College of Engineering

Mechanical Engineering Department

Aircraft Operations and Flight Mechanics – AERO 200 Home Assignment #3
Fall 2021/2022 Due Date: 11/10/2021 (Sec 01), 12/10/2021 (Sec 51)

1. Consider an airplane flying at some real, geometric altitude. The outside pressure and
temperature are 2.70 × 104 N/m2 and 222 K, respectively. What are the pressure and density
altitudes?
2. Consider an airplane flying at a pressure altitude of 11 km and a density altitude of 10.5 km.
Calculate the ambient temperature.
3. A supersonic jet fighter is in a rapid climb (its altitude is increasing at a fast rate). At the instant
it passes through a geometric altitude of 7,500 m, its rate-of-climb is 150 m/s (the rate-of-climb
is the time rate of change of altitude). Calculate the corresponding time rate of change of
ambient pressure (𝑑𝑝/𝑑𝑡) in units of Pascal per second (Pa/s).
4. An approximate atmospheric model called the exponential atmosphere, gives the air density
variation with altitude as

𝜌 𝑔0 ℎ
= 𝑒 − 𝑅𝑇
𝜌0

where 𝜌0 is the sea-level density and ℎ is the altitude measured above sea level. Using this
equation, calculate the density at altitudes of 5, 10, 20, and 40 km. Compare your results with
the values of density you obtain from the standard atmosphere tables. Assume the temperature
to vary linearly from sea-level to 11 km with a lapse rate of –6.5 K/km, then remains constant
from 11 to 25 km, then varies linearly from 25 to 47 km with a lapse rate of 3.0 K/km.