Learning Intro to Flight Course Content through an Individual Aircraft Conceptual Sizing Experience

摘要

Is it possible for students to cover the entirety of Intro to Flight course content by refocusing the class on individual, personalized aircraft conceptual sizing experiences? This paper documents a first attempt at weaving a tapestry of aeronautical knowledge from threads including individual conceptual sizing, wind tunnel testing and programmable flight simulator hands-on experiences at the University of Dayton. Initial results indicate more highly engaged students and a positive outcome. Each student begins conceptual sizing with a historical survey within a category and class of their choosing. Allowing students to select and create their own requirements aligns with research that shows increased ownership in their curriculum and course content results in more profound engagement and motivation. The students then identify niches that exist within their category and class of interest. They subsequently write their own requirements, specifications and Requests for Proposals to create an aircraft to fill one of those niches. Then more traditional conceptual sizing procedures are followed to calculate the primary geometric, aerodynamic, structural, weight, inertial, flight dynamic, control and performance characteristics of their airplanes. It is at this point in the process that their education diverges slightly from the norm. The parameters that result from the conceptual sizing are used as inputs into the Graphical User Interface of the Merlin 521 Engineering Flight Simulator. The students must then attempt to taxi, takeoff, fly, and land their own airplanes and in general see how their airplanes handle in a physics-based flight environment in three-dimensional space. This experience alone is enough to close the loop on initial conceptual sizing At this point, students will delve more deeply into the factors associated with making their airplanes handle more closely to test pilot expectations for a given category and class of airplane. Many students rated learning through this process as one of the most fulfilling educational experiences of their undergraduate career.