PreSTo - Aircraft Preliminary Sizing Tool
Aircraft Design Spreadsheet Calculation
Aim of PreSTo is to provide the aircraft design calculation scheme from
lecture
and
short course
of Prof. Scholz as spread sheet. The spread sheet will ultimately include these modules:
- Preliminary Sizing (PreSTo-Classic and SAS - Simple Aircraft Sizing)
- Cabin and Fuselage Layout (PreSTo-Cabin)
- Wing Layout
- Design for High Lift
- Empennage Layout I and II
- Mass and CG Estimation
- Landing Gear Layout
- Drag Estimation
- DOC Calculation (PreSTo-DOC)
- Results, Visualization: 3D and 3-view (OpenVSP-Connect, OpenVSP-Connect 3D Visualization, OpenVSP-Connect Hangar), Interfaces to other Tools
We are working internally quite a bit with PreSTo, but we are a little slow to put things online,
because this requires a much more user-friendly appearance of the tool.
But we will get there, it's all a matter of time and/or money.
Excel was selected as spread sheet for programming of PreSTo.
PreSTo works with separate modules that are connected via a small project file.
The project file contains a control center and a database which stores user input data for one design.
The project file links between the modules that are located each in one Excel file.
The modules take input data from the project file
run the design/analysis and output data back to the project file with its database.
PreSTo has grown to a size that a full design is described by about 500 aircraft parameters.
Philosophy
Philosophy of PreSTo is to support the aircraft designer to convert mission requirements into aircraft parameters.
In order to do this, PreSTo supplies:
- methods, equations and the most efficient calculation sequence,
- statistical and "best guess" data,
- reference to certification rules,
- user guidance by checks and hints,
- worked examples.
PreSTo Modules
Module 1: PreSTo-Sizing = PreSTo-Classic
Preliminary sizing of aircraft is supported with a spreadsheet that got started already in 1998.
The spreadsheets for jets are in use in each aircraft design lecture and short course at our university.
Far beyond 1000 students have worked with this tool already over two decades.
It is available as
A-C_Preliminary_Sizing.xls.
For backward compatibility we will for now leave this tool in its old "look and feel". It works fine, we like it and we are used to it.
Module 2: PreSTo-Cabin
Cabin and fuselage layout is supported with an interactive step-by-step design of the cabin in some detail.
Based on cabin parameters, the fuselage general dimensions are found subsequently.
PreSTo-Cabin is available as "PreSTo-Cabin_1.0.xls":
PreSTo-Cabin_1.0.xls*
Changed on: 18 May 2020,
Size: 2.9M
This file is set up for the Airbus A320.
Please make sure ...
- ... to use Excel 2003 or a more recent version (unfortunately PreSTo is incompatible with Open Office),
- ... to allow Excel to use macros (you will be asked upon opening the program).
PreSTo-Cabin_Documentation_10-11-15.pdf
Changed on: 17 February 2011,
Size: 1.8M
Wie werden Excel-Dateien mit Makros & Solver geöffnet?
PreSTo-Cabin_1.0_FairchildDornier728.xls*
Changed on: 18 May 2020,
Size: 2.9M
This file is set up for the Fairchild Dornier 728. Cabin data extracted from:
FairchildDornier728_3View_and_Cabin.jpg
Size: 963K
PreSTo-Cabin_1.0_A330.xls*
Changed on: 18 May 2020,
Size: 2.9M
This file is set up for the Airbus A330. Compare cabin data from Airbus with the PreSTo layout:
A330_CabinLayout.jpg
Size: 395K
* PreSTo-Cabin is based on EASA CS-25 / Amendment 8 (2009-12-11) and FAA AC 25.807-1 - Uniform Distribution of Exits (1990-08-13).
Module 9: PreSTo-DOC
DOC Calculations are supported with a very simple spreadsheet.
PreSTo's spreadsheets are intended to pass the parameters from one module to the next. This has not been fully set up.
For this reason enter some parameters that should be known by the time you get to the DOC calculation into the yellow field (top right in the spreadsheet).
