Science Software for Summer Fun: Aviation Software

With summer 2000 just around the corner, Patrick Hanley, Ph.D. has a number of affordable software packages that will keep your budding aerospace scientist mentally engaged over the long summer months.

The VisualFoil Lite ($69) package is an easy-to-use airplane wing analysis software program that allow your aviation enthusiast to design and build a working airplane wing. The software comes with a family of "tried and true" wing sections (airfoil) known as the NACA 4-digit airfoil family. NACA which stands for (National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics) is the organization that predates NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Many of the major airplane companies use the same NACA sections in real world airplanes.

VisualFoil Lite puts the power of a working wind tunnel onto your computer and into the graps of your inventor. Your scientist can use the software to test the airfoils and predicts the lift, drag and twisting forces developed on the wing.

After carefully analyzing an airfoil, your designer can then estimate the performance of a prototype using the AirfoilDoctor tool that is built into VisualFoil Lite. Your enthusiastic junior scientist can compute how fast an airplane must fly to support its weight based on the wing size. The tool also estimates the airplane's takeoff distance and how much power is required to fly. Your designer can change the airfoil type, wing size and weight to arrive at a suitable deisgn.

When your airplane builder is completely satisfied with their analysis, they can use VisualFoil Lite to print out the airfoil sections. The printed sections can be use to as templates to shape the ribs for their wing.

The VisualFoil Lite software is a tool that is intended for education, aerodynamics simulations and fun. The software is being used by real world aircraft builders, elementary schools, colleges and hundreds of model airplane builders.

Contact Information
Patrick Hanley, Ph.D.
http://www.hanleyinnovations.com
(352) 687-4466
PO Box 831514
Ocala, FL 34483-1514