AERO 3002 Aircraft Design and Practice

RT-12 Business Jet Conceptual Design

100806343

Robert P. Trotter

Abstract
The RT-12 is a 6 passenger (5 + Pilot)
business jet, designed to recreate a spacious office
environment that cruises at 650 km/hr (350 kts) at an
altitude of 10000 m (35000 ft) in the air. This article
describes the methods of initial sizing, sensitivity
studies, performance matching, and structure
analysis. This aircraft has a take-off weight of 2378
kg (5232 lb), a wingspan of 9.5 m (31.2 ft) and uses
a single Pratt and Whitney 617F-E engine which
produces 7.92 kN (1780 lbf) of thrust. The RT-12 is a
smaller than average VLJ, which makes it ideal for
private owners, as it can be easily stored, and has a
better fuel economy, while still meeting all of the
design requirements,
Nomenclature
Kts Nautical Miles per Hour
SFC Specific Fuel Consumption
L/D Lift over Drag Ratio
T/W Thrust to Weight Ratio
W/S Wing Loading
Take-off Weight
Empty Weight
Fuel Weight
Maximum Coefficient of Lift
Reference Area of Wing
Total Surface Area of Aircraft
Introduction
The RT-12 is a Very Light Jet (VLJ)
designed to market to businesses looking to move
high level executives from city to city more efficiently,
while still maintaining a comfortable, quiet, work
environment within the cabin.
The VLJ, or business jet, is a fairly new
concept, with a growing market. This fresh new
consumer need is now being met by creative and
innovative ideas, with quality designs coming in all
forms; the RT-12 is one of these designs.

April 5th 2012

Requirements
The main requirements of this business jet,
are stated in Table 1. This aircraft must be able to
carry up to 6 people (1 crew/5 passengers), with
space for to carry baggage for an overnight, or
weekend trip (40 lb/person). With a range of 2315
km (1250 nm), this VLJ is meant for inter-state/interprovince transport. With a cruising altitude of 10668
m (35000 ft), the turbulence due to weather is
minimal, allowing for a more comfortable, reassuring
flight. With a high cruise speed travel time using an
RT-12, versus a train or car, is reduced by as much
as 85%.
Table 1: Design Requirements
Passengers (Crew)
Baggage Weight
Range
Cruise Altitude
Cruise Airspeed
Certification

5 (1)
18 kg(40 lb)/person
2315 km (1250 nm)
10668 m (35000 ft)
179.9 m/s (350 kts)
CAR AWM 523

Procedure
The design process of the RT-12 started
with research of similar aircraft with similar mission
requirements. The size and types of certain sections
of these researched aircraft (fuselage, wing, engine,
etc.) were taken into account when designing this
aircraft. It was important to create innovative
changes to common design practice, while still
ensuring a competitive product.
Three initial concept drawings were created
with this research in mind. The selection method was
created with the design purpose and requirements in
mind. Large emphasis was put on comfort (i.e. cabin
size, noise reduction, cargo space etc), in order to
create an ideal work environment that could also be
suitable for meeting with business clients during
flights.
For the initial sizing of the aircraft, the
and
were estimated by finding the fuel fractions
for each section of the flight profile, (take-off, climb,
cruise, loiter, and landing). The fuel fractions for the

cruise and loiter section was found using the Breguet

and Endurance equations respectively.
A sensitivity study comparing the fluctuation
of take-off weight compared to the change in range,
L/D,
, and SFC was found.
The performance matching study was done
to compare W/S vs. the T/W ratio of a plane. The
T/W and W/S required at take-off, cruise, stall, and
landing where found. From this, three design points
could be selected; one for each type of flap setup
giving a certain
(no flaps, plain flaps, fowler
flaps). The design point created by the Fowler flaps
is ideal for our requirements, as it allows the smallest
which decreases material cost. The chosen
design point also decrease the T/W ratio, which
lowers the SFC, allowing for longer range, less
weight, etc.
From this design point, the true sref was
found, the required engine size, along with a more
accurate swet. These values were then used to create
a drag polar, which the maximum L/D ratio can be
found. In order for the RT-12 to be airworthy under
the CAR AWM-523, a V-n diagram was designed,
which shows the flight pamphlet required for aircraft
manoeuvring and wind gust loads.
Concept
For the most part, the RT-12 design is
similar to that of the conventional VLJs researched
prior to the initial design phase. This was done
because as the RT-12 is the initial designed, only
historical data from similar aircraft could be used in
order to be confident that it would meet the design
requirements.
The RT-12 has a low set, straight-tapered
wing, circular fuselage, V-tail, and a single internal
engine with the air intake mounted on the top of the
fuselage. As a subsonic aircraft, the wing of the RT12 is relatively un-swept with an NACA airfoil which
optimized for subsonic flight. The fuselage is circular
to maximize cabin space and allow for
manufacturing simplicity. The design of the V-tail and
the single internal engine with the top air intake is
similar to the aft design of the Cirrus Vision SF50.
The full 3-view drawing can be seen on page 4.
Results
The assumptions in Table 2 were required to
calculate the initial design weights also shown in the

