Modular aeroplane for education in flight mechanics

• Autores: Jesús Gonzalo
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 28, no. 1, 2012, págs. 227-234
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper explains how to set up a practical experiment to teach the mechanics of flight by means of a modular aeroplane, i.e., anin-field configurable aeroplane that can be designed and assembled by the student for specific mission requirements. The conceptcomprises a catalogue of modules including pure and aileron-mounted lifting surfaces, propulsion, vertical surfaces, longitudinalextensors, landing supports and other smart modules, all with common structural and electrical interfaces. A software tool is ableto quickly assess, using a vortex lattice method, the feasibility of flight and the proper position of centre of mass. Once theaeroplane is built, the parameters and flight path can be uploaded onboard and tests can be performed. Real time and playbackmonitoring allow the student to check if a selected configuration performs appropriately with respect to the requirements. Inaddition, a set of simple practical exercises and the expected results are proposed in the paper.