Dietrich Kuchemann's The Aerodynamic Design of Aircraft is as relevant and as forward looking today as it was when it was first published in 1978. It comprises the philosophy and life's work of a unique and visionary intellect. Based upon material taught in a course at Imperial College London, the insight and intuition conveyed by this text are timeless. With its republication, Kuchemann's influence will extend to the next generation of aerospace industry students and practitioners and the vehicles they will produce. Kuchemann establishes three classes of aircraft based on the character of flow involved. Each class is suitable for a distinct cruise speed regime: classical and swept aircraft for subsonic and transonic cruise, slender-wing aircraft for supersonic cruise, and wave-rider aircraft for hypersonic cruise. Unlike most engineering texts, which focus on a set of tools, Kuchemann's approach is to focus on the problem and its solution - what kind of flow is best for a given class of aircraft and how to achieve it.With this approach, Kuchemann fully embraces the true inverse nature of design; rather than answer what flow given the shape, he strives to answer what flow given the purpose and then what shape given the flow.

This modern text presents aerodynamic design of aircraft with realistic applications, using CFD software and guidance on its use. Tutorials, exercises, and mini-projects provided involve design of real aircraft, ranging from straight to swept to slender wings, from low speed to supersonic. Supported by online resources and supplements, this toolkit covers topics such as shape optimization to minimize drag and collaborative designing. Prepares seniors and first-year graduate students for design and analysis tasks in aerospace companies. In addition, it is a valuable resource for practicing engineers, aircraft designers, and entrepreneurial consultants.

The origin of Aerodynamic Design of Transport Aircraft stems from the time when the author was appointed part-time professor in the Aerospace Faculty of Delft University of Technology. At the time his main activities were those of leading the departments of Aerodynamics, Performance and Preliminary Design at Fokker Aircraft Company. The groundwork for this book started in 1987 as a series of lecture notes consisting mainly of pictorial material with a minimum of English explanatory text. After the demise of Fokker in 1996 one feared that interest in aeronautical engineering would strongly diminish. As a result of this, the course was discontinued and the relationship between the author and the faculty came to an end. Two years later the situation was reappraised, and the interest in aeronautical engineering remained, so the course was reinstated with a former Fokker colleague Ronald Slingerland as lecturer. The lecture notes from these courses form the foundation of this publication.

Optimal aircraft design is impossible without a parametric representation of the geometry of the airframe. We need a mathematical model equipped with a set of controls, or design variables, which generates different candidate airframe shapes in response to changes in the values of these variables. This model's objectives are to be flexible and concise, and capable of yielding a wide range of shapes with a minimum number of design variables. Moreover, the process of converting these variables into aircraft geometries must be robust. Alas, flexibility, conciseness and robustness can seldom be achieved simultaneously. Aircraft Aerodynamic Design: Geometry and Optimization addresses this problem by navigating the subtle trade-offs between the competing objectives of geometry parameterization. It beginswith the fundamentals of geometry-centred aircraft design, followed by a review of the building blocks of computational geometries, the curve and surface formulations at the heart of aircraft geometry. The authors then cover a range of legacy formulations in the build-up towards a discussion of the most flexible shape models used in aerodynamic design (with a focus on lift generating surfaces). The book takes a practical approach and includes MATLAB®, Python and Rhinoceros® code, as well as ‘real-life’ example case studies. Key features: Covers effective geometry parameterization within the context of design optimization Demonstrates how geometry parameterization is an important element of modern aircraft design Includes code and case studies which enable the reader to apply each theoretical concept either as an aid to understanding or as a building block of their own geometry model Accompanied by a website hosting codes Aircraft Aerodynamic Design: Geometry and Optimization is a practical guide for researchers and practitioners in the aerospace industry, and a reference for graduate and undergraduate students in aircraft design and multidisciplinary design optimization.

Aircraft Design explores fixed winged aircraft design at the conceptual phase of a project. Designing an aircraft is a complex multifaceted process embracing many technical challenges in a multidisciplinary environment. By definition, the topic requires intelligent use of aerodynamic knowledge to configure aircraft geometry suited specifically to the customer's demands. It involves estimating aircraft weight and drag and computing the available thrust from the engine. The methodology shown here includes formal sizing of the aircraft, engine matching, and substantiating performance to comply with the customer's demands and government regulatory standards. Associated topics include safety issues, environmental issues, material choice, structural layout, understanding flight deck, avionics, and systems (for both civilian and military aircraft). Cost estimation and manufacturing considerations are also discussed. The chapters are arranged to optimize understanding of industrial approaches to aircraft design methodology. Example exercises from the author's industrial experience dealing with a typical aircraft design are included.