table. While similar in design, the RT-12 is much

lighter aircraft.
Table 2: Initial Sizing Assumptions and Results [1]
Assumptions [2]
Design Weights [kg (lb)]
15
RT-12
Cirrus SF50
*
41 (0.4)
2378 (5232)
2754 (6060)
*
51 (0.5)
1202 (2644)
1681 (3700)
*[kg/kN-hr (lbm/lbf-hr)]
459 (1010)
890 (1960)

Figure 1 shows the sensitivity study graph,

where the effects of 4 separate parameters on the
W 0 are seen. The empty weight fraction shows the
largest correlation, because the decrease in empty
weight directly affects the decrease in total weight.
The aircraft range and SFC are similar, as would be
expected, because they are similar variables. The
lift/drag ratio is the only value to have an inverse
relationship with the take-off weight.
The performance matching graph, shown in

figure 2, is what determines the wing span, engine

size, and maximum lift coefficient of the aircraft. This
graph has a large area labeled Design Space,

which is the area above the cruise line, and to the

left of the rightmost stall line. This Design Space
has 3 design points in it, which are caused by three
independent setups for the trailing edge of the wing:
no flaps, plain flaps, and fowler flaps. Each would be
acceptable, however the fowler flaps allows for the
largest W/S (smaller wing), and smallest T/W (best
SPC). The use of fowler flaps was chosen for this
reason.
Using Drag polar analysis, the maximum L/D
ratio was found to be 18.35, which is larger than the
assumed value of 15. This incorrect assumption, as
shown by figure 1, would cause the take-off weight
to increase; however only slightly.
Configuration
Performance matching determined the T/W
ratio required for the aircraft to meet the
requirements. The required thrust was calculated to
be 6.98 kN (1569 lbf). To match this, the Pratt and
Whitney 617F-E engine was used. This engine
provides a thrust of 7.92 kN (1780 lbf) [3], which was
high enough to provide a certain safety factor,
without causing unnecessary problems. The
PW617F-E weighs 172 kg (378 lb), is 0.45 m (17 in)
in diameter, 1.26 m (49.5 in) in length, and has a
specific fuel consumption of 55 kg/kN-hr (0.54 lb/lbfhr) [3]. When comparing the thrust required, to the
values know from the research done on other VLJs,
the RT-12 is relatively average. The Cirrus SF50,
being only 376 kg (828 lb) more than the RT-12,
operates with the Williams FJ33 that produces a
thrust of 8.45 kN (1900 lb).
Another dimension determined through
performance matching was the smallest possible
area of the wing. The size of the wing was
decreased by the use of Fowler flaps, which are
effective at increasing the maximum L/D without
having to deal with slotted flaps, and the complexity
of production and maintenance that comes with
them. By dividing the
by the wing loading (W/S)
of the design point, the total wing area was found to
2
2
be 10.58 m (113.88 ft ). With a taper ratio of 0.3, as
well as a large mean chord (1.224 m [4 ft]) the wing
span of the RT-12 is only 9.5 m (31.2 ft), which is
significantly less than other VLJs in its class. This
small wing span is ideal for storage, for it fit in any
hanger provided, and perhaps some larger garages.

Structures
Figure 3 below displays the V-n Diagram,
which shows the design limits of this aircraft. The
maximum design load limit was 3.86 g [4].

Materials
Due to its availability and low cost, aluminum
alloys will be used for exterior plating as well as the
riveting. The difficulty to maintain and repair damage
and wear to composite materials for a privately
owned business jet discouraged the use of it on the
RT-12. For the plating surrounding the exhaust
outlets at the rear of the aircraft, Titanium would be
used in order to resist deformation due to extreme
temperatures.
Conclusions
This aircraft is extremely small for its
purpose as a 6 seat VLJ. This is beneficial as it
would greatly reduce the manufacturing cost, and as
a lighter business jet, it would have excellent fuel
economy. Realistically, this design may not be
possible; the small size will create problems when
designing the internal machinery and wiring.
In order to continue with this design,
methods of designing internal structure, avionics,
materials, and production must be looked at more
thoroughly.
References
[1] Cirrus Aircraft. Vision SF50
http://cirrusaircraft.com/vision/ [26/03/12]
[2] Raymer Aircraft Design,
Reston Virginia, American Institute of Aeronautics
[3] Pratt and Whitney. PW617F-E
http://www.pwc.ca/en/engines/pw617f-e [29/03/12]
[4] CAR AWM 523.337 Limit Manoeuvring Load
Factors http://www.tc.gc.ca [02/04/12]