Fuselage aerodynamic prediction methods

A reliable estimation of the aerodynamics of the fuselage of an airplane is crucial in order to carry out a well-designed aircraft. About 30% of an aircraft zero-lift drag source is due to the fuselage. Its aerodynamic instability is impacting wing and horizontal tail design, as well as aircraft directional stability characteristics. This paper proposes methods, developed through CFD analyses, to estimate fuselage aerodynamic drag, pitching, and yawing moment coefficients. These methods are focused on the regional turboprop aircraft category. Given the fuselage geometry, several charts allow to evaluate its aerodynamic characteristics. Numerical test cases are shown on several fuselage geometries and a comparison with typical semi-empirical methods is presented.