Sample Courses

AER302 – Aircraft Flight

The course consists of two sections of approximately equal length which relate to different aspects of flight mechanics. The overall objective is to introduce the students to the physical description of how aircraft fly and the resulting performance of the aircraft. The first section deals with classical aircraft performance and treats steady-state flight scenarios with a primary interest in predicting the flight path of the aircraft's center of gravity. The second section deals with aircraft stability and control. Taken as a whole, the course teaches students how to predict the dynamic and steady state behavior of rigid fixed-wing aircraft under a range of flight conditions. It constitutes the underlying theory behind the development of aircraft control systems, the prediction of aircraft performance and stability during the design process and the flight mechanics required in order to plan and carry out aircraft flight tests.

AER307 – Aerodynamics

A first course in aerodynamics covering the following topics: a review of fundamentals of fluid dynamics, potential-flow, Euler, and Navier-Stokes equations; incompressible flow over airfoils, incompressible flow over finite wings; compressibility effects; subsonic compressible flow over airfoils; supersonic flow; viscous flow; laminar and turbulent boundary layers; and unsteady aerodynamics.

AER406 – Aircraft Design

This course involves the detailed preliminary design of an airplane. Performance and mission specification are given, as well as the engine's characteristics. The class is divided into teams of three to four students who are guided to develop an airplane that can meet these specifications. Individual team members will specialize in areas such as performance, structure, systems, etc. – all team members should be conversant with each other's results and methodology. Each week, a representative of each team presents a progress lecture on that team's efforts, which is discussed and critiqued by the class. Also, the teams meet one-on-one with the professor and tutors to discuss specific design questions. At the end of the course each team will present a verbal and written report of sufficient detail to provide a compelling case for the feasibility of their proposed airplane.

AER407 – Space Systems Design

This course will introduce students to the basics of designing a space system. The main purpose of the course is to provide an introduction to the classic top-down design methodology. It is very hands on, being largely taught by experienced engineers from MDA Space Missions and Dynacon Inc. The class will be divided into teams that will work together to design all aspects of the proposed space system. Ideally, each group will contain six people with each person responsible for one of the following areas: Operations, Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Control and Software. Classes will consist of lectures, followed by workshops culminating in the Preliminary Design Review and the Final Report. The idea behind the course is to introduce the students to basics of real-world engineering design. The PDR is often the first major milestone in the development of a space system. Projects in past years have included lunar rovers, satellite servicing, repair of the Hubble space telescope using robotics and exploration of a lavatube on Mars.

AER506 – Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Planar

This course covers: "central force" motion; elliptical orbits; energy and the major diameter; speed in terms of position; angular momentum and the conic parameter; and Kepler's laws. Course material studied in relation to: the solar system; Earth satellites; launch sequence; attaining orbit; plane changes; reaching final orbit; and simple theory of satellite lifetime.