Technical Areas of Consideration
Teams should consider their design and performance in light of today's advanced technologies available to general aviation, other vehicles such as cars or boats, and any technology used in other devices that can be adapted for use in your aircraft. The aircraft design should be in keeping with teaching “Best Practices” and the easiest transitions to more advanced aircraft in a professional aviation career.
We will now go through each system of the next-generation training aircraft to identify areas which may allow advanced design research and incorporation to best create pilot situational awareness, crew resource management, and operation within the largest flight envelope, focusing on safety of flight. It is important to note that the NTSB and the FAA both report that historically aircraft accidents in general statistically result from 20% mechanical failure and 80% pilot error. Focusing on the largest cause of aviation accidents would best advance safety of flight for the future.
A perfect design of aircraft would have no single point of failure with any system in the aircraft, thereby allowing the aircraft to return safely to an airport from any portion of flight. While current generations of light aircraft have gone to ballistic parachutes to save the crew and passengers, the aircraft normally results in a total loss. Perhaps your team can generate a hybrid aircraft with redundant power systems such as a “Jet A” fueled engine with multi high Kw driven electrical generator system powering electric ducted fans, and an emergency backup hybrid low-weight, high-output electric battery to drive the aircraft's propulsion system should the main powerplant fail? Or, a parachute system similar to sport parachutes which allows steering and flared landing into a clear landing area, saving the crew and aircraft.
Cockpit, Avionics and passenger compartment suggestions:
Powerplants, propulsion systems, thrust and fuel considerations:
This will be one of the most critical decisions your Team makes during the challenge, as it will define many of the required aircraft design characteristics.
Legacy and modern training aircraft both have relied upon a limited number of aircraft engine manufacturers, which face exactly the certification and liability issues as aircraft manufacturers. These factors also serve to drive up initial acquisition, delayed deliveries, and overall costs, including maintenance and overhaul on an FAA-mandated time or hour schedule. The current availability of legacy engines with the same basic designs of the 1950s has improved in materials and manufacturing process, but the antiquated nature of their operations greatly impacts safety of flight, engine performance (turbocharged, optimum fuel burns, reduced power output), pilot workloads, and increased opportunities of shortened engine life or catastrophic failure.
Since the early 1990s, 100% of US manufactured automobile engines have been delivered with Electronic Fuel Controls (EFCs). Originally designed to meet higher mpg’s, the EFC constantly adjusts every car engine's fuel injectors by the millisecond! The EFC constantly controls fuel injection amounts based on acceleration, deceleration, density altitude, fuel type, energy management, cylinder performance, and more with ZERO intervention by the operator (pilot). FADEC will do the same for existing aircraft engines today. Not only will aircraft/engine performance and mpg increase, but the resultant engine failure rate will greatly decrease due to pilot mismanagement of the manual mixture control.
The reliance on 1950s-era hydromechanical fuel-injection systems- think the big RED Mixture Knob- across modern piston aircraft—like the Cessna 172S and Cirrus SR20—creates critical vulnerabilities in performance, safety, and pilot workload. Because these engines distribute fuel uniformly via a single cockpit control rather than dynamically balancing individual cylinders, structural airflow imbalances force uneven cylinder head temperatures (CHTs) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs), ultimately sacrificing optimal fuel economy and risking thermal exceedances that accelerate engine wear. This lack of computer automation transforms the pilot into a manual engine controller who must constantly monitor gauges and adjust mixtures to mitigate these imbalances, a demanding interface requirement that dangerously diverts their attention during high-stress instrument flight rules (IFR), convective weather, or emergency operations. Without a modern automated engine management system (FADEC), a failure, such as the mechanical engine-driven fuel pump, instantly escalates into a high-workload crisis. The highest deficiency in aircraft engines is the extremely limited availability of FADEC engines, and those that are available come at a very high premium price, and/or have not been “Certified” for your aircraft.
Not restricted by the FAA certification process, the Vans RV-10 community has had many successful powerplant options incorporated. The Vans RV-10, with near Cirrus SR22 performance, has an almost identical accident rate as a Cessna 172, with over 1,047 RV-10s flying today.
FUEL
AVGAS: If you are studying aviation today, you will know the battle of availability and price of 100LL avgas, the lobbying against it, and its limited yet high price. It would not be a judge's #1 choice, as it sooner, rather than later, will not be available or scarce.
