Abstract
The Washington University Aerospace Design Software (WUADS) is a Python-based conceptual aircraft design software for the analysis of subsonic commercial aircrafts. This study presents modifications to WUADS furthering the design and analysis for general aviation (GA) aircrafts. The updates include user-specified fuselage shapes and wing configurations to account for general aviation drag changes. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, Beechcraft Bonanza G36, Cessna-208 Grand Caravan and the Pilatus PC-12 were modeled to validate the new framework. All calculated weights were within a 4% error, and all range estimations were within a 5% error. Given growing concerns over carbon emissions, with aviation accounting for roughly 2–3% of the global carbon footprint, a method was designed for modeling a retrofitted hydrogen fuel cell engine in a Cessna-208 aircraft using zero-emission to assess feasibility and range.
Document Type
Article
Class Name
Electrical and Systems Engineering Undergraduate Research
Language
English (en)
Date of Submission
4-28-2026
Recommended Citation
Igic, Natasha C.; Kiely, Mike; and Agarwal, Ramesh K., "Modifications to WUADS General Aviation Analysis and Hydrogen Configurations" (2026). Electrical and Systems Engineering Undergraduate and Graduate Research. 58.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/eseundergraduate_research/58