Transportation
Aviation Design Software
There is an urgent need to help revive an ailing domestic general aviation
industry in the United States. That imperative is receiving increased attention
by NASA.
To this end, by way of a Langley Research Center Phase I Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, DARcorporation of Lawrence, Kansas
has made the art of designing a general aviation aircraft far easier and
less expensive.
Today's elite corps of aircraft manufacturers utilize powerful computers
capable of running expensive Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. But
the majority of small General Aviation manufacturers cannot afford these
investments. Rather, small firms design on paper or with computers utilizing
self-generated programs on spreadsheets.
DARcorporation has developed a General Aviation CAD package. This affordable,
user-friendly preliminary design system for General Aviation aircraft runs
on the popular 486 IBM-compatible personal computers. The system gives
the design engineer the tools to briskly evolve an aircraft configuration
from weight sizing and wing loading to stability and control surface requirements,
among a host of parameters.
A Phase II SBIR contract was awarded by NASA to the company, resulting
in a commercial product that the firm is now marketing. Individuals who
are taking the home-built approach, small manufacturers of General Aviation
airplanes, as well as students and others interested in the design and
analysis of aircraft are possible users of the package.
DARcorporation's General Aviation Computer Aided Design (G.A.-CAD) package
can reduce design and development time by 50 percent, replacing tedious
hand calculations. Typically, design cycle times of two to four years are
required to fully conceive a General Aviation aircraft. G.A.-CAD can reduce
this time period by half, notes William Anemaat, Vice President of DARcorporation.
| DARcorporation's General Aviation Computer
Aided Design (G.A.-CAD) package can cut in half the design and development
time of a general aviation aircraft. NASA SBIR funding helped bring the
software to the computer screen. |
The G.A.-CAD enables a user to analyze an existing design, make small
changes to one part of the aircraft, and then rapidly determine the effect
of the modification to all other aspects of the plane design. All applicable
performance and flying quality regulations are embedded in the program.
This gives the designer an immediate judgment as to whether or not the
design meets air worthiness regulations. Such a feature, therefore, benefits
those manufacturers with little experience in obtaining General Aviation
aircraft certification.
Engineering Systems, Inc. (ESI) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, is using
the DARcorporation's software for aircraft analysis. A small consulting
firm in simulator development and a broad spectrum of other engineering
disciplines, ESI used the software in the development of an aerodynamic
model of the Airbus A320 jet transport for a training device. "We
are pleased with the program and have found that the initial cost was quickly
repaid in reduced labor costs," said ESI's Director of Aeronautical
Engineering, Dr. David L. Kohlman.
Modeled after DARcorporation's work on Advanced Aircraft Analysis (AAA)
software, the G.A.-CAD package features ten discrete modules: weight, performance,
geometry, aerodynamics, thrust/power, stability and control, dynamics,
loads, structures, and cost. These features improve product design. More
alternative designs can be evaluated in the same time span, which can lead
to improved quality.
By using the cost module, various expenses in airplane design programs
can be computed. Research and development, manufacturing, prototype, and
direct and indirect operating costs can be estimated using this module.
G.A.-CAD incorporates a user-interface based on the Microsoft Windows
® operating system, making the software package highly user-friendly.
Having the software package at various General Aviation manufacturing
sites, DARcorporation expects to see significant improvement of competitiveness,
and should bolster the chances of success for newly established companies.
® Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporatione
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