as this. As a result my intermittent efforts at collecting a personal toolbox and creating an adjacent established work flow have tended to dissipate before coalescing into something overly useful. Also I have perhaps too much deference to actual credentialed experience and expertise to acquire what could perhaps charitably be called a "Muskian" attitude towards design.

What I can say (with what little confidence I have) is that it won't hurt to look around well known and established MOOC (massively open online course) sites, even if most of those - with various fees upon course completion and such - really don't live up to the original ethos any more. At least with them there can be a semblance of organization and the teachers have actual experience and credentials. When it comes to trying to distill "halfwit ideas" further another idea are free, academic open source, or cheap specialist airplane dynamics software (often meant mainly for RC/fixed wing drones use but applicable to a degree) out there; a surprising number of those around but most of them a minimum of ten years old and relying on enthusiast and open source communities. I believe this is because free/student/trial versions of commercial generalist CAD/FEM software have ostensibly evolved in usefulness beyond niche programs but in terms of intuition and ease of use I'm on the fence as to what approach is better.

So I can't offer a list of links or anything like that, but to me it sounds like you're looking for something like OpenVSP (there are others but cannot remember those off the top of my head, some university departments I can also vaguely remember having very detailed web based design aids associated with specific cousres, not necessarily easy or obvious to find). The latest iteration - 3.25.0 - seems to have been released just on August 10, 2021. From their site:

OpenVSP is a parametric aircraft geometry tool. OpenVSP allows the user to create a 3D model of an aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. This model can be processed into formats suitable for engineering analysis.

The predecessors to OpenVSP have been developed by J.R. Gloudemans and others for NASA since the early 1990's. On January 10 2012, OpenVSP was released as an open source project under the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) version 1.3.
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Over the years I've also come across similar questions about aircraft design resources elsewhere. These discussions generate a lot of responses but can be (and most of the time are) self-defeating as various lists of links are accumulated and the result without meticulous curation and removal/update of expired links isn't, in the end at least, qualitatively better than vague Google searches. Nonetheless, I'd be interested to hear about workable approaches and resources as well.
 
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If you’re happy at the smaller end of the spectrum then HomebuiltAirplanes.com is a great site;-

www.homebuiltairplanes.com

Homebuilt Aircraft & Kit Plane Forum

Homebuilt aircraft/kit plane aviation forum & for sale classifieds. Aircraft forums for kit & DIY planes pilots. Fly-ins, design, engines, firewall, props, fuel, instruments.
www.homebuiltairplanes.com www.homebuiltairplanes.com

There’s some really good informed comment and they’re always happy to discuss ideas.
 
yasotay said:
Any recommendations for a website that caiters to aspiring airplane designers and those who just plain like to chuck halfwit ideas out to the world? Looking for something slightly more educated than Deviant Art.
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To clarify re: your "chucking halfwit ideas out to the world" requirement that OpenVSP has a "hangar" section (here) where one can up- and download models, as well as browse them. Not a great big community judging by the total design number (410, and some of the designs definitely don't even qualify as "halfwit") but definitely above and beyond Deviant Art in terms of airplane specific interactivity. Perhaps our Secret Projects talent pool could insert some life there while co-ordinating here?

In pure design terms some years back I came across a university UAV specific design website, numeric only, but boy did it allow going back to first principles and/or starting with a variety of requirements, just multidimensional to the n-th degree. It was brilliant but somehow lost track of it. Tried to search but to my utter frustration couldn't even find anything like it anymore (believed it was Utah but guess not, then).
 
@yasotay , are you interested in learning the sizing and performance process to potentially design your own vehicle, or are you just looking for a greater understanding of the different disciplines of aircraft design (structures, aero, stability and control, propulsion, etc.)?
You may be able to find class notes or even videos of aircraft design courses. MIT has a very nice catalog of courses (search MIT freeware, i think), but i can't recall if they have an aircraft design one.
A fallback would be to pick up a copy of Raymer, which has almost all you'd need in one book.
 
