FAST Regressions

Overview

FAST utilizes historical data driven regressions to make predicitions about aircraft parameters before and during the sizing process. The regressions used in FAST can also be called independently of aircraft sizing for anyone interested in analysis! The regression package is located in the github repository, and will be included when forking.

The regression package can be used to explore relationships between aircraft parameters, make predictions about new designs, or to learn about probabilistic regressions. Additionally, the package can be used with custom datasets as well, assuming they are organized the same way as the FAST database. The IDEAS Lab recommends checking out the documentation in the regression package or referring to the videos on YouTube for easy use!

For a detailed explanation on the Gaussian Process Regressions used in this package, refer to our recent study:

• Provisional Citation: Arnson, M. and Aljaber, R. and Cinar, G., “Predicting Conceptual Aircraft Design Parameters Using Gaussian Process Regressions on Historical Data},” in press, AIAA SciTech Forum, 2025.

Accessing the FAST Database

All of the data used in the FAST regressions is available for free on the FAST Github, in the database package. The database is stored in three formats. The first is a large .xlsx workbook, with four different sheets. Each sheet stores information on: turbofan aircraft, turboprop aircraft, turbofan engines, or turboprop engines. The second format is two condensed .xlxs workbooks which can easily be imported into a statistical analysis tool such as JMP. The third format is a .mat file, which can be loaded into MATLAB. After loading, six variables will be present in the workspace: TurbofanAC, TurbopropAC, TurbofanEngines, TurbopropEngines, FanUnitsReference, and PropUnitsReference. These variables store the same information as the .xlxs formats, but in a set of nested structures. The UnitReference variables are identical to any specific aircraft in the AC variables, but store units instead of numerical values. Engine units are stored in Specs » Propulsion » Engine.

Get Started with FAST

FAST is open-source and freely available under an Apache 2.0 license. To start using FAST, visit the GitHub repository here. The repository contains detailed documentation, including a comprehensive user guide to help you get started with the software.

If you use FAST in your research or projects, please cite our work as follows:

• Future Aircraft Sizing Tool (FAST) developed by the IDEAS Lab at the University of Michigan. Available at: https://github.com/ideas-um/FAST

FAST Video Tutorials Explore our comprehensive video tutorials to get the most out of the Future Aircraft Sizing Tool (FAST). Hosted by the IDEAS Lab researchers, these tutorials cover everything from installation to advanced features. Visit our YouTube channel for all videos.

Stay tuned for more tutorials and updates.

Watch the Playlist

Visit our YouTube channel for more tutorials.

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Funding and Acknowledgment: This work is sponsored by the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project, “Development of a Parametrically Driven Electrified Aircraft Design and Optimization Tool”. The IDEAS Lab would like to thank Ralph Jansen, Andrew Meade, Karin Bozak, Amy Chicatelli, Noah Listgarten, Dennis Rohn, and Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor from the NASA EPFD project for supporting this work and providing valuable technical input and feedback throughout the duration of the project.

Glenn Engineering and Research Support Contract (GEARS) Contract No. 80GRC020D0003