Aircraft Performance and Stability

4 ECTS credits
112 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4019152ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

Alvorens men een inschrijving kan nemen voor 'Vliegtuigprestaties en stabiliteit' moet men geslaagd zijn voor 'Aerodynamica'.

Taught in

Dutch

Faculty

Faculteit Ingenieurswetenschappen

Department

Industriële ingenieurswetenschappen

Educational team

Tim De Troyer
Benoît Marinus (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

30 contact hours Lecture
6 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals

Course Content

Lectures:

This course discusses flight mechanics: the kinematics and dynamics of and around the centre of gravity of an aircraft, which is considered to be rigid. The course consists of:

• Performance:
  • performance in straight and level flight
  • load factor, manoeuvres in the vertical plane and gusts
  • manoeuvres in the horizontal plane
  • energy management
  • take-off and landing analysis
• Stability
  • the aerodynamic centre
  • conditions for longitudinal stability and equilibrium
  • conditions for lateral and directional stability
  • interaction between slip, roll, and yaw; stability derivatives
  • control derivatives of roll and yaw control
  • notions of dynamic stability
  • coupling with aeroelasticity

Practical exercises:

In the practical exercise sessions students solve problems under supervision. The selected problems are a direct application of knowledge and concepts gained in the lectures.

 

 

Course material

Course text (Required) : Aircraft performance and stability, B. Marinus, VUB, 2220170009902, 2023
Handbook (Recommended) : Performance, Stability, Dynamics and Control of Airplanes, B.N. Pamadi, 3de, AIAA, 9781624102745, 2015
Handbook (Recommended) : Fundamentals of Flight, R.S. Shevell, 2de, Prentice Hall, 9780133390605, 1988
Handbook (Recommended) : Aircraft Design, A Conceptual Approach, D.P. Raymer, 5de, AIAA, 9781624104909, 2018
Digital course material (Required) : Aircraft performance and stability - slides, B. Marinus
Digital course material (Required) : Aircraft performance and stability - Videos, B. Marinus, canvas

Additional info

Description tutoring: after class, by appointment or via e-mail.

 

Learning Outcomes

Objectives

D1: has insight in the performance of aircraft (MaLO 1, MaSLO EM 1, 2, 4 LT)

D2: has insight in the stability of aircraft (MaLO 1, MaSLO EM 1, 2, 4 LT)

D3: can reason with the equations of motion of an aircraft (MaLO 1, 2, MaSLO EM 1, 2, 4 LT)

 

AD1: reasons and acts in a structured and systematic manner (MaLO 3)

AD2: communicates in Dutch in a comprehensible and structured manner (MaLO 14)

AD3: develops a professional attitude (MaLO 11, 14, 16)

 

 

Learning Outcomes

• MaLO_1 To possess advanced application-specific knowledge, understanding and skills in the specialty with attention to the latest developments in technology.
• MaLO_2 To possess advanced application-specific understanding of advanced theories and methods for the schematisation and modelling of processes and systems and their use in solving problems within the specialty.
• MaLO_3 To independently integrate and deepen previously acquired knowledge with a view to the opportunities for innovating practical implementations, whilst being aware of the limits of one's own competencies.
• MaLO_11 To work on a project in a primarily subject-specific context: to set goals, to monitor the goals and progress of the project. To function as a member of an (inter- and multidisciplinary) team, to start to lead, to be a bridge between management and workplace, to operate in an international or intercultural environment.  To report effectively.
• MaLO_14 To communicate orally and in writing about one's field in the language or languages relevant to the specialty.
• MaLO_16 To act in an ethically, professionally and socially responsible manner with attention to technical, economic, human and sustainability aspects.
• MaSLO-EM_1 To have advanced, application-oriented knowledge, understanding and skills in electromechanics, with attention to the latest developments in technology and to the industrial setting.
• MaSLO-EM_2 To analyse,  optimize and manage production processes and machines.
• MaSLO-EM_4-LT To acquire depth in the electromechanical-engineering field of: Aeronautics.

 

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

• Other Exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 100% of the final mark.
  
  Note: Exam time 1st session:
  Lecture: oral exam with written preparation: 50 % (not transferred to 2nd session)
  Practical exercises: written exercises exam on computer: 50 % (not transferred to 2nd session)
  Exam time 2nd session:
  Lecture: oral exam with written preparation: 50 %
  Practical exercises: written exercises exam on computer: 50 %

Additional info regarding evaluation

Not applicable

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Electromechanical Engineering Technology: luchtvaarttechnologie (only offered in Dutch)