Aircraft Stability and Control OpenCourseWare: A Free Online Grad-Level Aerodynamics Course by MIT

Published Feb 26, 2009

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'Aircraft Stability and Control' studies the static and dynamic analysis of aircraft control, key stability derivatives and state space control methods. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers this free OpenCourseWare to graduate students seeking degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics. This course will also examine aircraft control quality throughout various flight conditions.

Aircraft Stability and Control: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Graduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
Yes Yes No

Aircraft Stability and Control: Course Description

This course begins by examining the ability of an aircraft to return to a balanced state after being disrupted. Static stability deals with the initial tendency of an aircraft to return to equilibrium and dynamic stability measures the amount of time it takes. Professor Jonathan P. How also examines aircraft dynamics. Students will learn how to approximate aircraft motion using balance between kinetic and potential energies. This class examines different aircraft frames and how the axes of an aircraft affect control. In addition, this course studies equations of motion. Disruptions in the atmosphere, such as winds and gusts, can have a profound influence on the stability of an aircraft. 'Aircraft Stability and Control' is presented in lecture format.

Lectures, study materials, suggested readings and assignments are available online for free for this course.

If you would like to take advantage of this free course, visit the aeronautics and astronautics and aircraft stability and control course page.

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