Aerodynamic Analysis and Design of a Twin Engine Commuter Aircraft

The present paper deals with the preliminary design of a general aviation Commuter 11 seat aircraft. The Commuter aircraft market is today characterized by very few new models and the majority of aircraft in operation belonging to this category are older than 35 years. Tecnam Aircraft Industries and the Department of Aerospace Engineering (DIAS) of the University of Naples "Federico II" are deeply involved in the design of a new commuter aircraft that should be introduced in this market with very good opportunities of success. This paper aims to provide some guidelines on the conception of a new twin-engine commuter aircraft with eleven passengers. Aircraft configuration and cabin layouts choices are shown, also compared to the main competitors. The research activity also deals with the aerodynamic design that has been performed at DIAS during 2011 and it was focused on a general aerodynamic analysis and a deep investigation on some particular effects (such as the wing-fuselage interference or the nacelle lift contribution and their effect on wing span loading). The aerodynamic analysis was also essential to have an accurate estimation of aircraft stability and control derivatives (both longitudinal and lateral-directional) and to lead to a right sizing of tail surfaces. The aerodynamic analysis have been carried out through the use of a 3-D panel code internally developed and the aerodynamic analysis performed through 3-D panel code calculations have been also supported by semi-empirical estimation methodologies. Design of winglets to improve climb performance will be presented.