Aircraft Conceptual Design Short Course
I am considering developing the material for an Aircraft Conceptual Design Course with a view to delivering the course at some point in Quarter 2/3 of 2019 period.
Given the considerable undertaking that this represents on my part, I am looking to gauge the level of interest in such a course before committing to creating the course material. If you remain interested after reading the very preliminary thoughts on course scope, structure and itinerary presented below, please contact me to register your interest (it is not a commitment at this stage).
email me to express an interest if this does not work, please use the 'contact' page
ustomising the course content to suit potential customers requirements is an option, so please also contact me if your specific requirements are close to but exactly matched to those defined (that are very preliminary).
Should sufficient interest be expressed, I will contact those who have registered an interest to encourage them to discuss their participation with their managers/budget holders to provide a firmer basis for me to proceed.
Scope: The course covers of the jet transport aircraft design process and is based on a combination of taught and practical elements. In addition to the standard topics covered in text books, the content extends into the practical realities of the industrial and operational challenges of delivering a successful aircraft programme to the marketplace.
The taught elements provide the necessary understanding and knowledge for the participant to construct a simple conceptual aircraft design tool in the practical sessions to perform some competitive studies as part of the course. I strongly believe that experience (or applied learning) results in a better understanding than sitting through lectures. Note: should the time required to deliver the taught elements expand beyond that currently assigned, a standard design tool may be provided with a briefing on its functionality.
If necessary and it is possible, I will whether I can get the course accredited with the RAeS.
Outline Itinerary - Version 1 - subject to change
Monday (7.5hrs)
Arrival/Intro and Course Objectives (0.5hr), History of Jet Transport Aircraft Design – a summary (1hr),
Operating Environment (1.5hr), Aircraft Design Process Overview (1hr), Requirements (2hrs), Life Cycle Thoughts (1hr)
Tuesday (7.5hrs)
Aircraft Mass Prediction (1.5hr), Aerodynamics Forecast(1.5hr), Practical Tool building (Geometry, Mass and Aero) - 2.0hrs + homework, Wing Sizing (1.5hrs), Open Discussion of taught material so far (1hr)
Wednesday (7.5hrs)
Engine Design & sizing (1.5hrs), Performance (2hrs), Aircraft Architectural and Industrial Decisions (2hrs),
Practical Tool Building (Engine and Performance) – (1 hour plus homework), Open Discussion of the day’s material (1hr).
Thursday (7.5hrs)
Operating Economics (1hr), Technology Selection Process (1hr), Practical Tool Building (Economics) (1hr),
Practical (Design Competition) – 4hrs
Friday (6hrs)
Aircraft Design Competition - 2nd round results and feedback (4hrs), Discussion/Wrap-up (2hrs).
Location: TBC. I will liaise with the course participants to agree a location, although my preference is for a location that will add to the course material and outcomes. If a participant’s organisation is willing to host the course, a discount of the course fees will be considered.
My Experience: 25+ years of aircraft design experience, building, deploying and using aircraft design and performance tools in airline, aerospace industry and research organisations. I also have a good understanding of engine design fundamentals (a critical element of the aircraft design). I continue to keep learning, having recently completed a number of studies considering the impact of hybrid- and all-electric propulsion architectures on the aircraft design process.
During this time, I have built an extensive understanding of the aircraft design process and gained a deep understanding of the design rationale for much of the existing transport aircraft fleet, as well as those types that have been superseded.
Highlights include participation of the Rolls-Royce IPTs that secured the Trent 1000 a position on the 787 and the Trent 7000 on the A330neo.
I have worked closely at different times with both the Boeing (seconded to the RR Seattle office) and Airbus product development teams. I also worked with Richard Noble to define the initial sizing definition for the Farnborough F1 aircraft (now Kestrel K-350 aircraft).
I represented airframe company and airline interests in the Rolls-Royce IPT that defined the ‘Advance’ and ‘Ultrafan’ engine architectures, gaining an excellent education on the engine design process.
Operational experience was gained supporting the Trent 900 and Trent XWB through their respective development programmes. In particular, I gained a detailed understanding of airline network scheduling and route networks to support the engine component lifing assessments for these engines.
As a consultant, I have worked with easyJet to provide them with a system to monitor their A320neo airframe and powerplant guarantees, assessed novel powerplant concepts and am currently contracting part-time with the Rolls-Royce Future Technology Group.
More information on the About and Experience Pages
Fees: TBC, but the course fees will be in line with existing university short courses.