Flight Theory and Aerodynamics

A Practical Guide for Operational Safety

Charles E. Dole, James E. Lewis, Joseph R. Badick, Brian A. Johnson

• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781119233411
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Aeronautic & Astronautic Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The pilot's guide to aeronautics and the complex forces of flight

Flight Theory and Aerodynamics is the essential pilot's guide to the physics of flight, designed specifically for those with limited engineering experience. From the basics of forces and vectors to craft-specific applications, this book explains the mechanics behind the pilot's everyday operational tasks. The discussion focuses on the concepts themselves, using only enough algebra and trigonometry to illustrate key concepts without getting bogged down in complex calculations, and then delves into the specific applications for jets, propeller crafts, and helicopters. This updated third edition includes new chapters on Flight Environment, Aircraft Structures, and UAS-UAV Flight Theory, with updated craft examples, component photos, and diagrams throughout. FAA-aligned questions and regulatory references help reinforce important concepts, and additional worked problems provide clarification on complex topics.

Modern flight control systems are becoming more complex and more varied between aircrafts, making it essential for pilots to understand the aerodynamics of flight before they ever step into a cockpit. This book provides clear explanations and flight-specific examples of the physics every pilot must know.

• Review the basic physics of flight
• Understand the applications to specific types of aircraft
• Learn why takeoff and landing entail special considerations
• Examine the force concepts behind stability and control

As a pilot, your job is to balance the effects of design, weight, load factors, and gravity during flight maneuvers, stalls, high- or low-speed flight, takeoff and landing, and more. As aircraft grow more complex and the controls become more involved, an intuitive grasp of the physics of flight is your most valuable tool for operational safety. Flight Theory and Aerodynamics is the essential resource every pilot needs for a clear understanding of the forces they control.

Chapter 1
Introduction

A basic understanding of the physical laws of nature that affect aircraft in flight and on the ground is a prerequisite for the study of aerodynamics. Modern aircraft have become more sophisticated, and more automated, using advanced materials in their construction, requiring pilots to renew their understanding of the natural forces encountered during flight. Understanding how pilots control and counteract these forces better prepares pilots and engineers for the art of flying, and for harnessing the fundamental physical laws that guide them.

Perhaps your goal is to be a pilot, who will “slip the surly bonds of earth,” as John Gillespie Magee wrote in his classic poem “High Flight.” Or maybe you aspire to build or maintain aircraft as a skilled technician. Or possibly you wish to serve in another vital role in the aviation industry, such as manager, dispatcher, meteorologist, engineer, teacher, or another capacity. Whichever area you might be considering, this textbook will attempt to build on previous material you have learned, and hopefully will prepare you for a successful aviation career.

THE FLIGHT ENVIRONMENT

This chapter begins with a review of the basic principles of physics and concludes with a summary of linear motion, mechanical energy, and power. A working knowledge of these areas, and how they relate to basic aerodynamics, is vital as we move past the rudimentary “four forces of flight” and introduce thrust and power‐producing aircraft, lift and drag curves, stability and control, maneuvering performance, slow‐speed flight, and other topics.

Up to this point you have seen that there are four basic forces acting on an aircraft in flight: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Now we must understand how these forces change as an aircraft accelerates down the runway, or descends on final approac...