The key finding of the paper is that the value of CFD is directly related to its contribution to RATE OF LEARNING during the process of designing an airplane. Higher rates of learning lead to better designs. Rate of learning is comprised of the product of two terms, namely (ⅰ) learning per design cycle, multiplied by (ⅱ) the number of design cycles that can be executed in a given amount of time. Earlier developments in CFD tended to focus on the former and to ignore or discount the latter. But the teachings of the 1990s created a greater focus on the latter, with the result that the processes in use for designing airplanes today are improving at a rate that is unprecedented.
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