The Aerospace Engineering Department Office is home to the Department Chair and the Department’s Administrative Coordinator. Outside of the office is the “information wall” where aerospace engineering students can find current information regarding course flow charts, handbooks, polices, and other forms. Separate bulletin boards are used to post current course offerings, club activities, availability of tutoring, and other announcements. [back]

 

Coordinator: Dr. Dan Biezad (756-5126; dbiezad@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 320 – Fundamentals of Guidance & Control
  AERO 420 – Stability and Control of Aerospace Vehicles
  AERO 461/462 – Senior Project
  AERO 599 – Design Project (Thesis)
  
  
• Equipment: The simulator, otherwise known as the PhEagle, is aptly named for its component parts: an F-4 Phantom provides PhEagle’s cockpit while PhEagle’s control stick and throttle are from an F-15 Eagle.
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • The simulator significantly enhances courses that include flight testing, simulation, and aircraft design.
  • Students are given a unique opportunity to create, experiment, and test their own flight designs as well as their control systems software.
  • The flight simulator can be used to simulate the take-off, cruise, banking, landing, and other performance factors of a specific aircraft.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: As a result of participating in summer fellowships at NASA Dryden for the past two years, Aerospace Engineering Professor Dan Biezad has developed a close partnership with this industry leader. Nick Kantartzis and Lee Duke, who work under Center Director Ken Szalai at NASA Dryden Research Center, were key facilitators in equipping the Aerospace Engineering Department with a flight simulator complete with software, instrumentation, and joystick.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]

Aerodynamics Laboratories (Bldg. 4)

Coordinator: Dr. Jin Tso (756-2562; jtso@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 307 – Experimental Aerodynamics
  AERO 461/462 – Senior Project
  AERO 599 – Design Project (Thesis)
  
  
• Equipment: 3’ x 4’ low-speed wind tunnel; wing and aircraft models
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • An aircraft model is mounted on a string balance inside the wind tunnel to measure the aircraft’s aerodynamic and stability characteristics.
  • Models are monitored from the controls room and manipulated to measure lift force, drag, and moment.
  • The large hangar facility is utilized for senior project students who apply their knowledge of aircraft design by building scale models.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: Reinhold Foundation.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO and ME for thesis [back]

Propulsion Laboratory & Test Stand (Outside Bldg. 4)

Coordinator: Dianne DeTurris (756-1515; ddeturri@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 304 – Experimental Aerothermodynamics
  AERO 401 – Propulsion Systems
  AERO 461/462 – Senior Project
  AERO 541 – Air Breathing Propulsion
  AERO 599 – Design Project (Thesis)
  
  
• Equipment: 2 Turbojet engines; Liquid rocket test rig
  
  
• Description of Lab Acivities:
  • Students test fuel efficiency & thrust of engines.
  • Experiments focus on propulsion design, performance and thermo efficiency.
  • Engine effects are monitored in control room.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: NASA, Reinhold Foundation.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO and ME [back]

Structures Laboratory (58 – 103)

Coordinator: Dr. Faysal Kolkailah (756-2393; fkolkail@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 315 – Aerospace Engineering Analysis
  AERO 330 – Aerospace Structural Analysis
  AERO 430 – Advanced Composite Structures Analysis & Design
  AERO 435 – Finite Element Analysis
  AERO 461/462 – Senior Project
  AERO 599 – Design Project (Thesis)
  
  
• Equipment: Tensil test Machine (Instron); Composite Curing Device
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • Students use tensil test machine to study tensil strength of fiberglass and composites developed in student experiments which are then used to test wing stress/strain.
  • Lab contains devices for the fabrication and testing of composite materials
  • Different types of composite plates are tested by students.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: This lab was developed with funds provided by Air Force Research Grants, NASA projects, and the Reinhold Foundation.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]

Controls Laboratory (58 - 103A)

Coordinator: Dr. Dan Biezad (756-5126; dbiezad@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 320 - Fundamentals of Guidance & Control
  AERO 420 - Stability & Control of Aerospace Vehicles
  AERO 461/462 - Senior Project
  AERO 599 - Design Project
  
  
• Equipment: Inverted Pendulum; See-Saw; Computers
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • Students use pendulum and see-saw to conduct controls experiments.
  • From these tests and experiments, students gain controls basics, then write their own controls software to test on the devices.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: None.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]
  

Water Tunnel Lab (58 – 104A)

Coordinator: Dr. Jin Tso (756-1391; jtso@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 307 – Experimental Aerodynamics
  AERO 461/462 – Senior Project
  AERO 599 – Design Project (Thesis)
  
  
• Equipment: 14” x 18” water tunnel
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • Students use the water tunnel to study basics of flow around aircraft parts.
  • A model is set in tunnel and dye is added.
  • Students monitor, record and study model-dye visualizations to determine aircraft component feasibility.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: Water tunnel was provided by support from Neilsen Engineering & Research and Northrop Grumman.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]

Spacecraft Design Laboratory (12 – 202)

Coordinator: Dr. Jordi Puig-Suari (756-6479; jpuigsua@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 447, 448, 449 – Spacecraft Design
  
  
• Equipment: High-end computer tools such as: Pro E, Pro Mechanica, Matlab, Maple, SDAP; PRICE for Spacecraft Design; UNIX workstations.
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • State-of-the-art computational facilities.
  • Lab allows for paper study design of spacecraft & orbital analysis, which allows students to see the path of the spacecraft flight.
  • Students also perform Finite Element Analysis.
  • Lab is available 24 hours.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: TRW, Boeing, Reinhold Foundation.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]

Computer Laboratory (12 - 202)

Coordinator: Dr. Russell Cummings (756-1359; rcumming@calpoly.edu)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 215 - Introduction to Aerospace Design
  
  
• Equipment: Computers and peripheral devices
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • Students create preliminary designs of aerospace vehicles.
  • Study allows students to solve design problems using computers.
  • Lab exercises give students experience with team design work.
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: None.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]

Aircraft Design Laboratory (21 - 245)

Coordinator: Dr. Dave Hall (756-1349; dwhall@netmagic.net)

• Courses that Utilize this Lab:
  AERO 443 - Aircraft Design I
  AERO 444 - Aircraft Design II
  AERO 445 - Aircraft Design III
  AERO 215 - Introduction to AERO Design
  
  
• Equipment: MAC & PC Computers with CAD PC Server; plotter; Extensive aircraft design reference library
  
  
• Description of Lab Activities:
  • Students learn to design airplanes "hands-on"
  • National competition design winners are displayed on walls (plaques, pictures, models)
    
    
• Lab Sponsor: Boeing, Lockheed and Northrop assist with funding to maintain this laboratory.
  
  
• Majors the Utilize this Lab: AERO [back]