Topic outline

  • General

    • Course description

      • More than one century after Wright brothers first fly, flight still defy out intuition. You will learn here how planes do fly, how pilots can control their trajectory, and what happens if they fly too low or too fast. Turning, stalling, computing a range or sizing a wing will no longer have any secret for you. More based on explanations than on mathematic demonstration, this course makes an extensive use of diagrams, animations, actual airplane pictures and video, and even flight experimentations on our own airplanes and full flight simulator








        Language
        English

        Duration
        4 weeks

        Modality
        Distant learning

        Learning time
        15h

        Certification
        ISAE-SUPAERO certificate




        What will you achieve?


        By the end of the course, you'll be able to:




        Name the parameters and concepts used in flight mechanics (e.g., angle of attack, flight path angle, trim, total height)

        Describe the standard atmosphere and explain the effect of altitude on the flight characteristics of an airplane

        Describe the forces applying on an airplane at equilibrium or while maneuvering, explain how it flies and the origin of its flight envelope limits
        Roughly size the airfoils of an airplane and the power of its engine



        What topics will you cover?


        The course goes through the following topics:


        General description of an airplane
        Lift, stall and ceiling
        Drag and propulsion forces
        Atmosphere physics and Newton's laws applied to the airplane
        Longitudinal stability


        What are the prerequisites?


        For this course you need to have some basic knowledges:



        Notions of force and moment (rotation around an axis)

        Fundamental principle of dynamics

        Mechanical energy

        Notion of derivative





        Who is the course for?


        This course is for anybody interested in learning more about how planes work, the physics of flying or flight mechanics. It will be of particular interest to undergraduate students in aerospace engineering, trainee as well as senior pilots, journalists, and professionals in the aeronautics sector.







        Who will you learn with?






        Eric POQUILLON
        Eric POQUILLON is a lead flight test engineer, currently working as a flight dynamics professor at ISAE SUPAERO, and has conducted certification flight tests on various types of civil and military airplanes.
        See Author's personnal website





        How can I registrate?






        Registrations are open on FutureLearn platform

        You cannot registrate


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