UnitLevel 2Undergraduate

MAE2405 Aircraft performance

Faculty of Engineering

MAE2405 Aircraft performance is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Engineering, offered in 2020 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 2 units.

Credit points: 6
Offered in 2020: Semester 2; Clayton
Assessment: No exam; 5 tasks
Workload: 144 hours; per semester

This is the 2020 handbook entry. See the 2021 entry.

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Requisites

Before MAE2405

No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.

After MAE2405

2 units list MAE2405 as a prerequisite or corequisite.

Enrolment rules

Prerequisite: 24 Credit points

Overview

The course provides an introduction to aircraft performance with the aim of enabling you to predict answers to questions such as: how high, how fast or how slowly can an aircraft fly, how quickly can it climb or turn in a circle, how much runway does it require to take off and land, and how much fuel does it need to travel a given distance.

The emphasis is on physical understanding, and the focus is on subsonic aircraft performance. In order to support the aircraft performance topics that form the core of the course, basic fluid mechanics is introduced so that you can understand and predict the main sources of lift and drag forces produced on aircraft.

A brief introduction is also given to airbreathing aircraft powerplants so that you understand their basic characteristics and why different powerplant classes are appropriate to different flight speed regimes. Aircraft longitudinal stability concepts are introduced, as are the basic phenomena of transonic and supersonic flight.

Offerings in 2020

Teaching period	Campus	Mode
Second semester	Clayton	On campus

Assessment

Boundary layer measurementThreshold hurdle
10%
Aircraft flight analysisThreshold hurdle
10%
Mid-semester testThreshold hurdle
10%
Class problem setsThreshold hurdle
10%
Final assessmentThreshold hurdle
60%

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1
Calculate air properties at different altitudes according to the standard atmosphere model
2
Appreciate the application of concepts of conservation of mass, momentum and energy in fluid mechanics
3
Describe the central mechanisms of aircraft lift and drag production and using them to estimate boundary layer drag and lift-induced drag forces on aircraft
4
Distinguish why different powerplant classes are appropriate to different flight speed regimes, and how fuel use is characterised and to calculate aircraft range and endurance in powered and unpowered flight
5
For steady level flight be able to calculate how aircraft drag and drag power vary with flight speed and altitude, and able to calculate aircraft maximum and minimum speeds
6
Calculate speed and angle of climb in steady climbing flight
7
Calculate bank angle, turn speed and radius in steady horizontal turning flight at a given load factor
8
Calculate runway lengths required for takeoff and landing
9
Discuss the concepts of aircraft static longitudinal stability and neutral point
10
Explain the mechanisms of lift production in supersonic flight and how that differs from subsonic flight
11
Explain the reasoning underlying the introduction of wing sweep

Workload and teaching

Lectures36 hours
Workshops11 hours
Practical activities22 hours
Teaching approachActive learning

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 4-6 hours of scheduled learning activities and 6-8 hours independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.

The unit consists of lectures, practice classes and laboratory experiments. As explained above, we use the lectures to deliver a summary of the theory and illustrate how it relates to practice. This is done by showing where and how the material is used by practising engineers. Also, the lectures frequently use illustrations and video segments to illustrate the aerodynamics, leading on to the dynamic nature of the loading experienced by the airframe. In the practice classes, we focus on helping you to use the material from the text and lectures to solve problems. The problems vary from ones that illustrate straightforward calculations to ones that require deeper insight, requiring that you determine the form of the problem and which equations are needed to solve it. This will be illustrated by demonstrations at the problem-solving classes and by providing individual or group guidance with the set problems.

The laboratory classes provide “hands-on” experience and will illustrate concepts from the course in a practical way. They also require you to apply the theory taught to solve problems or answer questions. The objectives of the laboratory experiments are:

learning to connect theory with practice
developing an ability to solve problems
learning how to use data and theory in design
learning how to work with others
developing the capacity to ask the appropriate questions.

Learning resources

Technology resources

Boundary layer and Aircraft flight analysis will require access to a laptop or desktop computer capable of running MATLAB and a flight simulator like FlightGear (e.g. A medium speed AMD x64 or Intel x64).

Where it fits

MAE2405 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2020 handbook.

Contacts

Chief Examiners: Dr Callum Atkinson
Unit Coordinators: Dr Callum Atkinson

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for MAE2405?

MAE2405 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

What can I take after MAE2405?

MAE2405 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 2 units, including MAE3402 and MAE4410.

When is MAE2405 offered?

In 2020, MAE2405 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.

How much work is MAE2405?

The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.

Does MAE2405 have an exam?

No. MAE2405 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.

Which majors and minors include MAE2405?

MAE2405 is part of Mechanical engineering; and Robotics and mechatronics engineering.

More details

Credit points: 6
Level: 2
Study level: Undergraduate
Faculty: Faculty of Engineering
Organisational unit: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Type: Coursework
EFTSL: 0.125
Student contribution: SCA Band 2
Study abroad: Not available
Handbook years: 20202021