Torenbeek E., Wittenberg H. Flight Physics: Essentials of Aeronautical Disciplines and Technology, with Historical Notes

Springer Science+Business Media, 2009, 535 p. — ISBN: 1402086636, 8132208935.Knowledge is not merely everything we have come to know, but also ideas we have pondered long enough to know in which way they are related, and how these ideas can be put to practical use. Modern aviation has been made possible as a result of much scienti c - search. However, the very rst useful results of this research became ava- able a considerable length of time after the aviation pioneers had made their rst ights. Apparently, researchers were not able to nd an adequate exp- nation for the occurrence of lift until the beginning of the 21st century. Also, for the fundamentals of stability and control, there was no theory available that the pioneers could rely on. Only after the rst motorized ights had been successfully made did researchers become more interested in the science of aviation, which from then on began to take shape. In modern day life, many millions of passengers are transported every year by air. People in the western societies take to the skies, on average, several times a year. Especially in areas surrounding busy airports, travel by plane has been on the rise since the end of the Second World War. Despite becoming familiar with the sight of a jumbo jet commencing its ight once or twice a day, many nd it astonishing that such a colossus with a mass of several hundred thousands of kilograms can actually lift off from the ground.History of AviationEarly history and the invention of ballooning
The period between 1799 and 1870
The decades between 1870 and 1890
From 1890 until the Wright Flyer III
European aviation between 1906 and 1918
Aviation between the world wars
Development after 1940Introduction to Atmospheric Flight
Flying – How is that possible?
Static and dynamic aviation
Forces on the aeroplane
Lift, drag and thrust
Properties of air
The earth’s atmosphere
The standard atmosphere
Atmospheric flightLow-Speed Aerodynamics
Speed domains and compressibility
Basic concepts
Equations for steady flow
Viscous flows
The boundary layer
Flow separation and drag
Shape and scale effects on dragLift and Drag at Low Speeds
Function and shape of aeroplane wings
Aerofoil sections
Circulation and lift
Aerofoil section properties
Wing geometry
High-aspect ratio straight wings
Low-aspect ratio wings
The whole aircraftAircraft Engines and Propulsion
History of engine development
Fundamentals of reaction propulsion
Engine efficiency and fuel consumption
Piston engines in aviation
Gas turbine engine components
Non-reheated turbojet and turbofan engines
Turboprop and turboshaft engines
Gas turbine engine operation
Propeller performanceAeroplane PerformanceAirspeed and altitude
Equations of motion for symmetric flight
Steady straight and level flight
Climb and descent
Gliding flight
Cruising flight
Take-off and landing
Horizontal steady turn
Manoeuvre and gust loadsStability and Control
Flying qualities
Elementary concepts and definitions
Tail surfaces and flight control
Pitching moment of aerofoils
Static longitudinal stability
Dynamic longitudinal stability
Longitudinal control
Static lateral stability
Dynamic lateral stability
Lateral control
Stalling and spinningHelicopter Flight Mechanics
Helicopter general arrangements
Hovering flight
The rotor in level flight
Flight performance
Stability and controlHigh-Speed Flight
Complications due to the compressibility of air
Compressible flow relationships
Speed of sound and Mach number
Flow in a channel
Shock waves and expansion flows
High-subsonic speed
Transonic speed
Supersonic speed
Supersonic propulsion
Performance and operation