If it’s books you’re after;- Whilst indeed Raymer books are excellent, an alternative is;-

www.elsevier.com

General Aviation Aircraft Design

General Aviation Aircraft Design, Second Edition, continues to be the engineer’s best source for answers to realistic aircraft design questi
www.elsevier.com www.elsevier.com

Not quite a design guide as per the others this is very readable is Stinstons classic Design of the Aeroplane ….search the www to find free download toboot;-

www.wiley.com

Design of the Aeroplane, 2nd Edition

The new edition of this classic textbook, used by universities, training schools, industry and enthusiasts, has been extended to feature a number of new studies in practical aeroplane design. Mathematics - which general readers may skip - is the minimum needed to work out common sense...
www.wiley.com www.wiley.com
 
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Whilst this book is a step down in scale, it does lay out the background science in an accessible way. Many years ago, I found it a very good alternative to some textbooks possibly seen as more worthy (mostly by those who hadn't yet read this ;) ).

Model Aircraft Aerodynamics: Amazon.co.uk: Simons, Martin: 9781854861900: Books

Buy Model Aircraft Aerodynamics 4 by Simons, Martin (ISBN: 9781854861900) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
 
Thank you all for the input. I will certainly take a look at many of the suggestions.
 
There doesn't seem to be an online forum for budding designers to exchange ideas, links, etc. I guess its a subject normally taught at university, so your peer group is your fellow students. There's a fair amount of Flight Sim based discussions on basic aerodynamics etc and some homebuilt aircraft forums.

I could create an "Aircraft Designer Forum" section on Secret Projects if there's any interest.
 
If you're interested in V/STOL aerodynamics, I highly recommend a book that references these documents, which I will have to dig out.

The Basic Principles of V/STOL aerodynamics (PDF)

The Aerodynamics of V/STOL aircraft (PDF - Rehashes some of what is in the above document).

This is from the aircraft design course at Virginia Tech Configuration Aerodynamics. Professor Mason was an aerodynamicst/aircraft designer at the Grumman Corporation in the 70's and 80's. You'll find his name on many aerodynamics research papers, especially related to supersonic wing design.

I also recommend reading the aircraft design case studies from the AIAA. These give insight into why so many of these aircraft ended up looking as they do; the design decisions that lead to the final configuration.

The AIAA has many books regarding aircraft design and they also have online courses you can take. Having said that, some of them are heavy in calculus (duh) but you could still read them without understanding the math and learn many of the "whys" regarding specific design approaches.

Finally, as many have seen me yammering on about throughout these forums, the most important aspect of aircraft design that was hammered into us when I was in school was, "The mission defines the airplane, not the other way around!"

P.S. - As noted above, pick up a copy of Raymer's book. It is sort of the basic bible of aircraft design and I wish we had had this when I was in school. We had to put all of this together from multiple sources. Also, avoid Roskam's books unless you know what you're doing with regard to the math. They're full of errors. However, some of them have actual aircraft configuration information which is difficult to find elsewhere, such as engine decks. Just know what you're looking for and what you're getting before you buy one of his books.

P.P.S. - This is the kids page at NASA's web site. I highly recommend it for just very basic fundamentals. After you've gone through it, go to the adult level pages and go through them and see what you understand or not. Once Paul has the aircraft design forum open, we can answer your questions (I'm assuming you won't get that far before he has the new part of the forum open ;) )
 
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overscan (PaulMM) said:
There doesn't seem to be an online forum for budding designers to exchange ideas, links, etc. I guess its a subject normally taught at university, so your peer group is your fellow students. There's a fair amount of Flight Sim based discussions on basic aerodynamics etc and some homebuilt aircraft forums.

I could create an "Aircraft Designer Forum" section on Secret Projects if there's any interest.
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I am indeed grateful for this.
I have often thought to propose some of my ideas and felt that the appraisal of many of the members of this forum would be of great benefit, even if it was to point out that laws such as thermodynamics and physics would interfere with my plans.
 
