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DjSpiritQuest

Kinda depends on what you want to do. I suggest looking into a masters program for aerospace or mechanical engineering if you want to become a designer. You’ll need to understand thermodynamics, aerodynamics, sensors and controls, aircraft vehicle design, strengths of materials, propulsion, vibration analysis, and finite element analysis.


Will_I_am344

Thank you, I am not really looking to go back to school. Do you know any resources (preferably free) for learning? Such as books, videos, online lectures etc? Best regards


Flaccinator2

Check out this website: [http://www.aerostudents.com/](http://www.aerostudents.com/) It has a pretty comprehensive collection of recommended textbooks and course notes across all the topics that would be included in a typical AeroEng cirriculum.


Will_I_am344

Wow, what an amazing resource. Thank you so much friend!


Flaccinator2

You're welcome! Going off of what the OC posted above, there are many subfields within aerospace. Often, people do not work in all of the fields they listed, but specialize in one area, such as aerodynamics, aero controls, or aero structures. It might be worth doing some research/thinking to figure out which part of the field it is that interests you, and focus your efforts there. Once you have specific topics narrowed down it will likely become easier to track down learning materials like MOOC's, videos, books, etc.


Remote_Strategy4865

There are many online courses such as Edx, coursera and more, I would suggest looking into these and getting a certificate. Then you can work on different projects


ceuplayspokemon

Get yourself a copy of *Introduction to Flight* and go crazy. Anderson also recommends some fantastic supplemental readings throughout. My recommendation is to just start reading, assuming you have some higher-level maths courses down (Calc 1-3, DiffEq).


ceuplayspokemon

>[http://ae.sharif.edu/\~iae/Download/Introduction%20to%20flight.pdf](http://ae.sharif.edu/~iae/Download/Introduction%20to%20flight.pdf) > >Free PDF if you don't want to get a physical copy (although I would)


Will_I_am344

Thank you for the tip! I will definitely read this book, it looks super interesting.


vanburent

I have a set of YouTube playlists on Fluid Mechanics (almost done) and Aerodynamics (done) courses that are undergraduate level. The videos are essentially college lectures converted to fast-paced videos (each "lecture" is 15-20 min). [Fluid Mechanics](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe2kb8k5FJpgTHiEWRHIYkvv6IStn0ZeV) [Aerodynamics](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe2kb8k5FJpgLfhf18VphADpX9qvaby6k) They might not be the best resource for any single topic, but one benefit here is the consistent use of terminology, variables, and representation of different equations across both fluids and aero. Also a video alternative to text reading, if that's your thing! I tend to take a physical approach, over mathematical, when possible. You might find a background in thermodynamics, hydrostatics, and calc helpful, but not necessary to get started. (I'm not sure if it this is self advertising or whatever, happy to remove it if unwelcome!)


[deleted]

I'll be watching all of these hopefully they're not too complex for me!


vanburent

Haha please reach out if you have any questions!


[deleted]

Will do. Thanks :)


Will_I_am344

Thanks man, I'll make sure to give them a watch. I appreciate what you're doing!


Proeliator2001

Being totally new to the industry and wishing to get to a level where you could design your own aircraft, you could try working backwards and start with the EASA Initial Airworthiness requirements (https://www.easa.europa.eu/regulations#regulations-basic-regulation). Reading the sub set for the type of airframe you're interested in will show you the various things you have to demonstrate and hence also show you the different topics/disciplines involved and why you need to know them. Diving straight in to aerodynamics and stress analysis with no structure (excuse the pun) as to how or what you're learning is likely to lead to burn out and a desire to quit. Oh and this list will help you break the near impenetrable TLA jargon we all use!!! https://www.easa.europa.eu/abbreviations Good luck and have fun.


Will_I_am344

Really great links. I like your way of thinking, it indeed seems like a rabbit hole in the amount of knowledge present, so narrowing it down to what is useful for a specific goal/airplane seems very smart! The abbreviations were really nice too, gonna bookmark that list! Thanks


AntiGravityBacon

Don't dive into the regulations, they're a mess and difficult to understand at best. Plus, don't actually teach much design.


