Team Members: Michael Bates, Olivia Clubley, Matthew DuBois, Charles Galluscio, Bryce Moran, Christian Peña, Michael Phillips, Akaash Sharma, Isaac Wiley, Colin Williams

Abstract: 

Team Fight and Flight designed a firefighting airplane to meet requirements of an 8,000-gallon fire retardant capacity, a 400 nm firefighting radius, a 3,000 nm ferry range, a dash speed in excess of 400 kts, and a firefighting drop speed below 125 kts, while also meeting all applicable certification rules in FAA 14 CFR Part 25. The Fight and Flight hydroplane meets or exceeds all design requirements with its four PW-150 turboprop engines spinning Dowty R-408 propellers propelling it at up to 420 kts while simultaneously achieving excellent fuel efficiency permitting a 4850 nm ferry range and a firefighting radius of 1120 nm. Aerodynamics were designed with the assistance of the XFLR5 and AVL (Athena Vortex Lattice) CFD softwares with the final result being a high aspect ratio slightly swept 160 ft span wing with winglets and an H-tail joined to a 107 ft long fuselage. The airplane can cruise at the exceptionally high lift to drag ratio of 31 and is stable statically as well as in all oscillatory modes and spirally with the exception of a slowly divergent phugoid oscillation (a direct result of the high L/D ratio). In addition, even at its maximum takeoff weight of 151,618 lbs., the high lift, low drag FX-63-100 airfoil permits short field operations (balanced field length is 1950 ft and takeoff speed is 130 kts). Empty landing speeds as low as 58 kts are achievable with the use of slotted flaps. Iteratively optimized conventional aluminum spar and rib wing and tail structures paired with a semi monocoque carbon fiber and aluminum fuselage give a low structural weight of 34,000 lbs. while also allowing the airplane to maneuver at a load factor of up to 5 at its maximum takeoff weight. Avionics include a ground tracking radar and active phugoid damping permitting operations near the ground in heavy smoke and providing the potential for semiautonomous operations. The final design is expected to cost between $230 million per aircraft with a production run of 25 and as low as $83 million per aircraft with a production run of 500. Because of its highly efficient design and potential for short field performance with a large payload of up to 72,000 lbs., the Fight and Flight Hydroplane could easily be adapted to cargo, research, or military applications.

Group 3’s 90-Second Pitch:

Poster Presentation Zoom

Group’s link to Poster

Oral Design Presentation Zoom

Archived Oral Design Presentation

Archived Final Presentation Slides