Kathle Tischner

Kathle Tischner

Mechanical Engineer | Aerodynamic Modeling and Analysis

FlightStream: F-16 Aerodynamic Modeling

Project Overview

This project focused on using FlightStream to build a high-fidelity, surface-panel aerodynamic model of a scaled F-16.

Objectives

The primary goal was to compute a complete set of static and dynamic aerodynamic derivatives. This involved CAD preparation, meshing, running parameter sweeps, extracting coefficients, and validating the results against published NASA and MachUp datasets.

FlightStream Surface Components with Deflected Horizontal Stabilizers

My Role & Contributions

  • Imported and prepared SolidWorks CAD geometry for panel discretization.
  • Generated a surface panel mesh tuned for FlightStream by component.
  • Defined flight control surfaces (flaperons, stabilators) and parametrized deflection cases.
  • Executed systematic parameter sweeps to produce datasets for static and “dynamic derivative estimation.
  • Calculated aerodynamic coefficients and derivatives by post-processing case outputs.
  • Automated post-processing with Python scripts to extract coefficients and produce summary plots and tables.

FlightStream Example Mesh for the Horizontal Stabilizers

Outcomes & Results

  • Produced a complete set of static and dynamic derivatives for the baseline configuration.
  • Initial results showed good correlation with NASA and MachUp reference data, validating the modeling approach and setup.
  • Generated reproducible scripts and documentation to re-run sweeps and regenerate results.

FlightStream Pressure Plot

Tools & Technologies

  • FlightStream (including scripting and sweep automation)
  • SolidWorks (CAD prep)
  • Python (post-processing, plotting)
  • Git (version control)