AERODYNAMIC
INTEGRATION

PROPULSION • WING
GENERATIVE DESIGN • OPTIMIZATION

The future of engineering and design is integrated.

Boeing's next aircraft, undoubtedly named the 797, is poised to truly revolutionize the middle of the market.  Though performance targets are not yet public, suffice it to say that every inch of the airplane is either stretched or shrunk to its limit.

In order to have a chance to meet these targets, we proposed an unconventional design.  All propulsion aerodynamic systems would be shrunk down to their absolute limit and tightly integrated to the wing.  Existing tools could not reasonably predict the radical new design; subject matter experts held contentiously different opinions.

I believed strongly in the concept and felt it to be the only way to deliver the expected performance.  However, without new design and analysis tools, it was difficult to substantiate these claims.  The only way forward was to create new generative design and optimization techniques that would unify the entire propulsion system and dissolve the barriers between propulsion and wing design groups.

After much work, I successfully sought funding for and directed efforts across six product development and research groups to create novel geometry, simulation and optimization tools.  In the end, we proved the design's success.  Not only did we establish new standards for propulsion and wing integration, but the tools we developed combined the efforts of two full-time engineers into one.

In many ways, this project was the capstone to all of my previous efforts.  It required an acute understanding of propulsion design, wing design, airplane performance, and computer science.  Furthermore, it demanded close coordination between multiple disciplines and the ability to collaborate with experts who often violently disagreed.  I take great pride in helping lay the groundwork for Boeing's first all-new airplane in over a decade and look forward to seeing it fly in the years to come.