| Description |
For decades drug use has pervaded every aspect of American society. Once limited to hippies and antl-establ1shment groups, the problem of drugs is now impacting the so called mainstream society. To meet the demand for drugs, suppliers have used many methods of smuggling drugs into the country, including the air. The use of aircraft in transporting drugs has made a lucrative business even more profitable. In fact, aircraft drug running has become so economically advantageous that pilots have been known to abandon large cargo planes and their cargo when being pursued by the authorities. [1] To combat the influx of drugs, United States customs officials have set up a network to patrol the country's borders [2]. Using a Grumman E -2c Hawkeye surveillance aircraft, vast areas of coastline are watched for aircraft suspiciously off course or not registered with the proper authorities. The position of these planes is then relayed to pilots in a HU-25A Guardian plane who follow the suspected craft to its landing site. Although estimates have been made stating that the existing network has been successful in intercepting as much as 20 percent of aircraft drug trafficking into the country [3]. it is felt that a better apprehension rate is needed to make smuggling by airplanes unprofitable. One step being taken to accomplish this is to provide better aircraft designed for this purpose. As a wide range of aircraft must be surveyed, from small single and twin-engine planes to obsolete airliners and modern jets, the ultimate drug-interceptor airplane would be light and maneuverable, yet powerful. It would be able to take; off and land on short runways, but have the range and endurance; to follow drug-running planes for long distances. It would also have to be rugged. This report discusses the design of a drug-enforcement interceptor aircraft. The plane is designed to meet requirements supplied by The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for their 1988 Pratt & Whitney individual student design competition. Discussion is limited mainly to the aerodynamics of the plane. The design analysis is taken through the conceptual design phase and the initial part of the preliminary design phase. |
