An Advanced Program in Rotorcraft Design Education

The paper describes the conduct of and results from a three-year design program undertaken at Arizona State University. The study emphasized the design, at the undergraduate level, of military and civil high-speed rotorcraft concepts, sized to meet the requirements of NASA’s “Technology Needs for High-Speed Rotorcraft” program. Details concerning the conceptual design and performance of the six vehicles included in the study are presented. Also discussed are the limitations to student design projects and the role of industry in developing effective academic design programs.