PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How to calculate top speed of an aircraft
Old 29th Oct 2015, 11:41
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Genghis the Engineer
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I spent 2 years of maths and physics at school to get into university, then 3 years doing my undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering - and could work this out. Not from the minimum amount of information provided, but from a more complete data set certainly.

To do so reasonably accurately would take me a while, and if I was preparing for the flight test programme on this little single seater described by the OP I'd do so, of course.

Basically

(1) Estimate the zero lift drag coefficient; I'd do that from ESDA data sheets and a drawing of the aeroplane.

(2) Estimate the oswald span efficiency factor, ditto + aerofoil data. That'll give me Cdi with AoA.

(3) Work out the approximate powerplant propulsive efficiency. I've not done that in 20+ years, but IIRC how to do that is well explained in this book 9780471078852: Introduction to Aircraft Performance, Selection and Design - AbeBooks - Hale, Francis J.: 0471078859

(4) Work out a drag polar at this mass

(5) Work out a thrust polar at this altitude and full power

(6) Co-incide the two, where the lines cross is Vh, or maximum achievable speed in level flight.


And don't forget to account for CAS/TAS variations with altitude, and engine power with density.


Ultimately however, Piperboy is right - you'll still want to go and fly it and see what really happens, as the above is only an estimate.

But it isn't one of those things that lend itself to a simple prescriptive "here's the order to do the sums".

But, there's nothing wrong with self education. Here's the order I'd go through the books.

Amazon Amazon

Amazon Amazon

Amazon Amazon

Stinton is a superb book (and he was a superb man), but actually if you want an introduction to the very basics of aircraft configuration design, I'd start with this.

Amazon Amazon

Then progress to Stinton (which I still think is better than Raymer's more advanced books, but Raymer's initial book is a brilliant explanation of the general process).

However, these last two are design books, not necessarily essential for understanding performance of an existing design.


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