ME 5101 Homework Problem Set No. 1.

Aircraft Performance

1. Lift Coefficient Comparison (10 points)

Determine the lift coefficient at cruise (constant velocity and altitude) for (1) a propeller-driven
general aviation airplane and (2) a large commercial transport airplane with turbofan engines
given the following characteristics:
General aviation Commercial transport
Total weight 2,400 lbf 550,000 lbf
Wing area 180 ft 4,600 ft
Cruise velocity 140 mph 560 mph
Cruise flight altitude 12,000 ft 35,000 ft
Density at cruise altitude slug/ft

2. Mach and Reynolds Number Comparison for General Aviation and Commercial Transport
Aircraft. (10 points)

Continuing with the analysis of the airplanes from Problem 1, determine the Mach number and
Reynolds number at cruise using the following additional information:

General Aviation Commercial Aircraft

Wing Area (ft2) 180 4,600

Mean chord (ft) 5 23

Cruise Velocity (mph) 140 560

Altitude (ft) 12,000 35,000

Density (slug/ft3) 1.6 E-3 7.3 E-4

Dynamic viscosity (slug/ft-sec) 3.5 E-7 3 E-7

Sound speed (ft/sec) 1100 970

3. Takeoff Speed (10 points)

The figure below shows the lift curve for an aircraft with its flaps deployed in a take-off
configuration. Assume that take-off is near sea level (the density is provided below) and the
aircraft has the following characteristics:
Commercial transport
Take-off weight 650,000 lbf
Wing area 4,600 ft
Density at take-off slug/ft3

What is the minimum take off speed (i.e. the smallest speed at which the aircraft generates
enough lift to take-off)? Provide your answer in miles per hour.

Now consider take-off of this aircraft at an elevation of 5,000 ft. Will the minimum take-off
speed at this elevation be larger or smaller than the minimum take-off speed at sea level?
Explain your answer.
4. Aircraft Aerodynamics and Flight Modes (20 points)

Consider a Cessna 350 Corvalis single engine airplane with a gross weight of 3400 lbf,
flying at an airspeed of 191 knots (or 322 ft/sec). Flying straight and level, its engine is
producing 310 HP. Assume the propeller is 100% efficient and ignore changes in weight
due to fuel consumption. The air density is 0.076 lbm/ft3 and the wing planform area
is 141 ft2.

a) What is the lift?

b) What is the lift-to-drag ratio?

The linear portion of the lift coefficient (𝐶𝐿 ) curve for the aircraft is defined by the
following:

o Zero lift angle of attack is -2.5 degrees

o Lift slope is 2𝜋 per radian

Assuming the airplane is flying straight and level,

c) What is the lift coefficient?
d) What is the angle of attack?

The pilot makes a coordinated turn with a 25 degree bank angle at constant speed and
altitude.

e) What is the ratio of lift (𝐿) to aircraft weight (𝑊)? (i.e., how many “g’s” does the
aircraft pull?)

The engine quits and the airplane goes into a constant speed glide at an angle of 6.0
degrees.

f) What are the lift and drag forces?

g) What is the lift-to-drag ratio?
h) Show that in a steady state glide the vertical components of lift and drag sum to the
weight of the aircraft.
 5. Wind Tunnel Scaling (20 points)

Consider a small aircraft flying at an altitude with the following characteristics:

V∞ full = 10 m/sec
ρ∞ full = 0.500 kg/m3
T∞ full = 233 0K

Assume that the air behaves as a calorically perfect, ideal gas, with gas constant 𝑅 =
287 J/kg-K and ratio of specific heats 𝛾 = 𝐶𝑝 ⁄𝐶𝑣 = 1.4. (That is, 𝑝 = 𝜌𝑅𝑇. ) Further,
assume that the dependence of air viscosity on temperature is such that

𝜇1 𝑇1
=√
𝜇2 𝑇2

Where 𝜇1 = 𝜇(𝑇1 ) and 𝜇2 = 𝜇(𝑇2 ) are the viscosities of air at temperatures 𝑇1 and 𝑇2 .

a) Compute the freestream pressure (𝑝∞ ) for the full scale aircraft
b) Compute the aircraft’s Mach number. [speed of sound, a = √𝛾𝑅𝑇 ]

A group wants to perform wind tunnel tests on a 1/5-scale model of the aircraft. That is, the
lengths of the model and full-scale aircraft are related by,

1
𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 = 𝑙
5 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙

They are considering using a cryogenic tunnel for these tests which has a pressure in the
test section of 𝑝∞ model = 1 x 105 Pascals. The air temperature in the cryogenic tunnel
can be adjusted by cooling the air in the tunnel. At which conditions should the wind
tunnel tests be performed in order to ensure the flow represents the full size problem?
Specifically, determine the following quantities:
c) Air density in the tunnel, ρ∞ model, in kg/m3
d) Air temperature, T∞ model, in degrees K
e) Tunnel velocity, V∞ model, in m/sec
f) If the drag measured on the model at the cruise angle of attack is 100 N. What is
the drag (in N) for the full-scale aircraft at the cruise angle of attack?
[Hint: there are 4 unknowns for the wind tunnel conditions: the air density, temperature,
velocity and viscosity. These values can be determined using the four equations available:
matching the flight Mach number and Reynolds number, the ideal gas equation of state, and
knowing the relationship between viscosity and temperature.]
6. Maximum Lift to Drag Ratio (10 points)

The figure above presents the maximum thrust versus maximum takeoff weight for a
wide range of twin engine business jets. Planes in the ‘very light jet’ category appear on
the lower left, and the 737 business jet data appears at the upper right.
Assuming the planes can take off with one engine out, what is the maximum lift-to-drag
ratio for these aircraft?

Assume that the takeoff roll is horizontal and that adequate lift is generated to begin
accelerating vertically. Also, assume that the aircraft has negligible acceleration at
takeoff—that is, nearly constant speed.
7. Sensitivity of Payload to Efficiency (20 points)

Consider a commercial transport aircraft with the following properties.

Winitial 400,000 kg
Wfuel 175,000 kg
ηo 0.32
L/D 17
QR 42 MJ/kg
g 9.81 m/sec2

Applying the Breguet range equation, we calculated previously that the range of the aircraft is
13,400 kilometers, neglecting the fuel required for takeoff, landing and reserve. Suppose that
the overall efficiency (propulsion plus aerodynamic) is 1% lower than that given above. That is,
the revised product of 𝜂0 and 𝐿⁄𝐷 is (0.99)(5.44). This might happen for example if the design
predictions were in error by 1%. Or, as the engine is used, its efficiency tends to decrease
overtime due to wear.
One way to estimate the magnitude of this impact is to determine the required decrease in
initial weight (keeping the same amount of fuel) in order to maintain the same cruise range at
this decreased values of 𝜂0 and/or 𝐿⁄𝐷. For a commercial transport aircraft, this decrease in
initial weight would translate to fewer passengers for this cruise range.

Assume that the average weight for a passenger (including baggage) is 100 kg. For 𝜂0 (𝐿⁄𝐷) =
(0.99)(5.44)], how many fewer passengers can fly while still maintaining the original cruise
range?

Note: round your answer upward since it is not possible to take a fraction of a passenger! Also,
if you round any intermediate steps, be careful not to lose too much precision or your answer is
likely to be incorrect.