Introduction to Aeronautics

The most exciting moment for an aeronautical engineer is when his or her design becomes a working aircraft, the endpoint of a journey that begins in the classroom. This textbook provides the resources that students need to understand the methods and thought processes involved in designing aircraft. Students learn through the use of specific analytical principles, practical examples, case studies, and corresponding problems to solve. The material in this textbook and AeroDYNAMIC 3.0 software (purchased separately) is sufficient to support a university-level course of three to six semester hours. At the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Chapters 1-6 are used in a three-semester-hour course taught to the entire student body. The material in Chapters 7-10 is taught at USAFA in later courses taken only by aeronautical engineering majors. For professors, this textbook comes complete with end-of-chapter homework problems that provide a summary of the concepts and features contained in the chapters. The problems provide students with an excellent opportunity to analyze and synthesize industry examples, ensuring they understand the key concepts and their applications.