Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics (2-Day In-Person Course) 6 June 2026 - 7 June 2026 Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA

Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics (2-Day In-Person Course)


Instructed by Dr. Russell Cummings, Professor of Aeronautics and Managing Director of the DoD HPCMP Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute at the US Air Force Academy

  • 2-Day Course, held in conjunction with 2026 AIAA AVIATION Forum in San Diego, California
  • Saturday/Sunday June 6-7, 2026
  • This essential course focuses on the Aerothermodynamic properties and challenges of Hypersonic flight.
  • All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course

 

OVERVIEW
The Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics course will provide comprehensive coverage of the basic principles, technologies, and methodologies pertaining to the multi-disciplined realm of hypersonic flight. Key technical topics covered in this course include hypersonic aerodynamics, hypersonic flow physics, high-temperature gas dynamics, aerodynamic heating, plasma effects, boundary layer transition, and flight vehicle force and moment characteristics. Course material will extend beyond basic hypersonic aerothermodynamics, touching on related multi-disciplinary topics that are intimately related to hypersonic flight, including hypersonic vehicle design, airbreathing propulsion systems, thermal protection systems, and flight trajectory challenges.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Acquire a sound understanding of hypersonic aerothermodynamics and the effects of the hypersonic flight environment on vehicle loads and performance
  • Acquire an understanding of the limitations and abilities of hypersonic systems
  • Acquire an understanding of related topics, such as the basics of hypersonic vehicle design, air-breathing propulsion, and high speed structures and materials
  • Appreciate the extensive and impressive history of hypersonic flight and its influence on both current and projected hypersonic programs
  • [See Detailed outline below]

AUDIENCE
This course is intended for aerospace professionals or graduate students who have had coverage of basic aerodynamic/thermodynamic subjects but who have not had any significant exposure to hypersonic aerothermodynamics. Participants should be able to perform basic calculations using isentropic flow and shock/expansion flow, although these topics will be reviewed within the course. Those with added interest in hypersonic vehicle design and air-breathing propulsion can use this course to prepare for those more advanced topics.

COURSE INFORMATION
Type of Course: Instructor-Led Short Course
Course Level: Fundamentals/Intermediate
Course Length: 2-3 days
AIAA CEU’s available: Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

This course is also available on-demand. Register here.

Outline
  • Overview of Hypersonic History, Background, and Current Status (approx. 2 hours)
    • Vehicle history in the US and the impact of that history on present day capabilities and approaches
    • Present day capabilities and challenges
    • Hypersonic aerothermodynamic history and background
    • High speed X-planes from the X-15 though the X-51 and beyond
    • Definition and overview of the hypersonic challenge
  • Review of Basic Concepts (approx. 2 hours)
    • Standard atmosphere
    • Thermodynamic properties
    • Speed of sound
    • Perfect gas
    • Mach number
    • Reynolds number
    • Boundary layers
    • Use of NACA 1135 Report
  • Compressible Flow Review (approx. 2 hours)
    • Conservation laws
    • Isentropic relations
    • Normal shocks
    • Oblique shocks
    • Prandtl-Meyer flow
    • Conical flow
  • Vehicle Types and Trajectories (approx. 2 hours)
    • Classes of hypersonic vehicles
    • Typical hypersonic flight trajectories
    • Re-entry approaches and challenges
    • Space Shuttle as an example vehicle
    • Flight variables and constraints
  • Hypersonic Aerothermodynamic Challenges (approx. 6 hours)
    • Shock Layers and Shock-Shock, Shock-Boundary Layer Interactions
    • Boundary Layer Heating and Impact of Transition
    • Entropy Layers
    • High Temperature Effects
    • Low Density Flows
  • Wrap-Up (approx. 2 hours)
    • Ground and Flight Test Challenges
    • Hypersonic Vehicle Design Challenges
    • Hypersonic Air-Breathing Propulsion Challenges
    • Summary and Conclusions; Follow-on Courses Offered by AIAA
Materials

Soft copy course notes will be made available 3-5 days prior to the course event. You will receive an email with detailed instructions on how to access your course notes. Since these notes will not be distributed on site, AIAA and your course instructor highly recommend that you bring your computer with the course notes already downloaded.

Instructors
Dr. Russell Cummings is Professor of Aeronautics and Managing Director of the DoD HPCMP Hypersonic Vehicle Simulation Institute at the US Air Force Academy. From 2015-2018 he was the Technical Director at AFOSR’s European Office of Aerospace Research & Development in London. Dr. Cummings is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, and also has earned B.S., B.A., and M.S. degrees from California Polytechnic State University. He currently serves as deputy editor of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets and is an associate editor of the Journal of Aircraft and Aerospace Science and Technology. He is co-author of the Sixth Edition of Aerodynamics for Engineers and lead author for Applied Computational Aerodynamics. Dr. Cummings has previously worked at Hughes Aircraft Company, NASA Ames Research Center, and California Polytechnic State University. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

 

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