Implementation and evaluation of models for correcting estimated theoretical performance of general aviation aircraft

• Grant number: 24/21098-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Pereira Gouveia da Silva
• Grantee: Larissa Viana de Faria
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental São João da Boa Vista. São João da Boa Vista , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The conceptual design of an aircraft requires an iterative process of configuration definition, performance estimation based on this geometry, and verification of compliance with design requirements related to performance. This process is subject to inherent estimation errors, and subsequently, the actual performance of the designed aircraft must be measured in flight tests for airworthiness certification and for the preparation of the performance manual. Reducing the error in this initial estimation enables a design process with less reengineering, as the predictions made early in the conceptual design phase will have minimal deviations from the final outcome. In this work, three aerodynamic estimation techniques based on aircraft geometry will be comparatively evaluated: semiempirical methods, based on experimental data, and computational methods based on potential flow (VLM and 3D panel methods). For this evaluation, general aviation aircraft will be used, for which geometry and actual performance data can be obtained from the literature and manufacturer data. The aircraft will undergo the initial design processes, and the theoretically estimated performance using the three distinct techniques for drag polar modeling will be compared with the actual performance of these aircraft, aiming to derive correction factors to reduce the discrepancy between estimated and measured performance.