Try before you fly

The aerospace sector continues to be on the rise as the aircraft that fill the skies above us proliferate and diversify. From personal helicopters to airliners and UAVs, the design requirements are being pushed into new areas of innovation and invention, and the ability to model and simulate how a new design will function once it gets into the air is becoming paramount. Modelling and simulation (M&S) software is used widely within the aerospace industry to craft physical components and optimise the aerodynamic performance of the airframe - and evaluate materials used to construct it. M&S also plays a lesser-known role in the design of flight control systems (FCS), which require the integration of both mechanical and control components within the simulation model to build much more complex prototypes.