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I want to build something similar to this

https://www.parrot.com/de/drohnen/parrot-disco-fpv#parrot-disco-fpv-details

but with two holes in the wing, where I want to put two propellers. But I need to make the proper calculations (shape and size of the wings, I'll work on the propellers separately). It should be a simple design, just a prove of concept.

Is there a software that can help me do this? I can have an idea of the weight I need to lift, the velocity, and need the design (with the two holes).

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  • $\begingroup$ I see no reason to close this question, it is clear what OP is asking: software for modelling aerodynamics. That exists. $\endgroup$
    – Koyovis
    Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 3:58
  • $\begingroup$ @Koyovis the problem is that recommendations are generally considered off-topic. $\endgroup$
    – Federico
    Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 5:25
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    $\begingroup$ two holes in the wing, where I want to put two propellers. But I need to make the proper calculations.": It seems you want to know the diameter of propellers and/or the power of the motors, but it's not clear at all, please edit your question. $\endgroup$
    – mins
    Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 6:13

2 Answers 2

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Yeah you could start with X-plane, which claims that it can figure out the flight characteristics from geometry parameters. It is based on laminar flow theory and on classic aeroplane shapes and configurations, but it is a start. They have something called Plane Maker which could serve your application.

FlightGear is a similar program, open source so you can study the code to see how it works, then try to find relevant lift and drag data on the interwebs, NASA servers for instance.

Good luck with the modelling effort.

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  • $\begingroup$ X-Plane also has an airfoil maker that allows building airfoils and/or importing NACA ones. Disclaimer: I work for Laminar Research, the company building X-Plane $\endgroup$
    – JustSid
    Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 3:58
  • $\begingroup$ X-plane can be tried for basic flight simulations, though it will not be possible to fly the real thing safely just by x-plane simulations. FlightGear does not (did not) have modeling & analysis capabilities. It's a fun and learning experience whichever path taken. Good point in referring to NASA, scholar.google.com can reveal wealth of info on design. $\endgroup$
    – Gürkan Çetin
    Commented Sep 12, 2017 at 16:51
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After reading a little about Plane Maker, I googled for OpenFoam drone design and found dronecfd, which looks pretty cool. Also found XFLR5. Together I think they can help me to get an idea of things.

Since this are tools written to do what I asked and not part another package that does something else, I think this is a better answers.

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