ELECTRIC: Electrical thrust generation is today a hot topic, but a designer must think in a realistic way on how to use electrical storage for a professional pilot training aircraft. Weight, since the time of the Wright Brothers, has and will always be a controlling factor in aircraft design, performance, and return on investment. Thinking as a Flight School Operator, or a pilot on a long cross-country, the ground turnaround time is critical. The current infrastructure lacks an abundance of “Superchargers” on ramps, the ramp space to charge multiple aircraft at once, the long charging time and range (Our baseline 2026 Cessna 172 has 5-6.4hr endurance with a 640nm range). The battery weight and extended recharging time would make it difficult to train 4-6 students a day based on time and turnarounds keep the schools flight business solvent. Battery technology today holds 60X LESS energy by weight than Jet-A.
JET-A: Jet-A/Jet-A1 (kerosene) energy per pound, and volume is the absolute best optimal balance among traditional aviation fuels.
HYDROGEN: Hydrogen has 3X the energy by weight over Jet-A, but 4X the volume and advanced storage problems. In keeping with the challenge, the technology is not viable today.
THRUST: Propellers, Ducted Fans, Pure Jet, Turboprops
Teams need to understand the realities of flight training and the dynamics of aircraft propulsion systems at all pilot skill levels. While it would be a large paradigm shift, the fact is that jets are the easiest aircraft to fly.
This will be a learning point, not necessarily trying to influence your selection, but the tractor-style propeller is dated and limited by length, bite, torque, weight, and most importantly, RPM. The Cessna 172 prop is 76 inches, and the POH indicates a max RPM of 2700, creating a tip speed of Mach 0.8. At a cruise speed of approx. 120 knots and 3,310 rpm, the prop tips are Mach 1.0. At this rpm, the props create massive drag, severe thrust loss, violent flutter, deafening noise, and finally catastrophic fatigue and failure. Aeronautical and powerplant engineers have used reduction gearing to reduce tip speeds on larger props, but gearing adds a major failure mode to the equation of safety. Reductions in prop diameter can handle much higher rpm’s, but also can have reduced thrust even with 3, 4 or 6 blades on a single shaft. Ducting a propeller can increase thrust by approximately 10%, with the ducting reducing “tip loss” and prop airflow disruption. By adding a second propeller that is counter-rotating directly in line with the first propeller inside the ducted area, the airflow once again becomes straight line with little airflow disruption. It is possible to do this on a common shaft, or independent electrical drives. Electrical drives also have the advantage of changing the polarity of the electrical input, like a ceiling fan, to change the direction of rotation. The ducting and intake areas (similar to drone prop rings) can add to compression of airflow like a jet engine compressor section, and further add thrust by the venturi effect. Ducted fans increase in efficiency and thrust output as airspeed increases, while simple propellers lose thrust once airborne. Another advantage of ducted fans is that the props are not exposed to someone accidentally walking into the prop. A disadvantage of smaller diameter or ducted props is that their static thrust and torque factor for acceleration at takeoff are substantially reduced. Where and how to mount your selected form of thrust for flight is also influenced by interference from aircraft structures such as aircraft frontal area, dynamic airflow over wing or fuselage areas, front mount, rear mount, or even clear mount on top of the wing centerline. A.I. and an experienced aeronautical engineer or powerplant engineer can help you to better understand the trade-offs. Aerodynamics is a science with many absolutes and trade-offs in your design.
Regarding your design, aircraft systems, and performance, we want to take a moment to introduce you to the meritocracy of flight training of the “Zero to Hero” found in military flight training. This would apply to a fresh college graduate with ZERO flight time.
