北京航空航天大学飞行器设计专业是建国初期由多所著名大学航空工程系飞行器设计专业合并建立和发展起来的，几十年来在科研和人才培养方面为我国航空、航天事业的发展作出了突出的贡献。该专业是我国首批具有硕士、博士学位授权的专业，也是首批博士后流动站单位，1992年被评为全国同类学科第一名。本学科每年承担和参与了多项国家飞行器型号研制，武器装备可靠性系统工程，‘863’高技术和国家自然科学基金等重大项目的研究。曾先后研制了国内第一架轻型旅客机‘北京一号’，亚洲第一枚探空火箭‘北京二号’，国内第一架高空高速无人侦察机和第一架共轴式遥控直升机。取得了上百项国家和省部级科研成果。目前本学科有以下研究方向在国内外具有较强的学术地位。
目前，北航飞机设计研究所已具有一支以年轻人为主、具有高学历和较高的教学科研水平的教师队伍，其中教授7人，副教授11人。专业研究方向较齐全，主要研究方向有：
专业研究方向有:
飞行器气动布局与总体综合设计
飞行器隐身技术与作战效能研究
飞行器结构优化和CAD技术
飞行器结构耐久性和损伤容限设计理论及技术
复合材料结构分析与设计
飞行器结构可靠性设计
无人机、旋翼机及特种飞行器等工程技术研究
高效能，长寿命起落架设计技术研究
飞行器气动弹性设计
飞机所还具备如下设备精良，条件良好的实验室：CAD实验室，飞机结构陈列室，隐身实验室，轻型飞机实验室和北京航空馆。
Introduction to the Institute of Aircraft Design
The discipline of flight vehicle design was founded in early 1950’s by merging some related majors in the aerospace engineering departments of several famous universities in China. It has made prominent contributions to the development of national aeronautics and astronautics industries for many decades both in research and education areas. This discipline is among the first programs leading to Master and Doctor’s degrees. Also it is one of the first post-doctorate facilities approved by the state council. This discipline has undertaken and/or participated in the research work of many national flight vehicle prototypes, weapon equipment reliability engineering, “863” high-tech plans and national foundation of natural science projects. It has developed the first domestic light passenger airplane-“Beijing-1”, the first Asian exploration rocket-“Beijing-2”, the first domestic high-altitude and high-speed unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and the first domestic co-axial remote controlled helicopter. In addition, the research field of this discipline has won great achievements on more than one hundred national and provincial projects. Now, this research field has gained remarkable academic status in China and abroad.
At present, the institute of aircraft design of BUAA owns a team of teaching and research staff with well-educated academic experience, among which there are 7 professors and 11 associate professors. The following research fields cover a broad range of specialities including the following research directions:
·Aerodynamic layout and overall design & synthesis of flight vehicles
·Aircraft stealth technology design and combat effectiveness
·Aircraft structure optimization and CAD
·Damage tolerance and durability design of aircraft structure
·Composite structure design and analysis
·Aircraft structural reliability design
·Aircraft aeroelastic design
·Design of unmanned flight vehicles and rotorcrafts
·Aircraft landing gear design
The institute possesses the following well-equipped experimental facilities and laboratories: CAD research center, Display section of aircraft structure and components, Stealth technology Lab, Light aircraft design section, and Beijing museum of aeronautics.
