COURSE INTRODUCTION FOR SPRING 2015

MAE 3730, Flight Vehicle Dynamics

Instructor: James C. McDaniel

Offices: MEC 316, 924-6293 and ARL 103, 982-5945

Office hours: open door policy and by appointment

jcm@virginia.edu

Class Meetings: Tuesday/Thursday 2-3:15, plus workshops in Flight Simulator Lab

Course Description:  This class will introduce the fundamentals of flight vehicle dynamics, including a review of aerodynamics, flight instrumentation, propulsion systems, aircraft translational equations of motion, steady and accelerated performance, static stability, aircraft rotational equations of motion, and longitudinal and lateral dynamic stability.  The material will be presented by lectures and supplemented with assigned homework problems.  Extensive use will be made of the Flight Simulator Lab, with workshops and assigned exercises.

Prerequisites:

1.       MAE 2010 – Introduction to Aerospace Engineering

2.       MAE 2103 – Ordinary Differential Equations

3.       MAE 2300 – Statics

4.       MAE 2320 - Dynamics

5.       MAE 3210 – Fluids I

6.       MAE 3220 – Fluids II (co requisite)

Recommended textbook: Aircraft Performance and Design, John D. Anderson.  This book will be followed closely for the first half of the course and homework assignments will be given from the problems at the ends of the chapters.

Reference material:  Course notes by Professor Lloyd Barrett.  These notes (parts 1-5) are available on Collab and will be followed closely for the second half of the course.  The students are required to download and print these for their reference.

FAA materials:  Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

X-Plane manuals, to include Plane Maker and Airfoil Maker

Supplementary materials are available from Professor McDaniel’s personal collection.

Topics:

1.       Flight instrumentation

2.       Aerodynamics

3.       Propulsion systems

4.       Aircraft translational equations of motion

5.       Steady and accelerated performance

6.       Static stability

7.       Aircraft rotational equations of motion

8.       Longitudinal dynamic motion

9.       Lateral dynamic motion

Course Grading:

1.       Homework 2/3 (to include exercises in the Flight Simulator Lab)

2.       Midterm 1/6 (performance)

3.       Final exam 1/6 (stability, not comprehensive)

Course Description:  This class will introduce the fundamentals of flight vehicle dynamics, including a review of aerodynamics, flight instrumentation, propulsion systems, aircraft translational equations of motion, steady and accelerated performance, static stability, aircraft rotational equations of motion, and longitudinal and lateral dynamic stability.  The material will be presented by lectures and supplemented with assigned homework problems.  Extensive use will be made of the Flight Simulator Lab, with workshops and assigned exercises.