The stark contrast between military and civilian pilot development highlights a profound deficit in meritocracy, where civilian training remains deeply bound to legacy aircraft out of a misplaced fear that old-school stick-and-rudder platforms develop the best aviators. The evidence, however, lies in the military’s superior safety record and unrivaled efficiency: a college graduate with zero aviation experience can undergo a 10-to-15-hour aeronautical adaptability screening (including first solo), transition seamlessly to a high-performance turboprop trainer, the T-6 Texan, with 10 hours of Cessna 172 screening. This program has minimal foundational hours, and still leads to safely flying a fifth-generation F-35 fighter with just 240 hours of total flight time. All F-35s are single-seat; there are no two-seat training aircraft. This writer soloed the F-14 Tomcat in 1975 with 270 hours total time, first twin-engine jet training flight at 32 hours, and first twin-engine jet solo at 59 hours, which included aerobatics. This rapid safe progression proves that pilot proficiency is not built on decades of logging hours in antiquated airframes, or achieving 1,000 hours and a restricted ATP. A CFI flying Cessna 172s in the local area or on canned VFR cross-countries does not develop advanced pilot skills such as IFR, low visibility approaches, adverse weather conditions, icing, or high altitude ATC operation. This style of basic flight training on a strict meritocratic system powered by high-fidelity simulation, total immersion, and modern curriculum design. Relegating twenty-first-century airline prospects to basic, low-technology civilian training is the professional equivalent of educating modern medical students exclusively on vintage X-ray machines while entirely withholding exposure to MRIs, CAT scans, and robotic surgical equipment. Ultimately, the future of aviation safety and skill acquisition depends on embracing a rigorous, technology-driven standard that mirrors the military’s immersive flight training model over outdated Congressional/FAA mandated outdated civilian conventions. This is further reinforced when you see football players at all levels doing twice-a-day preseason and daily practices or games 6 days a week.
The judges meet, fly, teach, mentor, and coach pilots in all aspects of flight, flight training, aeronautics, and engineering in all fields. While the norm for taking the Private Pilot Practical Test until the 1980s was 40-45 hours total time. Today, despite all of the advancements in avionics and situational awareness provided by advanced cockpits and applications such as Foreflight, the norm is 50-70 hours total time, with some students well over 100 hours, or pilot development is delayed by in school FAA approved syllabus that don’t permit the lower-hour PP practical.
Airframe, Aerodynamics, Speeds (takeoff, en-route, and landing/stall), Useful Loads, and Landing Gear.
Using X-Plane and studying airframe and aerodynamic offsets will be greatly influenced by your powerplant selections and proposed incorporation of the engine into your design.
To meet the no single point of failure option, a hybrid form of design might best suit your needs for your aircraft. Perhaps a direct-drive engine to your thrust generation, with low weight high energy small backup battery to drive your propulsion for a limited time to a safe landing at an airport. Or, an engine that runs on Jet-A driving multiple high output generators powering electric ducted fan systems, with a battery backup. This is where your Team's design and innovation will excel. Will your powerplant be air-cooled, or liquid-cooled? Where will it be mounted? Will you have a gravity-fed fuel system and single-point refueling, or internal tanks and pumps? How will you control your flight control surfaces? Cables and pulleys, direct linkage, or fly-by-wire with dual-sourced redundant electric actuators at the ailerons, rudder/s, and horizontal tail structure? Will you consider a split horizontal tail system allowing differential roll along the longitudinal axis/? What types of flaps or slats will you use? What airfoil design best meets your performance and useful load goals? Do you generate enough electrical power for an anti-ice heating system on the airfoil?
Will you incorporate automotive safety features, such as sonic sensors, LIDAR ranging, high-definition 360-degree camera with A.I. interpretation software that can scan a single pixel at 5 miles and see movement across the pixels of other aircraft moving in your flight path? Will your sensors end the low wing/high wing midair collision hazard (#2 in the 80% of pilot error accidents), inflight and in the airport traffic area? This has become standard equipment on automotive vehicles to prevent collisions and avoid road hazards (cost less than $200 per car)?
Landing Gear
Landing and Takeoff are two of the most critical areas of the 80% pilot error accidents.
The Navy NEVER flares; it can kill you or severely damage the aircraft in the carrier environment. Pull the nose up to flair, and the hook point goes lower, enabling the aircraft to engage a wire while still airborne; this can drive the landing gear through the fuselage. Lower your nose, and the hook point moves up, failing to make an arrested landing. That is why flying Angle of Attack (AOA is THE safest form of known, perfect Lift/Drag approach and landing speeds. For safety, it should be taught over airspeed. AOA always presents the perfect landing speed for weight and winds with no pilot calculations. Carrier approaches are 4 degree glide paths (the ship is moving forward, so it equates to a 3 ½ degree glide path. NORMAL touchdown VSI is 800’ per minute with no flair. The F/A-18 has trailing link landing gear; it doesn't bounce like the strutted spring gear of many GA aircraft. Trailing link aircraft are the easiest to land. When you design your gear, look at modeling after similar gear, or like the Ford Raptor Truck off the assembly line that runs the Baja 1000, jumping dirt hills, or motocross bikes, advanced shock absorbers, especially in a single or double link configuration, can greatly reduce damage or accidents in the runway environment.
