Meet TLG’s Aerodynamics Team

TLG’s Aerodynamics group is at the forefront of innovation, applying state-of-the-art capabilities across various flight sciences disciplines. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a deep dive into each of our capabilities, including:
- New Aircraft Design: Systems Engineering, Aerodynamic Configuration
- Shape Design: Wings, Airfoils, Highlift Systems, Bodies, Nacelles, Pylons, Auxiliary Cooling Systems, …
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): Multi-fidelity, Aero Database, Forensic Analysis, Steady, Unsteady, Multiphase, Aeroelastic
- Performance, Handling Qualities, Stability, and Control
- Flight Dynamics Simulation, Store Separation
- Decompression Analysis
- Component Icing Analysis
- Wind Tunnel Testing
- Flight Testing
- Laser Scan (Aerodynamicist-Led Metrology Surveys)
From new aircraft design and shape optimization to performance analysis, wind tunnel testing, and flight dynamics simulations, our team’s expertise is informed by practical experience and understanding of the product life cycle from concept inception to certification.

Our team excels at tailoring the right level of precision to each project, making our small but skilled team a trusted partner for clients ranging from innovative start-ups to established organizations.
Meet our Team:
Andrew McComas

Andrew is TLG’s Chief Aerodynamicist and has led the design of numerous flight-proven systems, including new aircraft configurations, special missions, and performance-enhancing modifications. The speed range of flight-proven designs spans Mach 0 to 5 and includes experimental aircraft, GA, transport, UAS, after-market STCs, and OEM factory hardware.
Reid McCaul

Reid is TLG’s Flight Sciences Lead and FAA Flight Analyst DER, and is an expert in aircraft performance, handling qualities, flight operations, test planning, certification, and flight safety management. Reid has over 1,200 on-aircraft experience as a test director or data analyst, contributing to numerous STCs, and brings that criteria-focused approach to his design and analysis projects.
Dr. Peter Burns

Peter is TLG’s CFD Lead and was the Aerospace Global Technical Specialist for Siemens PLM Software covering the STAR-CCM+ CFD software segment before joining TLG. Peter’s deep expertise combined with TLG’s methodical approach to best practices and quality assurance means that TLG CFD is fast, robust, high-quality, traceable, and appropriately documented. CFD analysis at TLG is informed by TLG’s extensive applied and experimental aerodynamics expertise.
Connect with TLG’s Chief Aerodynamicist, Andrew McComas, to learn how we can support your program’s success.
Understanding Flutter: The Feedback Loop Behind Aerodynamic Stability in Aircraft

