Aerodynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aerodynamics - Essay Example the main topic, the Vortilon, a simple stall prevention device that was developed based on shared experience and is now freely integrated with all new aircraft entering the intensely price and performance-sensitive market. In today’s cutthroat competition between airlines, only those airlines operating the entire gamut of air and ground operations at optimum efficiency will survive. The principal contributor to an airline’s bottom line is the quality of aircraft it operates. The same competition exists between the manufacturers as well, with an identical base criterion, i.e., the quality of aircraft they produce. Essentially, the governing factor is the maximum number of passengers that can be flown the longest distance in one trip with the minimum consumption of expensive aviation fuel in each category of aircraft─ short, medium, long and ultra-long range. â€Å"Every Kg. of basic aircraft weight saved is a million dollars saved over a life span of twenty-five years,† according to Dr. Kota Harinarayan, Project Director, LCA, India, my mentor in aerodynamics (1986) (n.p.). Designing an aircraft and sections thereof take millions of man-hours from the drawing board to first flight to fully operational status. Aircraft have to be sleek and light, its surfaces as smooth as a baby’s skin, no unwanted drag creating protrusions, etc. Everything is centered about minimum weight, minimum drag and optimal use of CAD/CAM in the field of aerodynamics to extract maximum lift at minimum engine thrust in flight, with highest passenger density. Any aerodynamic innovation is most welcome. I do not propose to look at ground operations like ticketing, loading, salaries, etc. That leaves only the aircraft. Here, there are two factors to be considered, the engine and the airframe. Since this Paper is specifically aimed at an aerodynamic concept, I will discuss engines only in brief. NASA (2008) describes four propulsion systems: The Propeller, the Ramjet, the Rocket and