BONUS if you have read this far.
During the preparation of the Loening Challenge, the Judges spent a great deal of time discussing the latest available technologies and safety advances that can be easily and inexpensively migrated from other vehicles, especially automotive, to increase pilot and passenger safety and performance. While discussing ducted fan thrust options, the downside of initial takeoff acceleration was an issue.
One solution was recommended. Why can’t we replace the landing gear brakes with electric wheel motors for initial takeoff acceleration? So we asked the automotive guru. “Easy”, he said, about 25 lbs per wheel, and as a bonus the airplane will have automatic antiskid and autobraking on landing, a great help on wet or icy runways. What type of acceleration, we asked, since the ducted fans outperform standard props above 60 knots…..his answer, “depends on the motor and electrical supply, but zero to 50 knots should be under 8 seconds, and less than 400 feet”.
This gentleman and Loening, judged as a student, pilot, and automotive engineer, headed The Ohio State Electric Vehicle Land Speed Record Team that raised over a million dollars, and the totally student-built car, professionally driven, with a cockpit designed with the help of the Indy Racing Teams, was designed to survive a 200mph crash. They won with a World EV car speed record of 341.4 mph!
YOU CAN DO THIS! MAKE GROVER LOENING PROUD!
Economics
Feasibility/Practical Use
Will it fly as designed? How has the overall experience for the pilot improved
Presentations Must Include
We will now go through each system of the next-generation training aircraft to identify areas which may allow advanced design research and incorporation to best create pilot situational awareness, crew resource management, and operation within the largest flight envelope, focusing on safety of flight. It is important to note that the NTSB and the FAA both report that historically aircraft accidents in general statistically result from 20% mechanical failure and 80% pilot error. Focusing on the largest cause of aviation accidents would best advance safety of flight for the future.
A perfect design of aircraft would have no single point of failure with any system in the aircraft, thereby allowing the aircraft to return safely to an airport from any portion of flight. While current generations of light aircraft have gone to ballistic parachutes to save the crew and passengers, the aircraft normally results in a total loss. Perhaps your team can generate a hybrid aircraft with redundant power systems such as a “Jet A” fueled engine with multi high Kw driven electrical generator system powering electric ducted fans, and an emergency backup hybrid low-weight, high-output electric battery to drive the aircraft's propulsion system should the main powerplant fail? Or, a parachute system similar to sport parachutes which allows steering and flared landing into a clear landing area, saving the crew and aircraft.
Cockpit, Avionics and passenger compartment suggestions:
- Design a cockpit with a similar crash survivability as a modern automobile, to include crush zones, fire-retardant materials, all-compartment airbags, and an advanced automatic restraint system, along with easy-access cargo compartments enhancing weight and balance distribution.
- Make the compartment as easy to access as a normal entry into a car, with room enough for the crew and passengers (2026 and beyond pilot size and weight considerations) to comfortably fly for long periods. Consider a self-contained relief system.
- Design a cockpit layout which as closely as possible resembles in ergonomics and pilot/copilot layout a modern advanced cockpit. This would include a pedestal with FMC, communications, navigation systems, single lever power plant thrust lever, automated fuel control such as FADEC, auto-pilot controls for altitude, heading and speed (FCP), convenient and easy to reach systems switches such as lights, starters, flaps, pumps, warning systems, etc.
- Advanced large flat screen digital presentations, which include synthetic vision, HUD, Angle of Attack (AOA), IR vision, voice-activated - radio frequency changes, route of flight changes, navigation entry features
- A.I. Cognitive Cockpit - A voice interactive copilot/CRM/emergency procedures/checklists, and CFI-like back-up pilot non-flying interface. Since the beginning of flight, instruments and avionics have been telling pilots where they are; their airspeed, heading, distance, glide path, localizer, flight path, and that is even more advanced today with a full glass layout. Any deviations are presented visually or numerically to the pilot. Some systems have computer-generated voice information, such as height above touchdown, or warning sounds, such as fire lights or autopilot disconnect. A.I. now allows for pilot deviations from the “NULL” or perfect approach glide path, localizer, airspeed, flight path, course, drift, crosswind, etc. to be converted from a visual presentation on instruments (which is actually a quantum amount of deviation) into a voice command similar to a CFI or Copilot in CRM call-outs to monitor and provide voice information (“approaching a left turn to the localizer”, “localizer alive”, “we’re 200’ high, VSI holding at 500 down”, “drifting right of the centerline”, “10 knots fast”, etc.). This A.I. capability has been proven in inexpensive training/software applications which augment preflight training, or early flight instruction, replacing a human CFI in early familiarization (Liberty University). This is a simple improvement which Garmin or Dynon engineers could easily convert number-driven algorithms displayed in visual deviations into standardized FAA CFI/Co-pilot call outs giving every pilot a free CRM partner. Keep this in mind when you realize that the number ONE cause of aviation accidents is loss of controlled flight; having a “free” copilot (pilot not flying, i.e. PNF) to back you up is proven in the Sterile cockpit, CRM safety records of the major airlines.
