Parametric aircraft configurator - fuselage, wing, and empennage designed with CadQuery and exported as STEP for manufacturing.
The model below is a parametric general aviation aircraft built entirely in Python with CadQuery. The wing uses the optimized airfoil shape from the aerodynamic optimization pipeline, lofted from root to tip with 25° sweep, 3° dihedral, and -2° twist. The fuselage is an elliptical cross-section body with nose-to-tail tapering. The empennage consists of a horizontal stabilizer and vertical stabilizer using NACA 0012 sections.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fuselage Length | 10.0 m |
| Fuselage Width | 1.2 m |
| Fuselage Height | 0.8 m |
| Wing Span | 11.0 m |
| Wing Root Chord | 2.5 m |
| Wing Tip Chord | 0.75 m |
| Wing Sweep | 25° |
| Wing Dihedral | 3° |
| Wing Twist | -2° |
| H-Stab Span | 2.0 m |
| V-Stab Height | 1.5 m |
| Airfoil (Wing) | Optimized (12.2% t/c) |
The fuselage uses an elliptical cross-section with a 1.5:1 width-to-height ratio. This provides a good balance between aerodynamic efficiency (elliptical sections reduce form drag compared to rectangular) and internal volume for payload and systems. The nose tapers smoothly to a rounded tip, reaching full cross-section at 60% of the length. The fuselage maintains constant cross-section to 65% length, then tapers gradually through the empennage area to a rounded tail cone..
The wing uses a three-section loft: the root is at the aircraft centerline (Y=0), and it tapers linearly to the tip at Y=5.5 m with a taper ratio of 0.3 (tip chord / root chord). The 25° sweep improves high-speed performance and shifts the center of pressure aft for longitudinal stability. The 3° dihedral provides lateral stability through the pendulum effect. The -2° twist (washout) reduces the local angle of attack at the tip relative to the root, ensuring the root stalls before the tip for safer stall characteristics.
The horizontal stabilizer uses a smaller-span, lower-aspect-ratio version of the same airfoil, mounted at the tail with 15° sweep. The vertical stabilizer uses a NACA 0012 symmetric airfoil rotated 90° to the vertical plane with 30° sweep. Both surfaces are sized to provide adequate pitch and yaw authority for the fuselage and wing geometry.
The aircraft is designed as a parametric template rather than a specific production model. Every dimension is adjustable through the Python API in physics/aircraft.py. The current configuration represents a mid-wing general aviation aircraft in the class of a 4-seat tourer or light utility aircraft. The geometry is intentionally simplified - no landing gear, engine nacelles, control surfaces, or internal structure - to serve as a starting point for parametric CAD studies.