Outline

Overview

This unit of study aims to provide familiarity and understanding with practical aircraft design processes expected in industry, including the evaluation and case studies of existing aircraft designs. Students will gain a better understanding of relevant issues particularly related to the design of aircraft with a level of confidence to lead them to develop new designs or modifications, having a good balance between theory and real-world applications. Good familiarity with unique and stringent international aviation regulations and certification processes will be expected with respect to the design of aircraft. Topics covered by the lectures will include aircraft specifications; aircraft selection and evaluation; aircraft configuration design; design considerations for aerodynamics, structures, systems, manufacture, testing, certification, life-cycle-cost, operations; the use of computational aircraft design tools, and introduction to multidisciplinary design optimisation methods. Projects will be based on case study analyses and evaluation of aircraft types to operational specifications and requirements.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	[(AERO3260 or AERO8260 or AERO9260) and (AERO3460 or AERO8460 or AERO9460) and (AERO3560 OR AERO8560 or AERO9560)] or equivalent study at another institution
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	AERO4491
Assumed knowledge ?	Undergraduate level 1, 2 and 3 or Foundation Masters units in Aerospace Design are expected to have been completed before undertaking this unit
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	KC Wong, kc.wong@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	KC Wong, kc.wong@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Project viva voce Regular presentation of individual design progress.	15%	Multiple weeks	~ 5 hours combined
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Preliminary Design Review Report and presentation on PDR of sub-system design.	15%	Week 08 Due date: 20 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 24 Sep 2023	~5p/student with associated appendices
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Design demonstration Demonstration of aircraft design prototype	10%	Week 12 Due date: 25 Oct 2023 at 14:00 Closing date: 25 Oct 2023	~ 3 hours total
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project report Aircraft Design project report.	50%	Week 13 Due date: 05 Nov 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 05 Nov 2023	~20p/student with associated appendices
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Design presentation In class Presentation of Design	10%	Week 13 Due date: 01 Nov 2023 at 14:00 Closing date: 01 Nov 2023	~ 3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

More detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas. The whole semester project is team-based. Individual assessment tasks will also have a significant impact on the progress of the team.

All assessment tasks involve:

close interaction with the design team to ensure overall aims of tasks are achieved on schedule;
significant and tangible design work progress to meet milestones set by teh collective team;
regular individual presentations of design work;
written reports need to be of high standard typically expected of professional design engineers; and
be prepared to present the work to industry representatives.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Standard Late Penalties will apply, but any late completion and/or submission of work need to be negotiated with other team members to minimise impact on overall progress of design project.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Multiple weeks	No Description	Independent study (85 hr)
Week 01	Overview of aircraft design and Project Definition	Lecture and tutorial (5 hr)
Week 02	Aircraft design types and technologies; Project work	Lecture and tutorial (5 hr)
Week 03	Aircraft systems; Project Work	Lecture and tutorial (5 hr)
Week 04	Challenges for future aircraft design - unique designs; Project Work	Lecture and tutorial (5 hr)
Week 05	Challenges for future aircraft design; Project Work	Lecture and tutorial (5 hr)
Week 06	Design Project	Project (5 hr)
Week 07	Design project	Project (5 hr)
Week 08	Design project	Project (5 hr)
Week 09	Design project	Project (5 hr)
Week 10	Design project - prototype manufacture and testing	Studio (5 hr)
Week 11	Design project - prototype manufacture and testing	Studio (5 hr)
Week 12	Design project - prototype evaluation and testing	Studio (5 hr)
Week 13	Design project - prototype evaluation and testing	Studio (5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Synchronous class attendance is essential – ongoing progressive assessment in class.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. interact with colleagues in managing workflow when creating design database
LO2. appreciate professional, ethical, and regulatory responsibilities consistent with industry practice
LO3. create a design database from commonly available resources
LO4. utilise diverse media to communicate design decisions
LO5. undertake investigations and formulation of problems, and potential airframe solutions in meeting complex and challenging requirements
LO6. design aircraft to meet given requirements
LO7. conduct analyses on the impact of design variations to flight performance of aircraft.
LO8. Use digital tools for design geometry, analyses, evaluation, and prototype component manufacturing

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No significant changes from previous years. Hands-on experiential learning activities include the prototyping and testing of the designed product.

Additional information

Hardware prototypes would be expected to be developed and demonstrated.

Additional costs

Travel to the field work site if required and possible.

Site visit guidelines

If health restrictions permit and subject to staffing and venue availability, the class shall undertake some field work to experience UAV Flight Operations and to flight test the final design prototype. Students will need to travel to the site via shared cars or public transport,

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

AERO5400: Advanced Aircraft Design Analysis

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect