ASCI 309-Aerodynamics

Module 5
ARAPA: Uncelebrated performance

For your team’s selected project aircraft, collaboratively create an instructional team wiki (Canvas page within your group work space – see again ARAPA Overview Page for instructions). Using/building on your previous drag (i.e., thrust-required) table and graph created in Module 3, generate additional power-required values in the table and depict the power-required curve for your aircraft.  

Then, working with your derived thrust-required and/or power-required curves and table data, explain how to find various performance aspects for your aircraft, and provide the specific data for your example. At a minimum cover the following:

• Maximum range airspeed
• Maximum endurance airspeed
• Best climb conditions
  • Best rate of climb (ROC) & associated airspeed
  • Best angle of climb (AOC) & associated airspeed
• Maximum forward airspeed
• Best glide airspeed

Additionally, discuss and highlight numerically on a specific example how weight change influences performance events such as best range or endurance.

For inputs to this module’s tasks, please review also the associated 5.3.1 – ARAPA: Resources and Inputs page. As a starter for your team’s wiki, your team can again copy the information on this assignment page.

As in previous assignments, you will need to research additional information such as required formulas and pertinent aircraft data. Again, the emphasis in this project task is on explaining your methodology as if you attempted to instruct someone unfamiliar with the aerodynamic details and relationships. Therefore, make sure to detail all assumptions, all formula used, and all steps that were taken. The following will give you some starting points for your search and consideration. 

1. Required formula (see also 5.3.1 – ARAPA: Resources and Inputs):
   1. Thrust to power relationship
   1. Weight change influence on performance airspeeds
   1. ROC & AOC relationships
2. Necessary aircraft information:
   1. Powerplant output (for simplification, you can assume constant power output at the rated value across the entire speed range – see also discussion in the 5.3.1 – ARAPA: Resources and Inputs); whatever powerplant data you utilize, please make sure to include a short discussion detailing your assumptions.
3. Previous information:
   
   1. Make sure to detail again all assumed information used/transferred from last week (e.g., aircraft weight, atmospheric conditions, etc.) since performance data are, obviously, only valid for specific cases and conditions.

As previously, you are encouraged to utilize appropriate computational software such as Excel^® or MatLab