Flutter is the engineering study of potentially unstable interactions between the aerodynamic forces on an air vehicle and the deformation due to those forces. The formal name for these studies acknowledges interaction in ‘aeroelastic stability’ by combining the terms ‘aerodynamic’ and ‘elasticity’.
All flight vehicles experience forces due to traveling through the air. This is a requirement for aircraft because it generates the lift that keeps the airplane in the sky (as well as the drag that must be overcome by engine thrust).
But there’s more going on outside that airliner cabin window. The airplane deforms under those loads like bending and twisting a stick or a straw. Thinner wings generally deform more than thicker ones, and fuselages usually deform the least, but they all deform under load. That change in shape affects the aerodynamic forces. But those forces were causing the deformation in the first place, so now the deformed shape is different. And the aerodynamic forces are different again, and so on. We call this a ‘feedback loop’. Flutter is the study of whether this feedback loop is stable or unstable. A stable response converges to a final static state. An unstable response, once started, will grow on its own until the structure breaks.
Every airliner trip you have taken has been on a flutter-free airplane. Have you looked out the window and seen the wing shaking in turbulence? This is the airplane’s dynamic response to the unsteady gusts of air. When the turbulence stops, the wing stops shaking. That is a stable response to the gust input.
Here are two examples. In the first clip, this NASA experimental airplane is intentionally flown close to a flutter boundary speed. You can see the tail starting to deform. In the second clip, you can see the wings of a glider bending and twisting at high speed.
Lighter-weight structures may flutter more easily, but lightweight is not a requirement. The most famous flutter example is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge across Puget Sound. The bridge shape allowed for unstable coupling with the wind, and the bridge tore itself apart not even a year after it was finished:
Flutter engineers analyze the airplane using mathematical models of the structure and the aerodynamics. Airliners must be free from flutter throughout the ‘flight envelope’ – all speeds and altitudes at which the airplane is designed to operate – including a ‘dive’ margin for accidental overspeeds, and a 15% additional margin on top of that. All possible loads of passengers/cargo/fuel must be considered in addition to a laundry list of ‘non-normal’ conditions, including equipment or structural failures. Ground and flight test campaigns validate the analysis data and provide the final demonstration of safety.
Next time you ride through turbulence, you can watch the wing flex and know that motion has been thoroughly evaluated by flutter engineers.
TLG Aerospace specializes in aircraft flutter analysis and certification. We help ensure aircraft are free from flutter across all configurations and conditions for flight safety and compliance with airworthiness standards.
Our services include ground and flight testing, as well as advanced modeling techniques like Finite Element Models (FEM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to validate structural and aerodynamic data. TLG also conducts Ground Vibration Tests (GVT) to assess structural vibration modes and simulate failure scenarios.
Our series on Flutter will be expanded in the coming weeks with discussions on various types of Flutter.
Connect with TLG’s Director of Engineering, FAA Flight Analyst DER, and FAA Flutter DER, Robert Lind.
Structural Analysis at TLG
Aircraft Internal Loads Model and Bird Strike Simulation
Structural analysis is essential to achieving mission success in the aerospace industry, where precision and reliability are non-negotiable. Founded in 2008, TLG Aerospace’s addition of stress and design in 2014 enabled us to support the entire iterative aircraft design cycle, from initial concept development to final certification.
Our solutions empower innovators to design confidently, tackle complex challenges, and achieve breakthroughs in an industry that reaches for the sky and beyond.
We conduct aircraft structural analysis using a combination of classical methods and numerical simulation tools to evaluate and optimize the sizing of structural components.
TLG uses several of the latest industry-leading simulation applications. We can run a comprehensive range of simulations, including linear static, modal, buckling, frequency response, thermal, implicit, and explicit nonlinear.
TLG’s Structural Analysis Services also include:
- Metallic and Composite Analysis and Formal Reports
- Composite Material Property Development
- Static, Fatigue, and Damage Tolerance Analysis
- Continued Airworthiness Documentation
- Support in-service Major Repairs and Alterations
- Ground Test Planning, Support, and Analysis
Benefits for Aero and Space Sector Applications:
- Design Optimization: Develop stress distributions in critical components like fuselages, wings, or spacecraft structures, helping to ensure maximum performance in extreme conditions.
- Cost Savings: Optimize material usage in lightweight designs that still stand up to the immense pressures of flight and space environments.
- Enhanced Safety: Deliver spacecraft, aircraft, and satellites that meet rigorous safety standards, minimizing the risks associated with high-stakes missions.
- Innovation Support: Push the boundaries of aerospace technology—whether it’s reusable rockets, next-gen satellites, or supersonic aircraft—knowing your designs are fortified by advanced analysis.
Our expertise in stress analysis empowers your projects to withstand the demands of atmospheric reentry, microgravity environments, and everything in between. TLG is your trusted partner to build stronger, smarter, and safer aerospace solutions.
Contact our Business Development Director, Tommy Gantz, or Engineering Manager, Ian Draycott, to discuss how TLG can help your project goals.
Let’s collaborate. Contact Tommy Gantz, our Business Development Director, or Ian Draycott, our Engineering Manager, to discuss your project.
Design Engineering at TLG

