For designers who want to understand the bigger picture of system development – and hope to lead it someday!
This class prepares you to lead or participate in the system definition process for aircraft, from the earliest expression of needs and opportunities to the product development and evaluation. This class will help those who design the vehicle by increasing their awareness of the requirements definition process and the need to understand and satisfy the customer’s true needs. It will also help aspiring project managers, with a “mini-MBA” presentation of planning and execution of technical programs.
It includes definition of the aircraft system architecture in the broadest sense, covering how we perceive and analyze needs that can be fulfilled by aircraft and how those perceptions of needs “flow down” to a new or derivative aircraft concept. Lectures cover managerial as well as top-level technical aspects of systems development. The course briefly summarizes the technical details of design as covered extensively in Dan Raymer’s 5-day Aircraft Conceptual Design Short Course, but focuses more on the overall operational concept, systems engineering, and design management aspects of conceptual design. Note that this is not a class in aircraft subsystems such as hydraulics and electrical systems.
Major topics include:
- Determination of Customer Needs (Military & Commercial)
- Definition of requirements
- System conceptualization (“architecting”)
- Operations analysis
- Integrated product development
- Program management
- CAD/CAM
Prior participants have said…
“I enjoyed your class very much. It has broadened my perspective on aircraft design. Your experiences and insights on aircraft design are invaluable.” Michael Tong, NASA Glenn Research Center
“We all had a great time with you and your teaching. I also had a great feedback on behalf of the team.” Cem Gelgin, Division Manager, Vestel Defense Industry, Turkey
NEXT PUBLIC OFFERINGS:
Not currently scheduled for Public Presentation. Contact Aircraft Design Research LLC to encourage scheduling a public presentation.
IN-HOUSE OFFERINGS:
Contact Aircraft Design Research LLC for a price quote and schedule availability.
Lecture Outline
DAY ONE
Day 1 AM: Introduction to design, systems engineering, and system architecting. Overview of the aircraft design and development process. Design as a profession, design management as a profession. Creativity, invention, and concept formulation. Planning and management of an aircraft development and production program. Milestone definition, design reviews, funding profiles, schedule development and tracking. Critical Path analysis and risk assessment techniques.
Day 1 PM: Integrated Product Development and Integrated Product Teams. Concurrent Engineering. Historical and Best design practices: “Lean” design, Skunk Works 14 Points for Aircraft Development (Kelly Johnson). Development of design requirements. Definition of operational scenarios and design mission. National, corporate, and individual goals and constraints. Operational analysis models and simulations.
DAY TWO
Day 2 AM: Overview of U.S. and European design specifications and sources of data; key specifications for new and derivative aircraft development and production. Initial estimation of aircraft takeoff weight and fuel weight to attain the design mission. Quick techniques for performance estimation. Requirements trade studies. Design of derivative aircraft (re-engining, fuselage stretch, upgraded avionics and weapons, etc.).
Day 2 PM: System Cost Estimation: Development, production, and Life-Cycle cost analysis using statistical and operational data. Cost Estimating Relationships. Activity-Based Costing. WBS buildup methods. Cost estimation of derivative aircraft.
DAY THREE
Day 3 AM: Design optimization, trade variables, sizing matrix and carpet plot optimization techniques. Use of performance constraint curves to determine the optimal aircraft. Multivariable and multi-disciplinary optimization (MDO). Cost-as-an-independent-variable (CAIV). Aircraft manufacturing methods, machinery, and best-practice. Lean Aircraft Initiative/Lean Manufacturing. Prototyping and testing. Risk reduction and quality assurance.
Day 3 PM: Overview of CAD/CAM: commercial CAD systems, data base representation, design methods, feature-based design, parametric design, virtual prototyping, and interface protocols. Use of CAD in the conceptual design environment. In-class demonstration of integrated aircraft design software, illustrating configuration layout on CAD, aerodynamics, weights, propulsion, sizing, performance, cost analysis, and multivariable optimization (RDS-Professional).
System Engineering and Design Management Class taught in Brazil to a mixed military and civilian audience.
This class can optionally be taught as a one or two-week intensive in-house course with substantial student participation including seminar discussions and an in-class project in systems engineering, architecting, and design.
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