Aircraft Design (SI-7/2025)

Dear Colleagues,

Aircraft design is, as we know, the first fascinating step in the life of an aircraft, where visions are converted into reality.

In a practical sense, aircraft design supplies the geometrical description of the aircraft. Traditionally, the output is a three-view drawing and a list of aircraft parameters. Today, the output may also be an electronic 3D model. In the case of civil aircraft, a fuselage cross-section and a cabin layout are provided in addition.

In an abstract sense, aircraft design determines the design parameters that meet the requirements and constraints and that optimize the design objectives. The fundamental requirements for civil aviation are payload and range. Many constraints come from certification rules demanding safety. The objectives are often of a financial nature, such as achieving the lowest operating costs. Aircraft design always strives for the best compromise among conflicting issues.

The design synthesis of an aircraft goes from the conceptual design to the detailed design. Frequently, expert knowledge is needed more than computing power. The typical work involves statistics, the application of inverse methods, and the use of optimization algorithms. Proposed designs are analyzed with respect to aerodynamics (drag), structure (mass), performance, stability and control, and aeroelasticity, to name but a few. A modern aircraft is a complex, computer-controlled combination of its structure, engines, and systems. Passengers demand high comfort at low fares, society demands environmentally friendly aircraft, and investors demand a profitable asset.

Overall aircraft design (OAD) comprises all aircraft types in civil and military use and considers all major aircraft components (wing, fuselage, tail, and undercarriage), as well as the integration of engines and systems. The aircraft is seen as part of the air transport system and beyond, contributing to multimodal transport. Aircraft design applies the different aerospace sciences and considers the aircraft during its whole life cycle. Authors from all economic sectors (private, public, civic, and general public) are invited to submit papers to this Special Issue (SI). Education and training in aircraft design are considered as important as research in the field.

This SI can be a home for those active in the European Workshop on Aircraft Design Education (EWADE) or the Symposium on Collaboration in Aircraft Design (SCAD), both independent activities under the CEAS Technical Committee Aircraft Design (TCAD). Please see http://AircraftDesign.org and http://journal.AircraftDesign.org for details. Prof. em. Egbert Torenbeek served as an Honorary Guest Editor for the Special Issue “Aircraft Design” from 2020 to 2022. He passed away in 2024, aged 85. We will keep Prof. Torenbeek in our memory. Please read about his achievements on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egbert_Torenbeek.

Following the successful initial Special Issue on “Aircraft Design (SI-1/2017)”, the SI was relaunched with “Aircraft Design (SI-2/2020)” and continued from “Aircraft Design (SI-3/2021)” to “Aircraft Design (SI-6/2024)”. This is now the seventh SI named “Aircraft Design (SI-7/2025)".

The editorial was published on 14 Jan 2020 as https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace7010005. It gives the background of publishing in aircraft design and alludes to manuscript submission in Appendix A.

Activities in the past have shown that aircraft design may be a field too small to justify its own (subscription-based) journal. A continuous open access Special Issue may fill this gap. As such, the Special Issue “Aircraft Design” can be a home for all those working in the field who regret the absence of an aircraft design journal.

The Special Issue “Aircraft Design” is open to the full range of article types. It is a place to discuss “hot topics” (fuel cell-powered aircraft, aircraft designed for contrail avoidance, aircraft with truss-braced wings, etc.). The classic topics in aircraft design remain as follows:

• Innovative aircraft concepts;
• Methodologies and tools for aircraft design and optimization;
• Reference aircraft designs and case studies with datasets.

It is up to us as authors to shape the Special Issue “Aircraft Design” according to our interests through the manuscripts we submit.

Prof. Dr. Dieter Scholz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• aeronautics
• transportation
• airplane
• aircraft
• design
• payload
• range
• costs
• synthesis
• optimization
• structure
• engine
• system
• wing
• fuselage
• tail
• undercarriage
• education
• training
• case study
• data set

• Aircraft Design (SI-6/2024) in Aerospace (2 articles)
• Aircraft Design (SI-1/2017) in Aerospace (5 articles)
• Aircraft Design (SI-2/2020) in Aerospace (7 articles)
• Aircraft Design (SI-3/2021) in Aerospace (6 articles)
• Aircraft Design (SI-4/2022) in Aerospace (9 articles)
• Aircraft Design (SI-5/2023) in Aerospace (5 articles)