- The 4th “C” is Computers. Modern aviation will continue to immerse itself in computer interface and nonverbal command, control, and communications. Modern airlines rely on CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) and ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting Systems) to communicate with each aircraft globally, and it is normal to make a trans-oceanic flight without ever verbally speaking with a controller from departure to arrival. Historically, this has been out of reach due to physical equipment size and extremely high equipment and conductivity costs. With the advent of the LOE, Low Earth Orbit “STARLINK” system for an acquisition cost of less than $400 and a monthly fee of as little as $50, the entire realm of high-speed internet connectivity is now available and being used by some in general aviation. What does this bring to the table for your aircraft design? With social media, cell phone communications on demand, data transfer rates in the 200 Mbps and soon reaching 1 Gbps speeds, the situational awareness of the pilot, the controllers, and real-time 3-D weather presentations are a reality. Imagine the controller sending you a text-style clearance, route changes, altitude changes, or traffic advisories which appear in your FMC text box in Yellow; a simple button push to accept and comply enters it verbatim in your flight plan or FCP altitude assignment; it changes to Green when you accept and comply. No stepped-on radio calls, no waiting while others communicate on crowded frequencies, a moving map follows your taxi route as simple as following Google Maps. Weather and winds en route presented in 3-D full color without radar, showing cloud heights, weather intensity, lightning, rain, ceilings, storm width and recommended routes to avoid turbulence or severe weather. Likewise every aircraft airborne is now a flying weather station, knowing constantly on your digital GPS and pitot static systems, temperatures, precipitation, humidity, winds aloft uplinked to the FAA and NOAA, while likewise down linked to your aircraft continuously so you might with the assist of your A.I. copilot accessing the information received for most economical and fastest cruising altitudes or routes of flight to avoid turbulence or severe weather. The 4th “C” builds pilot situational awareness, while constantly updating your exact position and altitude every millisecond. It makes ADSB outdated, provides for real-time aircraft positioning to controllers, and allows A.I. to do "predictive flight paths” to you and controllers for real-time speed and heading assignments for arrivals, departures, and en route. This is in use today, and advanced Data Link C4 is what has allowed the US Forces total Air Superiority on today's battlefield.
Powerplants, propulsion systems, thrust and fuel considerations:
This will be one of the most critical decisions your Team makes during the challenge, as it will define many of the required aircraft design characteristics.
Legacy and modern training aircraft both have relied upon a limited number of aircraft engine manufacturers, which face exactly the certification and liability issues as aircraft manufacturers. These factors also serve to drive up initial acquisition, delayed deliveries, and overall costs, including maintenance and overhaul on an FAA-mandated time or hour schedule. The current availability of legacy engines with the same basic designs of the 1950s has improved in materials and manufacturing process, but the antiquated nature of their operations greatly impacts safety of flight, engine performance (turbocharged, optimum fuel burns, reduced power output), pilot workloads, and increased opportunities of shortened engine life or catastrophic failure.
Since the early 1990s, 100% of US manufactured automobile engines have been delivered with Electronic Fuel Controls (EFCs). Originally designed to meet higher mpg’s, the EFC constantly adjusts every car engine's fuel injectors by the millisecond! The EFC constantly controls fuel injection amounts based on acceleration, deceleration, density altitude, fuel type, energy management, cylinder performance, and more with ZERO intervention by the operator (pilot). FADEC will do the same for existing aircraft engines today. Not only will aircraft/engine performance and mpg increase, but the resultant engine failure rate will greatly decrease due to pilot mismanagement of the manual mixture control.
