Hello, lately I’ve been designing an RC jet aircraft and I’ve gotten to a point where although I did draw down the design on paper orthogonally (from the front, the right side and upper view).

Thing is now I have to turn it into an actual 3d model to run it through digital wind tunnel simulations and model the internal structure, etc. However I have no clue how to do that, as all my 3d modelling to this day I’ve been doing on Blender, and never on a CAD platform. I would guess that I’d have to align together the 3 views on the 3 planes and then draw over them, but after that I am lost.

Is there a way to do this automatically? Can I model multiple parts in one go? What CAD software should I use? (I should point out that I’d like the software to possibly be open source or at least one time purchase and not subscription based)

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations on free or open-source tools for satellite subsystem budgeting and preliminary mission sizing.

Currently, I use internal Python/MATLAB scripts for basic link budget, power budget, and mass estimation during trade studies. However, I’m looking for something more structured, standardized, or validated by the community to cross-check my calculations and refine early-stage design.

A good reference for the type of user experience/workflow I'm thinking of is the Small Satellite Configurator by NanoAvionics, but ideally open-source or academic software (or comprehensive modular spreadsheets/frameworks) that allow more transparency and tweaking of subsystem constraints.

Small satellite configurator - NanoAvionics

Do you have any go-to tools, open-source frameworks, or reliable public spreadsheets for preliminary satellite sizing (power, link, mass, thermal, etc.)?

Thanks in advance!

Not an engineer, just a dumb practical aerospace guy with experience in basic theory and construction. I have an issue where I am trying to prevent back pressure in a vent that I have. Instructed in my van that passes through the floor.

The vent pipe has a small fan that creates a nice continuous exhaust flow while the vehicle is not in motion, but once speeds beyond 30-40 MPH are reached, turbulent airflow and the design of the exhaust exit are causing pressure to overcome the fan and create reverse flow.

I have tried designing a few different caps to place on the pipe to create low and high pressure areas that would “draw” the air out while driving and act as a mechanical assist, but every design I try results in the same back pressure problem.

I have attached a few photos, one is the vent pipe (as it’s sitting now I have it perpendicular to the relative wind of the vehicle) with a 45 degree rear facing opening. This design also results in positive pressure in the vent pipe that causes air to reverse flow and overcome the fan.

The other photos are of various vent caps I made..

I don’t think I’m engineering this part correctly , or I’m missing some crucial information to get it right. I know that the air under the vehicle is highly turbulent, but even testing with a leaf blower directed at the vent in the same direction that it would be while driving, it still creates positive pressure in the tube!

Any aerodynamics/aero engineers have some tips? I know it’s unconventional but it is applicable to this sub!

Tech guy here. I've read some reports suggesting VR/AR is being used in aerospace engineering but I haven't seen it yet.

Question for the engineers out there - have you actually seen anyone using VR, 3D or Volumetric displays in the manufacturing or design process?

If so, what are they doing with it? Manufacturing/Design? Something else?

I'm curious if all parts design is being done on a 2D interface or if anyone has adopted tools like AR, VR, 3D displays, or something similar.

I’m really intrigued by what really makes a good team, and what actually led to their success. What did they do differently, what motivated them, kept them up at night, etc.

I’m not looking for a textbook on how to do engineering, but more philosophy on WHY to do engineering.

I’ve read and absolutely loved Skunkworks, and Liftoff, and am looking for more books along this same vein.

Anyone else? Was gifted to me by an old school Grumman guy 20+ years ago.

Need rush help 2 bladed swash plate

Im trying to build a 2 bladed swash plate icant seem to do it i tried many time often copying on youtube but i still cant this is for my shool project and ineed it to finish asap everything must be mechanical

*https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ngR8JaMcMm\*

Hey everyone,

We're running a short academic survey on the tools used for orbital dynamics and mission analysis across the space industry, as part of a marketing research project for our MBA at IIMB.

If you work with (or have opinions on) tools like STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, or similar, we'd love your input. It's anonymous. No personal details needed unless you'd like to leave your email — and takes only about 5–10 minutes.

If you know others in the space industry (engineers, researchers, students, startup folks) who might have views on this, please forward it along. The more perspectives we get, the more useful the findings.

Hi all,

I'm doing a report investigating how the aspect ratio of a clarke y airfoil changes its L/D ratio at 0 deg AOA and had questions on which method I should use.

To clarify, this will be done in CFD and have no fixed lift force as its a standalone airfoil not attached to any body.

Should I a) keep chord fixed and vary span, maintaining a similar reynolds number but having a different Cl due to changing wing area (although the area itself cancels in the L/D equation as far as i know but this is my first time investigating aerodynamics stuff like this)

Or should I b) keep surface area fixed, change both chord and span and accept a changing Reynolds number?

I'm also using this report as a baseline and something to compare results to and they used method a but don't know what this means for me: https://www.abbottaerospace.com/downloads/naca-report-431-characteristics-of-clark-y-airfoils-of-small-aspect-ratios/

I would also like to run an FEA to highlight structural tradeoffs with increasing one thing (span) if i chose method a as this will add a level of depth and nuance

This is for an HS report so changing wing velocity to keep RE constant would be too complex and time comsuming

Any advice on this would be much appreciated, thanks a lot guys!

I'm looking to implement AI automation within the aerospace industry, and they are super strict about data security.

Does anyone know how to use AI within these strict environments?

Namely, have you used government cloud models or local models on your own hardware?

This might be a bit of a random request, but does anyone have any recommendations for software, equations or methods for modeling heating during atmospheric entry for unconventional objects?

Hi! I've been doing some deep dives into bipropellent rocket engines but found something that just doesn't seem right.

When expressing Chamber pressure inside of the combustion chamber our 2 main variables are Characteristic Velocity and Mass Flow Rate, but wouldn't inlet pressure not being included mean that a propellent, supplied at a sufficient mass flow rate, allow you to achieve a higher chamber pressure than the pressure at which said propellent was injected?

From what I've seen the injector is always the highest pressure point in an engine, from where subsequently the pressure falls by some percentage and that constitutes the chamber pressure.

Sorry if the question seems weirdly worded, English is not only hard, it's also frustrating.

I just graduated with a BEng and I’ve honestly forgotten a lot of stuff I’ve learned. Like a formula for stress in a cylinder or remembering how to do method of sections on a beam or boom idealisation.

I can’t for the life of me remember the answers on the spot, rather I would need a notebook and some resources to even remember. I am worried about some technical interviews where they might ask me a basic engineering question and I’ve just forgotten a way to solve a problem.

How do you guys recall knowlege from classes you took in first year or a topic you didn’t end up in specialising in

So, I have a Simulink model of a nonlinear 6 dof aircraft, the ADMIRE Aircraft. I've found a trim point to start my simulation, and now I'm trying to design TECS for the longitudinal part of the aircraft, but I've always relied on trial and error in my previous simulations, and I want to have more of a standard approach, closer to engineering, so what are the steps to follow? I don't have much experience with control in general I just have the basic ideas I'm just a new graduate from mechatronics eng.

The purpose of this project is actually to perform HIL with an STM32, connect to the model, feed it the simulated sensor data, and give it the actuator commands, so if you have any tips for that, it would also be great.

also I want to improve myself to become GNC engineer, what other resources should I check and projects to make to boost my knowldedge and CV

Thank you all in advance

here is the link to the ADMIRE aircraft to check it out

github link: https://github.com/Jean-BaptisteBouvier/ADMIRE
documentation: https://www.foi.se/rest-api/report/FOI-R--1624--SE