Abstract

The Washington University Aerospace Design Software (WUADS) is a Python-based conceptual aircraft design software for the analysis of subsonic commercial aircrafts. This paper presents modifications to WUADS enabling the design and analysis for general aviation (GA) aircrafts. The updates include revised weight estimation methods as well as a modified method for estimating the performance of piston propeller and turbo-prop engines. For the weight estimation, the average of the GA versions of the Raymer, and NASA FLOPS methods were implemented for each component. Weight analysis accuracy was measured by comparing the gross takeoff weight calculated by WUADS to published data. Engine performance was measured based on two metrics: thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC), and maximum thrust. TSFC was calculated using the aircraft’s speed, engine efficiency, engine horsepower and fuel consumption rate. To evaluate the engine output calculations, the estimated aircraft range was compared to published design ranges. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Piper PA-28-161 Warrior II, and the Beechcraft Bonanza G36 were modeled using WUADS and used to validate this modified framework for GA piston powered aircrafts. The calculated weight for the Cessna aircraft was within 0.4% of the published weight, and the range was within 1.9% of the design range. The Piper Warrior weight was within 1.3% of its published weight, and its range was within 3.6%. The calculated weight for the Beechcraft was within 0.7% of its published value, and the range was within 5.6%. The Cessna-208 Grand Caravan and Pilatus PC-12 were used to validate the turb-prop methods. The calculated weight for the Cessna-208 was within 1.9% of the published weight, and the range was within 0.7% of the design range. The Pilatus weight was within 0.5% of its published weight, and its range was within 7.9%. Given growing concerns over carbon emissions, with aviation accounting for roughly 2–3% of the global carbon footprint, a method was designed for modeling the Cessna-208 aircraft using zero-emission hydrogen fuel alongside traditional kerosene-based fuel to assess feasibility and range [2]. Preliminary results for the hydrogen configurations are being improved upon.

Document Type

Final Report

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Author's Department

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Class Name

Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences Independent Study

Language

English (en)

Date of Submission

12-19-2025

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