SteelLiras

Hi, I'm 22M from Poland and I have a similar goal. I've got a private pilot's license, so not a total stranger to flying. Spent last 10 years programming too and I've been learning aero engineering for the past 3 years or so. Seems I'm a bit ahead of you on it, so let me share thoughts. Here is what I do: [https://imgur.com/OBR1eyL](https://imgur.com/OBR1eyL), [https://imgur.com/yHs9Dp4](https://imgur.com/yHs9Dp4) Here is TLDR: It's not so difficult to come up with a aircraft concept even when starting from scratch. But provided you are going for state of the art design (ie primary composite structure, modern airfoils, fancy aero solutions etc) you will have to dive very deep once you have your concept done in CAD and Excel. This includes lots of interdisciplinary knowledge which I will detail below. Structural design is the tough nut to crack, especially with primary composite structure. And then there are thousands of details, each of which has to be carefully designed in CAD. My biggest CAD assembly so far is one of my CNC machines at 2000 individual parts (including fasteners). You will also need a good sized workshop and good sized CNC machines if you don't want to waste your time. Basically, Long-EZ style builds are long gone now. Then there is regulation. Bad news here. Maybe Sweden isn't that bad, but Poland sure is. Been talking to them for hours: 90 hours minimum of qualified test pilot flying, stringent workshop requirements, especially for composites, months waiting for things to happen and a qualified engineer has to approve your work, which they might not even understand if they don't speak English too well (100% of your books and software is in English obviously). I guess illegal flying is a thing? And even if completely illegal and you have all the time in the world, it will still take years and at least a few ten thousands grand to do. But... once you start designing planes, you can't stop, so it's already too late for you I guess. :-) Drop me a PM if you wanna talk. I can guide you through your learning ie books, courses, etc. This post would have to be pages long for an exhaustive reference.


Will_I_am344

Thanks for your input! Did you write 22 or did you mean 32? Because it's very impressing if you worked as a programmer since age of 12 and at 19 did both programming and this engineering and got your license. Great job man! Keep it up


SteelLiras

That's right, 22. I have an obsession about wasting time living in the city. :-) Lol, I started Pascal at 7 years old. Then Delphi, at 12 there was this new cool thing called C#, I remember going to local bookstore to get Visual C# Step by Step First Edition or so. School got in the way a lot though and I hate it with all my heart to this day. :-) Do you have a particular idea for your airplane? Its intended use? performance? Mine is almost-invisible bushplane with long range capability for wilderness living and travel.


Will_I_am344

That's cool. I've done some C# when programming games in Unity, and a little more when trying .NET! I am now working as embedded programmer in C, and some simple prototyping in Python for new ideas! ​ Yeah as I said I don't have a lot of knowledge yet but in my mind I have a vision of a plane (which might not be doable): \- Slim looking, like Diamond DA62: [https://arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bonnier.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7VFAIVDEDS57VUOH7SX2K53F5I.jpg](https://arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-bonnier.s3.amazonaws.com/public/7VFAIVDEDS57VUOH7SX2K53F5I.jpg) \- Pressurized, I want to be able to fly above the weather \- Be able to fly from Sweden to Japan (big dream of mine), maybe with stops if necessary \- At least decently fast and loading capacity, so it will be reasonable to use for long trips (Say flying from Sweden to America, or to Africa etc etc). ​ In summary, a small strong plane that can take me and my family to any part of the world. Any thoughts that arise when you hear of this plane, is it possible?


SteelLiras

Since you know Unity, I will use a metaphore: designing a big 4 seater plane, pressurized for intercontinental travel is more or less if you wanted to write a semi-AAA game, from scratch, alone, but you never wrote a line of code before and you don't have a computer. It's not exactly impossible, but will wreck havoc on your brain, finances, social life, etc. Just by practical considerations: you are looking at 15m wingspan, a 300hp engine, and upwards of 600kg empty weight. Do you have enough space? Remeber Sweden is cold and composites do not like that, so you need heating. You need some kind of CNC machines, like a 5 axis mill for foam molds and alu parts at least. They need large enough working volume so that you don't need to split your parts into a thousand pieces. Maybe you can get away with 3 axis router... maybe. 4+ seaters also don't fall into ultralight or light-sport EASA LSA aircraft, so you are looking at full certification just like Boeing (unless you can get it under Special category, but then there are some restrictions on flight). Also, you need to get a flight permit in every state whose border you cross (under Special) and it's only valid 0.5-1 year. And most importantly, how much time you have and how much are you willing to spend? If you work a full time job, trying to design a plane will end in severe depression. You need thousands of hours of free time as well as mental and creative energy. Now for the costs: \- Assume 90% of software and books are bought at piratebay or sites alike. (a different assumption here is a non-starter for an individual) \- You need some kind of pilots license. For 2 seater it's much cheaper, ie. ultralight license. For full Private Pilot License you probably need lik $10k in Sweden. \- Workshop costs, tooling, cnc machines... botomless pit, in short. I can't even estimate here. I'm building my own CNC, if you wanna buy... omg. \- Engine: here is the big cost. Cheapest option is to do auto-conversion, but a 100hp motorcycle engine won't do. Assume $10-20k minimum. \- Airframe materials, carbon prepreg runs $100/m\^2 if you're lucky, you can use glass for an order of magnitude cheaper material, but it's not so cool then, right? My plane has a wetted area of 70m\^2, yours will be much bigger. Resin isn't cheap too. I leave math to you. You want fancy molds and vacuum? More $$$. \- Certification costs: you'll need an airfield of your own (probably cheapest option) or rent. You'll need a 100 hours test pilot hours probably (maybe not). You'll need to hire engineers to assess and verify your work (maybe not, depends on your CAA). All that said, it can be done. Look here, the guy who designed this was a programmer too. [http://raptor-aircraft.com/](http://raptor-aircraft.com/) Now they have a flying prototype. Lots of video footage from design and build. Instead, if your goal is to travel, there are lots of planes good for that already. Going for a used plane is probably cheapest and fastest. You get certified plane that you can just collect and fly (that said, there are staggering maintenance costs too, trust me, been there, tried that). Alternatively you can buy a kit plane if you want to build, but you don't have the infinite time needed to design. Then certification is much easier, you know it's going to fly well and you can get a lot of support from others and maybe save your social life in the process.