TLG’s Design Engineering Team leverages our extensive industry experience to deliver robust and certifiable products for all aerospace applications. Our dedicated design team supports your product development at every stage, from conceptual design through final design and into production.
We enable a seamless transition from concept to reality. At TLG, our design team has experience supporting new vehicle concepts, major/minor modifications, and Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for Part 23 and 25 aircraft and various spacecraft.
We have successfully delivered engineering support to our customers on over 50 projects worldwide.
Types of Projects include:
- Aerial Firefighter Tanker Conversions
- Passenger-to-Freighter Conversions
- Radome and Antenna Modifications
- Aerial Dispersant Conversion
- Spacecraft & Launch Vehicle Primary and Secondary Structures
- Spacecraft & Launch Vehicle Systems Design and Systems Routing
- Float Plane Development
- Wind Tunnel Model Design and Testing Support
- Material Trade Studies
- Production Support & Liaison
- BOM/EAMR Preparation
- Repair Design
- STC Modifications
- Submarine Systems
- Design & Drawing Reviews
- Technical Publication Creation & Revision
- Supplemental Technical Publications/Instructions for Continued Airworthiness
- Weight Reduction / Manufacturing Improvement
- Special Misson Modifications
Our Design Team Makes Your Team Stronger! Our team has:
- An average of 15 years of industry experience
- Level 2-4 Designers with 5-25 years of specialized knowledge
- Extensive aircraft expertise from Tier 1 suppliers, MROs, and OEMs including Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed Martin
- Capabilities spanning Widebody & Narrowbody Commercial, Military, Regional Jet, General Aviation, and Special Missions
- Work permits for countries within the European Union
- Diverse backgrounds in structural design
Proficiencies include:
- Catia V5 and V6/ 3DExperience
- ENOVIA LCA & ENOVIA SmartTeam
- On-Premise 3DX PLM/PDM (Enables Secure Customer Data Management)
- CREO/Windchill
- SolidWorks
- Siemens NX / Teamcenter
- Boeing Drawing System (MyFleet, etc.)
- Jira
- MS Project Suite
- Aircraft Conceptual & Preliminary Design
- Certification Test Article Design
- NDI Methods Development
- Ergonomic Design Practices
- Lightning Protection
- Seal Application Requirements
- Aerodynamic Surface Modeling and Lofting Methodology
- Reverse Engineering (3D Scan to CAD Conversion)
- Composites Design & Manufacturing (including 2D, 3D MBD, Manual Ply, Zone-to-Ply, Grid Design)
- Metallic Design & Manufacturing (Sheetmetal & Machining)
- 3D Functional Annotation and Tolerancing (FT&A)
- Spacecraft, Military, and Commercial Vehicle Primary/Secondary Structure Development
- Reverse Engineering/Digital Twin
- Weight/Cost Reduction Savings Trade Studies
- 2D Drafting to ASME or Customer Specifications
- Design Review and Drawing Redlining by TLG Senior Engineers
Contact us by emailing Tommy Gantz to discuss your design engineering project goals.
Connect with TLG’s Design Engineering Manager Jeff Barnes.
TLG’s Designated Engineering Representatives (DERs)
TLG Aerospace provides aerospace engineering services from concept development through certification. We are distinguished by our FAA certification experience, notably featuring five Designated Engineering Representatives (DERs).
Our DERs, authorized by the FAA, provide specialized technical reviews and approvals across key engineering disciplines including loads, flight analysis, flutter, and structures.
Our in-house certification expertise significantly streamlines the design-build-certification process for clients. With these experts embedded within our engineering team, TLG offers clients efficient and direct access to critical certification approvals, facilitating a smoother and more predictable path to FAA compliance.
Contact TLG today through Tommy Gantz to further discuss how TLG’s experience can best support your project’s certification requirements.
Connect with TLG DERs: Steve Muenzberg | Robert Lind | Ian Draycott | Josh Sementi | Reid McCaul

TLG presented at AIAA SciTech 2025

Peter Burns presented a paper “Automated Method for Rapid Estimation of Aeroelastic Wing Shapes – TLG StarBeam” at AIAA SciTech on January 7, 2025. which he co-authored with Andrew McComas and Andy Magstadt. The topic was TLG Aerospace’s internally developed code ‘StarBeam’ which brings aeroelastic capability within our workhorse CFD code Star-CCM+.
StarBeam couples a structural solver and a mapping algorithm using a STAR-CCM+ macro capability. The structural solver calculates deformations under load and the mapping algorithm transfers those deformations to the CFD grid in a physically realistic way. The CFD solution provides results for the deformed structure and the solution iterates to convergence.

The tool was developed by and for our TLG industry aerodynamicists and structural dynamics experts and contains useful features often unavailable in other tools and codes. These capabilities help TLG efficiently and accurately drive our analysis and engineering evaluations for customer programs:
- Ideal for early stages of a project
- Elastic wing shape is needed to enable structural design and inform CFD and wind tunnel models
- Calibrated aeroelastic model may not exist yet
- Beam properties or stiffness matrix from higher-order FEM
- Loads Reference Axis (LRA), approximate rib plane locations and orientations, incremental fuel load
- Splining is fully automatic and robust
- Appendages rigidly translate and rotate about their attachments
- Performs fully non-linear large deflections process in a single execution
- Classical methods require manual iteration of the model to address large deformations
It’s terrific we spoke on this particular effort and highlighted some of the great work TLG brings to the engineering world. Thank you to Peter for presenting, to Andrew, Peter, and Andy for writing the paper, and to everyone who helped put this process together and use it—and our other tools—every day.
The paper was well received at the conference and we look forward to continuing discussions.
Please connect with our authors: Andrew McComas, Dr. Peter Burns, and Andy Magstadt.
Robert Lind
Director of Engineering
#TLGAerospace | #EngineeringExcellence | #AIAASciTech | #Aerodynamics | #Aeroelasticity | #CFD
TLG Aerospace is Your Trusted Partner for CFD Services

