AERSP 306: Aeronautics

Professor J. W. Langelaan
Spring 2010

1 Course Description
The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to the basic con-
cepts of aeronautics. The course will cover estimation of the forces of flight (lift,
weight, drag, and thrust) and how these forces are used to predict the perfor-
mance of atmospheric flight vehicles. Students who successfully complete this
course will be able to:
1. perform basic computations of aerodynamic forces and moments acting
on an aircraft in flight;
2. perform basic computations of propulsive forces and performance;
3. perform basic stability and control computations; and
4. perform basic performance calculations for the overall air vehicle.

2 Lectures
MWF 1:25–2:15, 220 Hammond

3 Instructor
Prof. Jack Langelaan
229 Hammond
3-6817
jlangelaan@psu.edu
office hours: TR 3:30–5:00

4 TA/TI
TI: Mark DeAngelo, mpd5047@psu.edu
TA: Shane Tierney, smt5001@psu.edu

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5 Evaluation
Problem sets will be handed out on Wednesdays, due the following Wednesday.
There will be two in-class midterms (approximately week 5 and week 11)
and one final exam.
Grading: homework- 20%; midterm 1- 20%; midterm 2- 20%; final- 40%.

6 Policies
You may work in groups for homework, however each person must hand in
his/her own work. Homework assignments will due at 4:30 pm on Wednesdays,
late homework will not be graded (i.e. you will get zero for a late homework).
I will ignore your lowest homework grade, your highest homework grade will
be counted twice.
Penn State’s Academic Integrity policies will apply to this course.

7 Textbook and References

Required text: Barnes W. McCormick, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics and Flight
Mechanics, John Wiley & Sons, 1995, ISBN 0-471-57506-2 (BWM).
You may also find the John Anderson’s book Introduction to Flight helpful.

8 Syllabus
Note: this schedule is approximate and subject to change.
week description
1 Introduction and basics
2 Aircraft aerodynamics, review of potential flow
3 Boundary layers and flow separation
4 Vortex flow and the Kutta-Joukowski theorem
5 Review and midterm 1
6 Airfoils
7 More airfoils
8 Even more airfoils
9 March break
10 Finite wings
11 Finite wings
12 Review and Midterm 2
13 Aircraft motion
14 In-flight performance
15 Take off and landing
16 Stability and handling qualities

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9 Special Fall 2009 Flu Protocols
In compliance with Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Dis-
ease Control recommendations, students should NOT attend class or any public
gatherings while ill with influenza. Students with flu symptoms will be asked
to leave campus if possible and to return home during recovery. The illness
and self-isolation period will usually be about a week. It is very important that
individuals avoid spreading the flu to others.
Most students should be able to complete a successful semester despite a flu-
induced absence. Faculty will provide students who are absent because of illness
with a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work. Ordinarily, it is inap-
propriate to substitute for the missed assignment the weighting of a semester’s
work that does not include the missed assignment or exam. Completion of
all assignments and exams assures the greatest chance for students to develop
heightened understanding and content mastery that is unavailable through the
weighting process. The opportunity to complete all assignments and exams sup-
ports the university’s desire to enable students to make responsible situational
decisions, including the decision to avoid spreading a contagious virus to other
students, staff, and faculty, without endangering their academic work.
Students with the flu do not need to provide a physician’s certification of
illness. However, ill students should inform their teachers (but not through
personal contact in which there is a risk of exposing others to the virus) as soon
as possible that they are absent because of the flu. Likewise students should
contact their instructors as quickly as possible to arrange to make up missed
assignments or exams.
If you have questions about academic policy-related issues, please call the
Associate Dean/Chief Academic Officer of your college. For health-related ques-
tions you can email Dr. Margaret Spear, director, University Health Services,
at uhsinfo@sa.psu.edu.