MEng Aerospace Engineering / Course details

Flight dynamics is the study of the performance, stability, and control of a wide range of airborne vehicles. It is a subject which underpins the performance and safe operation of such vehicles. This course deals with the dynamic stability and control of aircraft, especially the dynamic response of aircraft to atmospheric disturbances and pilot control input. It provides the necessary ground-work to the students to understand the principles of flight dynamics which are essential in the design of aircraft. The intended learning outcomes are focussed on the understanding of flight dynamic principles and the development of skills for the analysis and evaluation of the stability and control characteristics of aircraft. The course is delivered via a combination of lectures, workshops, tutorials and flight simulator lab session. 

Impart an in-depth understanding of the behaviour of longitudinal and lateral dynamic stability modes and key aircraft parameters which affect the characteristics of these modes

Develop an ability to analyse the longitudinal and lateral dynamic stability characteristics of aircraft

Enhance the understanding of principles of flight dynamics using flight simulators

Systems of axes, Variable notation, Aircraft reference geometry, 1h

Derivation of aircraft equations of motion, 2h  

Derivation of linearized equations of motion, 1h

Aerodynamic derivatives and control derivatives, 5h

The dynamics of 2^nd order systems, 1h

Longitudinal dynamics stability and response, 2h

Lateral dynamics stability and response, 2h

Other - Online quiz

Marks of online quiz will be returned to the students at the end of the test. The lab worksheet will be marked and returned with feedback in Week 12.