Aircraft Design

very part of an aircraft has been carefully designed by one or more aircraft designers. The materials used and the shapes of aircraft have changed over the years, but the impor­tance of design remains the same.

Four Aspects of Aircraft Design

There are four main subjects an aircraft designer must understand before an air­craft can be designed: aerodynamics, propulsion, materials and structures, and stability and control.

Aerodynamics is the scientific study of how air flows around an airplane. Propulsion is all about engines, which provide the thrust to move an airplane through the air. Materials and structures
cover what an airplane is made from and how it is built. Stability and control are concerned with how an aircraft flies and how its flight is controlled.

The shape and size of an aircraft depend on what it is designed to do. In other words, form follows function. Airliners have to be big enough to carry a certain number of passengers and their luggage. Fighter planes have to be small, highly maneuverable, and well armed. Cargo planes have to be large and pow­erful enough to carry huge weights of cargo, and they need big doors for load­ing and unloading their cargo easily.