Aerodynamics & Aircraft Performance 2 ENG2037

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Engineering
  • Credits: 10
  • Level: Level 2 (SCQF level 8)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course is designed to develop further students' interest and learning in aerospace engineering, theoretical and experimental aerodynamics and aircraft design. Topics covered include low speed and high speed aerodynamics, important non-dimensional variables, 2-D and 3-D aerofoil characteristics and aircraft flight envelope and optimal speeds.

Timetable

2 lectures per week

Requirements of Entry

Mandatory Entry Requirements

None

Recommended Entry Requirements

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

90% Written Exam

10% Report

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

The aims of this course are to:

■ provide a basic understanding of some aspects of aerodynamics and aircraft design;

■ increase awareness of important aerodynamic loads and relevant non-dimensional parameters such as Mach number and Reynolds number;

■ summarise 2D/3D aerofoil flow characteristics, including boundary layer effects, high lift devices;

■ summarise concepts in aircraft stability and control;

■ provide a summary to aspects of high-speed aerodynamics;

■ summarise the basic concepts in the modelling of helicopter aerodynamics;

■ develop concepts of optimum aircraft performance and speeds for various parts of the flight envelope;

■ provide practical experience of undertaking and reporting on aerodynamic experiments

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ determine the aerodynamic forces involved in aircraft flight and assess the important features and flow characteristics over 2D and 3D aerofoils;

■ explain the use of aircraft control surfaces and determine the aircraft stability characteristics;

■ assess basic compressible flow features and use appropriate analytical techniques to calculate properties across a shockwave;

■ determine the optimal speeds for aircraft flight and critically assess their importance for different flight conditions, configurations and sustainability;

■ describe some basic aerodynamics features of rotary aircraft

■ critically assess some of the important aspects, limitations and constraints of undertaking aerodynamic experiments in wind tunnel, including risk management and safety considerations.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must attend the degree examination and submit at least 75% by weight of the other components of the course's summative assessment.

 

Students should attend at least 75% of the timetabled classes of the course.

 

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates.  Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.