The reliance on 1950s-era hydromechanical fuel-injection systems- think the big RED Mixture Knob- across modern piston aircraft—like the Cessna 172S and Cirrus SR20—creates critical vulnerabilities in performance, safety, and pilot workload. Because these engines distribute fuel uniformly via a single cockpit control rather than dynamically balancing individual cylinders, structural airflow imbalances force uneven cylinder head temperatures (CHTs) and exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs), ultimately sacrificing optimal fuel economy and risking thermal exceedances that accelerate engine wear. This lack of computer automation transforms the pilot into a manual engine controller who must constantly monitor gauges and adjust mixtures to mitigate these imbalances, a demanding interface requirement that dangerously diverts their attention during high-stress instrument flight rules (IFR), convective weather, or emergency operations. Without a modern automated engine management system (FADEC), a failure, such as the mechanical engine-driven fuel pump, instantly escalates into a high-workload crisis. The highest deficiency in aircraft engines is the extremely limited availability of FADEC engines, and those that are available come at a very high premium price, and/or have not been “Certified” for your aircraft.
Not restricted by the FAA certification process, the Vans RV-10 community has had many successful powerplant options incorporated. The Vans RV-10, with near Cirrus SR22 performance, has an almost identical accident rate as a Cessna 172, with over 1,047 RV-10s flying today.
FUEL
AVGAS: If you are studying aviation today, you will know the battle of availability and price of 100LL avgas, the lobbying against it, and its limited yet high price. It would not be a judge's #1 choice, as it sooner, rather than later, will not be available or scarce.
ELECTRIC: Electrical thrust generation is today a hot topic, but a designer must think in a realistic way on how to use electrical storage for a professional pilot training aircraft. Weight, since the time of the Wright Brothers, has and will always be a controlling factor in aircraft design, performance, and return on investment. Thinking as a Flight School Operator, or a pilot on a long cross-country, the ground turnaround time is critical. The current infrastructure lacks an abundance of “Superchargers” on ramps, the ramp space to charge multiple aircraft at once, the long charging time and range (Our baseline 2026 Cessna 172 has 5-6.4hr endurance with a 640nm range). The battery weight and extended recharging time would make it difficult to train 4-6 students a day based on time and turnarounds keep the schools flight business solvent. Battery technology today holds 60X LESS energy by weight than Jet-A.
JET-A: Jet-A/Jet-A1 (kerosene) energy per pound, and volume is the absolute best optimal balance among traditional aviation fuels.
HYDROGEN: Hydrogen has 3X the energy by weight over Jet-A, but 4X the volume and advanced storage problems. In keeping with the challenge, the technology is not viable today.
THRUST: Propellers, Ducted Fans, Pure Jet, Turboprops
Teams need to understand the realities of flight training and the dynamics of aircraft propulsion systems at all pilot skill levels. While it would be a large paradigm shift, the fact is that jets are the easiest aircraft to fly.
This will be a learning point, not necessarily trying to influence your selection, but the tractor-style propeller is dated and limited by length, bite, torque, weight, and most importantly, RPM. The Cessna 172 prop is 76 inches, and the POH indicates a max RPM of 2700, creating a tip speed of Mach 0.8. At a cruise speed of approx. 120 knots and 3,310 rpm, the prop tips are Mach 1.0. At this rpm, the props create massive drag, severe thrust loss, violent flutter, deafening noise, and finally catastrophic fatigue and failure. Aeronautical and powerplant engineers have used reduction gearing to reduce tip speeds on larger props, but gearing adds a major failure mode to the equation of safety. Reductions in prop diameter can handle much higher rpm’s, but also can have reduced thrust even with 3, 4 or 6 blades on a single shaft. Ducting a propeller can increase thrust by approximately 10%, with the ducting reducing “tip loss” and prop airflow disruption. By adding a second propeller that is counter-rotating directly in line with the first propeller inside the ducted area, the airflow once again becomes straight line with little airflow disruption. It is possible to do this on a common shaft, or independent electrical drives. Electrical drives also have the advantage of changing the polarity of the electrical input, like a ceiling fan, to change the direction of rotation. The ducting and intake areas (similar to drone prop rings) can add to compression of airflow like a jet engine compressor section, and further add thrust by the venturi effect. Ducted fans increase in efficiency and thrust output as airspeed increases, while simple propellers lose thrust once airborne. Another advantage of ducted fans is that the props are not exposed to someone accidentally walking into the prop. A disadvantage of smaller diameter or ducted props is that their static thrust and torque factor for acceleration at takeoff are substantially reduced. Where and how to mount your selected form of thrust for flight is also influenced by interference from aircraft structures such as aircraft frontal area, dynamic airflow over wing or fuselage areas, front mount, rear mount, or even clear mount on top of the wing centerline. A.I. and an experienced aeronautical engineer or powerplant engineer can help you to better understand the trade-offs. Aerodynamics is a science with many absolutes and trade-offs in your design.
