DACPEI

DACPEI is a handy CAD software that focuses on designing fixed-wing aircraft. It comes with various modules to help you analyze mission profiles, aircraft performance, propulsion, layout design, and even sketches with detailed aircraft drawings.

Portable Utility for Easy Access

This software is super portable! You can easily drop it onto USB flash drives or any other portable media devices. The best part? There’s no installation needed! Just open the executable file and you’re good to go.

No Messy Installations

Your Windows registry stays nice and clean without extra entries piling up. If you decide DACPEI isn’t for you, uninstalling is as easy as deleting the program files.

User-Friendly Interface

When you first open DACPEI, you'll see a blank slate with just a few configuration options. A small movable window pops up showing 9 different modules to help define your aircraft designs. It's simple and straightforward!

Customize Your Aircraft Designs Easily

Just click on any module to bring up a panel in the main window where you can customize parameters specific to your design. You can even open multiple modules at once and arrange them however you like using drag-and-drop support.

Define Your Mission Parameters

DACPEI makes it easy to set up new missions by letting you define stall velocity, rate of climb, available power, take-off distance, cruise speed, and passenger weight—all essential factors for crafting your aircraft's capabilities.

Select Airfoil Types and Layouts

You’ve got options! Choose between several airfoil types or layout designs like rectangular or elliptical formats to suit your project needs.

Preview Your Sketches Like a Pro

The initial sketch gets its own preview panel where you can tweak the pilot’s position, engine placement, wing shape, tail orientation—plus zoom in or rotate the design to see it from different angles!

Design Your Own Propeller

The built-in propeller designer lets you input details about engine power, desired thrust, flying speed, number of blades, and propeller width. You can also check out how your propeller will look in its own dedicated preview window.

Compute Performance Metrics

DACPEI doesn’t stop there! It calculates required power along with rates of climb and descent based on custom performance parameters related to engines (like horsepower), airplane specifics (like weight), wing features (surface area), and environmental factors (like air density).

Export Options for FlightSim Testing

You can save your designs in XML format so they can be imported into FlightGear , a flight simulator that lets you test out your creations!

A Comprehensive Tool with Room for Growth

DACPEI really shines with its range of features that allow for meticulous aircraft design creation. However, we did notice some areas needing improvement while testing it on Windows 8.1 Pro; we faced a few crashes during customization attempts.