An Advanced Open-Source Aircraft Design Platform for Personal Air Vehicle Geometry, Aerodynamics, and Structures

Innovators working to revolutionize air travel through personal aviation pioneers need innovative aircraft design tools. Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) is an aircraft geometry tool for rapid evaluation of advanced design concepts. VSP will be extended to include support for the modeling of aircraft structural layout and a modular system for integrating engineering analyses. These modifications will allow VSP to unify geometry, aerodynamics, and structures in the early design of advanced concepts. VSP will be released as open-source; a community for its development will be initiated and fostered. Open distribution will ensure that VSP is available to all, thereby supporting personal aviation innovators, universities, NASA, and the whole aerospace industry. This will enable a new level of fidelity and accuracy in personal aircraft design needed to meet the aggressive goals required for the success of personal air vehicles. An improved and open VSP will catalyze personal aviation by supporting breakthroughs in noise and cost reduction and ease of operations.