Regarding your design, aircraft systems, and performance, we want to take a moment to introduce you to the meritocracy of flight training of the “Zero to Hero” found in military flight training. This would apply to a fresh college graduate with ZERO flight time.
The stark contrast between military and civilian pilot development highlights a profound deficit in meritocracy, where civilian training remains deeply bound to legacy aircraft out of a misplaced fear that old-school stick-and-rudder platforms develop the best aviators. The evidence, however, lies in the military’s superior safety record and unrivaled efficiency: a college graduate with zero aviation experience can undergo a 10-to-15-hour aeronautical adaptability screening (including first solo), transition seamlessly to a high-performance turboprop trainer, the T-6 Texan, with 10 hours of Cessna 172 screening. This program has minimal foundational hours, and still leads to safely flying a fifth-generation F-35 fighter with just 240 hours of total flight time. All F-35s are single-seat; there are no two-seat training aircraft. This writer soloed the F-14 Tomcat in 1975 with 270 hours total time, first twin-engine jet training flight at 32 hours, and first twin-engine jet solo at 59 hours, which included aerobatics. This rapid safe progression proves that pilot proficiency is not built on decades of logging hours in antiquated airframes, or achieving 1,000 hours and a restricted ATP. A CFI flying Cessna 172s in the local area or on canned VFR cross-countries does not develop advanced pilot skills such as IFR, low visibility approaches, adverse weather conditions, icing, or high altitude ATC operation. This style of basic flight training on a strict meritocratic system powered by high-fidelity simulation, total immersion, and modern curriculum design. Relegating twenty-first-century airline prospects to basic, low-technology civilian training is the professional equivalent of educating modern medical students exclusively on vintage X-ray machines while entirely withholding exposure to MRIs, CAT scans, and robotic surgical equipment. Ultimately, the future of aviation safety and skill acquisition depends on embracing a rigorous, technology-driven standard that mirrors the military’s immersive flight training model over outdated Congressional/FAA mandated outdated civilian conventions. This is further reinforced when you see football players at all levels doing twice-a-day preseason and daily practices or games 6 days a week.
The judges meet, fly, teach, mentor, and coach pilots in all aspects of flight, flight training, aeronautics, and engineering in all fields. While the norm for taking the Private Pilot Practical Test until the 1980s was 40-45 hours total time. Today, despite all of the advancements in avionics and situational awareness provided by advanced cockpits and applications such as Foreflight, the norm is 50-70 hours total time, with some students well over 100 hours, or pilot development is delayed by in school FAA approved syllabus that don’t permit the lower-hour PP practical.
Airframe, Aerodynamics, Speeds (takeoff, en-route, and landing/stall), Useful Loads, and Landing Gear.
Using X-Plane and studying airframe and aerodynamic offsets will be greatly influenced by your powerplant selections and proposed incorporation of the engine into your design.
To meet the no single point of failure option, a hybrid form of design might best suit your needs for your aircraft. Perhaps a direct-drive engine to your thrust generation, with low weight high energy small backup battery to drive your propulsion for a limited time to a safe landing at an airport. Or, an engine that runs on Jet-A driving multiple high output generators powering electric ducted fan systems, with a battery backup. This is where your Team's design and innovation will excel. Will your powerplant be air-cooled, or liquid-cooled? Where will it be mounted? Will you have a gravity-fed fuel system and single-point refueling, or internal tanks and pumps? How will you control your flight control surfaces? Cables and pulleys, direct linkage, or fly-by-wire with dual-sourced redundant electric actuators at the ailerons, rudder/s, and horizontal tail structure? Will you consider a split horizontal tail system allowing differential roll along the longitudinal axis/? What types of flaps or slats will you use? What airfoil design best meets your performance and useful load goals? Do you generate enough electrical power for an anti-ice heating system on the airfoil?
