Expert: Paul Soderman - 10/24/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sir,
I am soon entering into my final year of my polytechnic course of study. I am currently studying Aeronautical Engineering. I am having some troubles deciding on what Final Year Project (FYP) I should do. I am considering three fields. 1. a hybrid UAV, 2. something along the line of VTOL, and 3. light weight aviation, where it is light and yet fuel efficient.
We have a year to complete our FYP, but the exact time alocation we are given is about 6-8months depending on our time table.
Thank You,
Caroline

ANSWER: Caroline - They all sound like interesting projects to me.  VTOL is difficult to design because of the stability problems during transition to horizontal flight, but there are many research papers on the subject.  Light weight aviation sounds like regular aviation, that is - all aircraft are designed to be as light as possible to achieve the mission.  The UAV might be challenging, different, and the most interesting.  But it is really your decision.  Good luck.
Paul

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sir.
Thank You Sir for your reply and advises.
I have decided on making a hybrid UAV, where it has retractable wings. I will like to ask if there is any books that you can recommend for me to read up on this field. And also some advises on how I should go about to do my research.
Thank You,
Caroline

Answer
Caroline - I have not seen a book on this subject, but if you do a google search on 'aircraft with retractable wings' you will see many examples of folding or retractable wings.  It is a common problem for hybrid aircraft/automobiles.  And the Navy has been using folding wings on aircraft carriers for years. The challenge is to design a mechanism that is reliable, not too heavy or too complex.  That is hard to do.  It is often easier to design a wing that can be removed and attached by people.  Home-built kits (such as Lancair in Redmond Oregon) often have that capability so people can store aircraft in their garage.  Good luck.
Paul