To learn aircraft design, I think learning to build and fly radio controlled models will teach you a lot and allow you a consequence free way to test your wildest ideas in real air and real conditions. You are observing your aircraft in flight at all times to pilot it so you can see where it needs fixes and land and make quick changes. Simulators are helpful, but nothing beats being outside flying your airplane in the sky.

The RC Groups website is the largest US flying model site with many categories for different types of aircraft and anything that flys. There are forums on CAD/CAM and all types of construction.

RCGroups: Remote Control, Radio Control Planes, Drones, Cars and Boats

RC Groups - the most active Radio Control model community: electric and fuel rc airplanes,rc helis,rc boats and rc cars. Features discussion forums, blogs, videos and classifieds.
www.rcgroups.com www.rcgroups.com
 
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On the theme. Is there any software to actually design an airframe on the free list? Not necessarily an anylitic side to it, just building the thing. I know Sketchup can be used for this but honestly it's not much kop for that.
 
What do you mean design an airframe? Structural analysis or just lofting?
 

Trade-offs in WWII Fighter Design

But if you try sometimes... Fighter aircraft became much better during the Second World War. But, apart from the development of engines, it was not a straightforward matter of monotonous improvement. Aircraft are a series of compromises. Improving one aspect of performance almost always compromis...
sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com

nice quick read from another forum
 
sienar said:
What do you mean design an airframe? Structural analysis or just lofting?
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Sorry mate, I completely missed this. I am talking about the airframe itself rather than any aero or other assessment of the aircraft simulation. It CAN be done with Sketchup for example but the result is rather clunky and a pain.
 
Simflow is not a freeware. Open foam is, but with a level of complexity that renders it unfit for most users. It's a time intensive process to get operational on it, even at a basic level.

CFD Software Prices - Cost Comparison

CFD Software Prices. Find out right now, how much does commercial CFD Software actually cost. Look for the Cost Comparison between licensing plans.
sim-flow.com sim-flow.com
 
There is a cost free version of Simflow, but meanwhile I found out that is is barly usable and will just push the users to by the full version.
 
yasotay said:
Any recommendations for a website that caiters to aspiring airplane designers and those who just plain like to chuck halfwit ideas out to the world? Looking for something slightly more educated than Deviant Art.
Click to expand...
If you are _really_ brave, you can get a copy of the Federal Aviation Regulations, Parts 23 and 43. That's the sections on how to build an airplane (get it certified), and how to maintain it.

But that's if you are planning on physically building a plane, or doing enough CAD work to build one virtually.
 
www.understandingairplanes.com

Understanding Airplanes - A mini-degree in aeronautical engineering. No math, no homework, no tests

A 10-hour mini-degree in aeronautical engineering, with no math, no homework, no tests. Created and initially taught at Stanford University, then taught to over a thousand Boeing employees, and now open to the general public. Targeted at people who work in the aviation industry - or who wish to...
www.understandingairplanes.com

 
Aviary

NASA has created a new digital modeling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation. Aviary is free and accessible to all. The code continues to grow as contributions are made by the public. The code is hosted on GitHub, along with its key documentation.

More:
techxplore.com

Aviary: A new NASA software platform for aircraft modeling

NASA has created a new digital modeling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation.
techxplore.com techxplore.com
 
I have been studying Conceptual Aircraft Design since 2020 (during Covid) and my suggestion is to take a look to the AIAA website: I've learned a lot with the design competitions, but of course you need to understand aircraft design process...a good start is the book "Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach" by Raymer
www.aiaa.org

AIAA Design Competitions

The AIAA Foundation sponsors annual design competitions, offering students a chance to perform theoretical work and gain real-world insight into the design process.
www.aiaa.org www.aiaa.org
 
yasotay said:
Any recommendations for a website that caiters to aspiring airplane designers and those who just plain like to chuck halfwit ideas out to the world? Looking for something slightly more educated than Deviant Art.
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F-28 fellowship would be cool
 

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