flight-dynamics#
Flight dynamics simulator written in Python. Use for simple single-stage rockets (such as a hobby rocket).
How It Works#
- Implements NASA's Isentropic Flow equations.
- A propellant class and an engine class calculate the thrust and geometry of the required engine.
- Includes graph visualisation for altitude, velocity, thrust and dynamic pressure to visualise your rocket's flightpath.
- Multiple stage simulation for more complex rocketry simulations.
#
Physics#
The system estimates for the Mach number using the Newton-Raphson method. The Area-Mach relation equation is as follows:
$$\frac{A}{A^*}=\frac{1}{M}\left[\frac{2}{\gamma+1}(1+\frac{\gamma-1}{2}M^2)\right]^{\frac{\gamma+1}{2(\gamma-1)}}$$
Where $\gamma$ is the ratio of specific heats of the liquid propellant. The ratio shows that there are two solutions, one subsonic and one supersonic.
Historical Simulations#
| Rocket | Fuel | Graph |
|---|---|---|
| V2 | B-Stoff (3:1 Ethanol:Water) |  |
| Falcon 9 | Kerosene |  |
Tech Stack#
- Languages used: Python
- Frameworks/libraries: matplotlib
What I Learned#
- Python OOP
- Translating equations into code
- Numerical Methods
- Aerospace Engineering principles
Project Structure#
├── README.md
├── data.py
├── engine.py
├── engine_math.py
├── images
│ ├── flight_20260308-235112.png
│ └── latest.png
├── main.py
└── requirements.txt
How to Run the Project#
git clone https://github.com/liampallett/flight-dynamics.git
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py
Future Improvements#
- Implement a propellant dataset so hard-coded values are not necessary. Many simulations can be run with varying propellants to see the most effective for your rocket setup.
AI Usage Disclosure#
The use of the generative AI tool Gemini 3 Fast/Pro was used in this project for consultation only. No code in this project was created by AI.