Will you incorporate automotive safety features, such as sonic sensors, LIDAR ranging, high-definition 360-degree camera with A.I. interpretation software that can scan a single pixel at 5 miles and see movement across the pixels of other aircraft moving in your flight path? Will your sensors end the low wing/high wing midair collision hazard (#2 in the 80% of pilot error accidents), inflight and in the airport traffic area? This has become standard equipment on automotive vehicles to prevent collisions and avoid road hazards (cost less than $200 per car)?
Landing Gear
Landing and Takeoff are two of the most critical areas of the 80% pilot error accidents.
The Navy NEVER flares; it can kill you or severely damage the aircraft in the carrier environment. Pull the nose up to flair, and the hook point goes lower, enabling the aircraft to engage a wire while still airborne; this can drive the landing gear through the fuselage. Lower your nose, and the hook point moves up, failing to make an arrested landing. That is why flying Angle of Attack (AOA is THE safest form of known, perfect Lift/Drag approach and landing speeds. For safety, it should be taught over airspeed. AOA always presents the perfect landing speed for weight and winds with no pilot calculations. Carrier approaches are 4 degree glide paths (the ship is moving forward, so it equates to a 3 ½ degree glide path. NORMAL touchdown VSI is 800’ per minute with no flair. The F/A-18 has trailing link landing gear; it doesn't bounce like the strutted spring gear of many GA aircraft. Trailing link aircraft are the easiest to land. When you design your gear, look at modeling after similar gear, or like the Ford Raptor Truck off the assembly line that runs the Baja 1000, jumping dirt hills, or motocross bikes, advanced shock absorbers, especially in a single or double link configuration, can greatly reduce damage or accidents in the runway environment.
BONUS if you have read this far.
During the preparation of the Loening Challenge, the Judges spent a great deal of time discussing the latest available technologies and safety advances that can be easily and inexpensively migrated from other vehicles, especially automotive, to increase pilot and passenger safety and performance. While discussing ducted fan thrust options, the downside of initial takeoff acceleration was an issue.
One solution was recommended. Why can’t we replace the landing gear brakes with electric wheel motors for initial takeoff acceleration? So we asked the automotive guru. “Easy”, he said, about 25 lbs per wheel, and as a bonus the airplane will have automatic antiskid and autobraking on landing, a great help on wet or icy runways. What type of acceleration, we asked, since the ducted fans outperform standard props above 60 knots…..his answer, “depends on the motor and electrical supply, but zero to 50 knots should be under 8 seconds, and less than 400 feet”.
This gentleman and Loening, judged as a student, pilot, and automotive engineer, headed The Ohio State Electric Vehicle Land Speed Record Team that raised over a million dollars, and the totally student-built car, professionally driven, with a cockpit designed with the help of the Indy Racing Teams, was designed to survive a 200mph crash. They won with a World EV car speed record of 341.4 mph!
YOU CAN DO THIS! MAKE GROVER LOENING PROUD!
Economics
- How are you going to build it, what materials and manufacturing process?
- Can you scale up to assembly line manufacturing?
- What are your estimated build costs?
- What will be your MSRP?
- Who would you like to partner with? Elon Musk? Palmer Lucky? A Hedge Fund?
- What have you done to lower FAA annual costs? How do you handle maintenance access to critical parts and structure? Will you install Tire Pressure Sensors like on your car ($50) and no longer guess by looking at the tires?
Feasibility/Practical Use
Will it fly as designed? How has the overall experience for the pilot improved
Presentations Must Include
- A PowerPoint Presentation that best fits your project ~ remembering you will have a maximum of 30 minutes at the symposium to present, including any Q and A time.
- X-Plane model should show feasibility: fuel efficiency, fuel type, glide distance, range, and standard performance specifications similar to today's sales brochures.
- Poster for public display if you wish
- A Design Selection Report (DSR): This is a “WHY” breakdown of how your Team selected your design tradeoffs, flight performance and characteristics, innovative systems, and “How” your design will enhance Flight Safety while reducing pilot error and mechanical accidents, and greatly reducing accident injuries via modern crash survivability
- Weight & Balance Table: A mandatory spreadsheet showing the CG (Center of Gravity) envelope.
- CAD/Technical Drawings: At least a 3-view drawing with major dimensions (wingspan, length, height).