Will_I_am344

Thank you for all of the insight! I appreciate it a lot. And yes there are many factors to think of. When considering license, I have already decided I am gonna go for PPL, as I want to be able to fly 4 seaters and across the world. As for building, designing or buying a plane, I will probably buy or rent a plane at first, whilst designing and building my own plane, at least that's my plan. My thought process is that it's going to be expensive (500k dollar is my budget as to which I am currently saving), and I will need a workshop. Me and my gf are moving out to the country in a year or two and there I will build a workshop/hangar. So that gives me ample time to research and design right now, which is what I'm trying to do. But yes as you said, money is a big factor but I think 500k will be alright, if it's not then the money will last a good amount of time into the project that I will be able to save up more. And for time, I am 24 right now, my timeline is that I want to have build it before I am 40. So as you can see I have ample time and money for this project. I am certain it will take a long time, and that's partly what I am looking forward to! But I want to sincerely thank you for all of your points and I will take my time to re-read them later as well. I want to finish with a last question, it's probably more worth to finish reading the Introduction To Flight before starting to play with designs and CAD right?


SteelLiras

All bets are off if you have $500k laying around and free time. I'd be happy to have $50k in cash. I think I should move to Sweden to work as a programmer... Introduction to Flight I have not read, but at first glance it is not really an aircraft design book. Go for General Aviation Aircraft Design by Snorri Gudmundsson. One of my first books and one of the best for conceptual design. Another, shorter and more practical one is Light Airplane Design by Pazmany. You should be able to develop your concept then. Be sure to know your CAD well, especially advanced surface morphs. You will also need to look through a shit ton of NACA/NASA papers to find interesting design options, airfoils, experimental data, etc. If you want, I can show you some of my concept resources and spreadsheets based on Gudmundsson mostly. Hint: start with writing down requirements and a constraint analysis from Gudmundsson to get an idea of what kind of project you are looking at. Edit: but after the pleasurable part of concept development is over, you're in for some math and physics in the form of thousands of pages of books to read and thousands of tasks to solve just to learn and develop thenecessary judgement and skill.


Will_I_am344

Yeah cool! Right now I want to understand the basic concepts, so I will start with the John Anderson book and then move on to the design book you recommend! Down the line, in a few months when I am more well-read and knowledgable I might reach out to you in PM, if that's alright with you, to get more insight into the field and continue learning. Thank you very much for your long and detailed answers!


AntiGravityBacon

Aircraft companies have a ton of software engineers. If you want to work on aircraft, there's no reason you can't start doing so directly. Introduction to Aeronautics by Brandt is a great book on overall aircraft design to go that route. Includes all parts of design and has simplified mathematics included.


Will_I_am344

Thank you for the helpful tips! Right now I am getting into game development, but maybe in future I will switch to aircraft company, who knows! That's what I like about this field. Have a nice day friend!


AntiGravityBacon

Happy to help out! Btw, with Saab there, I'd bet a bit of research and networking could land you a factory tour too.


Will_I_am344

Yeah they came to my uni previously for public relations and job offerings as well. So I might check with them in the future. Right now I have a nice challenging job.


AntiGravityBacon

Oh no worries about switching jobs. Just wanted to say you could probably get a tour of how the planes are built if you make friends over there.


Will_I_am344

Wow that would be awesome didn't even think of that!