PreSTo-DOC_1.0.xlsm
Changed on: 02 June 2021,
Size: 120K
PreSTo Publications
Further reports related to PreSTo
Presentation at Symposium "Kollaboration im Flugzeugentwurf" (Collaboration in Aircraft Design)
SCHOLZ, Dieter:
Aircraft Preliminary Sizing Tools @ Aero : SAS => OPerA => PreSTo => further Tool Chain,
(Kollaboration im Flugzeugentwurf - 1. CPACS/RCE Symposium, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Hamburg, 15. / 16. March 2012). - Download: http://PreSTo.ProfScholz.de
PreSTo_PRE_Kollaboration_12-03-15.pdf
Size: 2.2M
Paper and Presentation at the German Aerospace Conference:
ABULAWI, Jutta; SEECKT, Kolja; POMMERS, Martins; SCHOLZ, Dieter:
Automatic Generation of 3D-CAD Models to Bridge the Gap between Aircraft Preliminary Sizing and Geometric Design.
In: DGLR:
Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2011 : Tagungsband - Manuskripte
(DLRK, Bremen, 27. - 29. September 2011), pp 405-415. - ISBN: 978-3-932182-74-X. DocumentID: 241195. Download: http://PreSTo.ProfScholz.de
PreSTo_PUB_DLRK_11-09-27.pdf
Size: 519K
ABULAWI, Jutta:
Automatic Generation of 3D-CAD Models to Bridge the Gap between Aircraft Preliminary Sizing and Geometric Design.
Presentation. Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2011, Bremen, 27. - 29. September 2011. - Download: http://PreSTo.ProfScholz.de
PreSTo_PRE_DLRK_11-09-27.pdf
Size: 2.1M
Presentation at the European Workshop on Aircraft Design Education:
SCHOLZ, Dieter:
PreSTo-Aircraft Preliminary Sizing Tool - From Requirements to the Three-View-Drawing.
In: DE MARCO, Agostino; NICOLOSI, Fabrizio (Ed.): Proceedings of 10th EWADE Conference
(10th European Workshop on Aircraft Design Education, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy, 24. - 27. May 2011 ). - ISBN 978-88-906484-1-0. Download: http://PreSTo.ProfScholz.de
PreSTo_PRE_EWADE_11-05-25.pdf
Size: 2.7M
Paper and Presentation at the German Aerospace Conference:
SEECKT, Kolja; SCHOLZ, Dieter:
Application of the Aircraft Preliminary Sizing Tool PreSTo to Kerosene and Liquid Hydrogen Fueled Regional Freighter Aircraft.
In: DGLR:
Deutscher Luft- und Raumfahrtkongress 2010 : Tagungsband - Ausgewählte Manuskripte
(DLRK, Hamburg, 31. August - 02. September 2010). - ISBN: 978-3-932182-67-7. DocumentID: 161161. Download: http://PreSTo.ProfScholz.de. Archived at: https://perma.cc/K94E-BW3Z.
PreSTo_PUB_DLRK_10-08-31.pdf
Size: 590K
Man Power and Finances
PreSTo was started as part of the research project
Green Freighter with Kolja Seeckt.
Since then it grew mainly based on project work from students supervised by Prof. Scholz.
One student at a time is responsible to maintain the code and structure programming among all participating students:
- SS10: Philippe MONTARNAL
- WS10/11: Lucía NÚÑEZ
- SS11: Dennis PAAPE
- WS12/13: Tahir SOUSA
- WS13/14: Liana URSEANU
- SS14: Maxime van LOO
- since SS15: Karunanidhi RAMACHANDRAN
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences supports the work as an internal research project.
PreSTo is the basis of OPerA (Design Optimization of Jets) and PrOPerA (Design Optimization of Props).
Bishop GmbH
has supported the development of PreSTo-Cabin by financing and tutoring Philippe Montarnal during an internship.
Other projects related to PreSTo are: OPerA - Optimization in Preliminary Aircraft Design and SAS - Simple Aircraft Sizing and OpenVSP-Connect
LAST MODIFIED: 26 February 2024
AUTHOR: Prof. Dr. Scholz
IMPRESSUM (PDF)
Prof. Dr. Scholz
Aircraft Design and Systems Group (AERO)
Aeronautical Engineering
Department of Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences