This is an abridged syllabus. You can access the complete syllabus in your Canvas course.

535.752.82 - Advanced Flight Dynamics and Control of Aerospace Vehicles

Mechanical Engineering
Fall 2026

Description

This course is an introduction to the mathematical derivation, behavioral insight into and control of the dynamics of aerospace vehicles. The course will cover current vehicles of interest ranging from small unmanned aircraft, to hypersonic aircraft and spacecraft in earth orbit. Starting from first principles in vector math and conservation of linear and angular momentum in inertial and non-inertial (rotating) coordinate systems we will develop the fundamental equations of motion that describe the flight of these vehicles. Because understanding is best achieved through hands on experience students will develop and implement the necessary vector math, transformations, earth environment models and rigid body dynamics in MATLAB; the models you develop will directly parallel and follow the progression of the course ultimately realizing a full nonlinear 6-degree-of-freedom simulation of an aircraft that we will use to investigate and understand the nature of their dynamic motion and to discover and implement control systems to change and improve their natural dynamic response.

Instructor

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

  • Implement high fidelity round-rotating earth models of gravity, atmosphere and coordinate transformations
  • Derive equations-of-motion for rigid-bodies in flight from first principles using the laws of conservation of linear and angular momentum
  • Implement the full six degree-of-freedom equations-of-motion of an aerospace vehicle in simulation environments like MATLAB and C++
  • Implement and analyze complex aerodynamic models of aerospace vehicles and assess their natural response including characterizing the static stability, identification of the flight modes including longitudinal (phugoid and short-period) and lateral (roll subsidence, dutch-roll, spiral-divergence) modes
  • Design and implement flight control systems to enhance the dynamic characteristics of a vehicle in flight

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping, and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar. Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course. 

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students. This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Our courses are designed with a proactive approach to accessibility to minimize the need for disability disclosure and accommodation requests, but we recognize that you may need additional support. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions, and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.  For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact EP Student Disability Services at ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu. 

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. For a full description of the code please visit the Student Conduct Code website.

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team (EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu) in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.