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Unit of study_
AERO1400: Intro to Aircraft Construction and Design
2025 unit information
The study towards BE(Aeronautical) involves learning about the Design, Analysis, Flight, and Operation of Aircraft and other Flight Platforms. This unit facilitates the training towards becoming professional aeronautical engineers through a globally-unique experiential-learning opportunity to provide a strong background familiarity with aircraft hardware. This unit is designed to educate and facilitate the learning of aircraft design, basic aircraft construction techniques, the operation of light aircraft and the registration and regulations relating to light aircraft. In addition to hands-on skills on the construction phase, this unit facilitates learning in motivations for unique aircraft design, aircraft aerodynamics, flight mechanics, structural aspects and other design-related issues. Teamwork plays a very important role in this unit; the ability to work with peers and supervising staff is an invaluable skill sought after by employers of engineers. Throughout the semester, students will be actively participating in the construction of a light aircraft, and of aircraft structural components. The aircraft is to be constructed under current Australian Civil Aviation Regulations so that students will gain an insight into all aspects of the process. By being a part of the construction team, students will also experience the organisational requirements necessary to successfully complete a complex engineering project. The aircraft construction workshop component is complemented with lectures, homework, research and assignments to further enhance the learning experience on aircraft. The final outcome will be that students gain a good foundation of: aircraft design and analyses methods; innovative methods of construction; techniques for selecting, sizing and stressing components; regulatory requirements for certification; off-design requirements; construction tolerances; and team-work requirements in undertaking complex engineering projects.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Some basic skills with engineering workshop hand tools is desirable |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. use information resources, including technical research papers, to understand the aircraft design process
- LO2. create presentations for assignment submissions and to discuss and present information obtained via homework tasks
- LO3. Familiarity of aircraft components - maintain a clear record of practical work completed through freehand sketches and descriptions in a logbook
- LO4. work as a team member to complete the progressive assembly of an aircraft and components
- LO5. Follow guidance to complete the given practical tasks on schedule
- LO6. understand aviation regulations which promote the safe design, manufacture, and operation of aircraft
- LO7. understand the concepts of aircraft configuration and its influence on flight performance
- LO8. demonstrate familiarity with aircraft design and construction through hands-on construction experience of aircraft components.
- LO9. use digital tools and resources to create, analyse, and fabricate aircraft design geometry
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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