From designing cutting-edge aircraft to predicting aerodynamic performance, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) plays a pivotal role at all stages of the product lifecycle.
Since we were just in the wind tunnel last month (see our post here), we thought it would be fun to discuss how CFD can be used as a virtual wind tunnel. We’re big fans of real-world testing, but we think you get more value when you combine it with CFD-based predictions.
Below are a few of the advantages CFD has over a wind tunnel which make it a complementary tool.
◾ Upfront costs and schedule – Wind tunnel models are expensive and take time to build. These costs pay off once you are in the tunnel, but CFD has a much lower cost and lead time to seeing the first actionable results. Further, CFD allows teams to refine their early-stage concepts quickly, which means a design is much more mature by the time you enter the tunnel.
◾ Maximizing value – During a wind tunnel test campaign, time is a limited resource, and you want to extract the most value you can. Having a good set of CFD-based predictions allows the test engineers to focus on key strategic objectives or to troubleshoot unexpected results. One example is simulating full-scale Reynolds numbers in a low-speed (non-pressurized) tunnel. Full and model-scale CFD results can help the test crew employ techniques to approximate full-scale results.
While software and cloud computing have come a long way, you still need a team that knows how to interpret and deliver actionable results. TLG offers our customers world-class CFD services led by our in-house expert Dr. Peter Burns. Before joining TLG, Peter was the global aerospace technical specialist for Siemens PLM Software supporting their STAR-CCM+ software. Check out Peter and the rest of our leadership team, as well as a complete look at our engineering service offering, at https://lnkd.in/g9i2jwQ7.
To learn more about the CFD capabilities at TLG, check out the links below.
◾ AWS webinar in partnership with Siemens – https://lnkd.in/g5rj2veX
◾ TLG was one of the earliest AWS HPC partners, just check out this case study from 2016! Quite a bit has changed since then, but it is an interesting look back – https://lnkd.in/gvmvhk6Z
Extreme Offset Hinge Line on the DC-3 Rudder
TLG had a great time at #NBAABACE 2023 meeting with our customers and friends, and forming new relationships. We look forward to following up.
One of the highlights of the annual show is visiting the flight line with Robert Lind as there are so many exciting parts and functions of aircraft to learn with an expert at your side. Tommy Gantz and Christy Fields were thankful to share Robert’s excitement and learn more great facts from him during our last day at the show.
Below, Robert summarizes his mission to document some control surface aerodynamic balance concepts at the aircraft display. The DC-3 rudder is an example of an extreme ‘offset hinge line.’ Read on for more from Robert . . .








Hypersonic Flow on the X-34 with Adaptive Mesh Refinement
TLG uses the latest version of CD-adapco’s Navier Stokes Solver STAR-CCM+ for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations. Whenever there’s a little down time, we like to keep the solver running on problems which expand both our knowledge and our validation database for the code. One good example of this is the NASA X-34 Vehicle. The X-34 was a technology demonstrator intended to help develop the reusable launch vehicle technology by making frequent hypersonic, sub-orbital hops followed by a fast turn-around. A lot of wind tunnel testing was done on the vehicle, which unfortunately never flew after funding priorities changed.
For this CFD experiment, TLG decided to test the CCM+ adaptive mesh refinement capability at a Mach 6, 15° angle of attack re-entry condition for the X-34 and compare the resulting shock angles to the Schlieren images given in AIAA-98-0881.
Initial Mesh Generation
Normally CFD mesh generation provides maximum refinement (smallest size) only at the areas of high curvatures near the vehicle, and then the cell sizes grow with distance into the free stream. For subsonic flows, this works well and the quickly growing cell sizes keep memory and CPU requirements reasonable. This approach provides the initial mesh for the X34 as shown in Figure 1, which is a Cartesian off-body mesh with trimmed cells at the body interface.
However, for hypersonic flow there is a detached shock, like the bow wave of a boat. Since aerodynamics change very quickly across a shock (by definition), and since the propagation of the shock into the far field affects the accuracy of the solution, it will be necessary to refine the off-body mesh to capture the shock in 3D.
Mesh Refinement
In order to place more cells in the location of the shock, a CCM+ “user defined field function” was created, which marked all the grid cells in the volume solution with Mach 5.88 to 5.99 – i.e. just below the free stream Mach number. In the initial very coarse off-body grid, this results in the big blocky blue cells shown in Figure 2, which is a 2D section taken at the centerline of the volume mesh. The mesher was then re-run with a small cell size refinement dictated by the field function, the solution re-started and converged to a sharper shock in the far field. The entire process was repeated a second time to finally arrive at the off-body mesh with localized refinement along the major shocks as shown in Figure 3. Because the solution could be interpolated to the new mesh and restarted each time, the additional run times as the mesh density increased were significantly reduced from a ‘clean start’ condition.
Shock Angles and Experimental Data
The real check on the method comes with comparison to experimental data. This was done by over-laying the CFD side view against the Schlieren images published in AIAA-98-0881, as shown in Figure 4. While the CFD is a 2D slice through a 3D solution, the Schieren is 3D, but the strongest shocks are still going to be the nose in the 2D plane allowing for easy comparison to the CFD solution. The upper shock angle shows a very nice correlation with the computational result, and the lower shock angle is very close, less than two degrees difference, as shown by the red circles. The final image shows the 3D nature of the full solution by putting Mach contours on a series of six cut planes along the body.