Mechanics of Flight 2nd Edition

When designing a one-off experimental aircraft, you should start with something like Raymer's 'Simplified Aircraft Design for Homebuilders', and then move on to his textbook or Darrol Stinton's equally informative texts. There are also other good 'general' design books, like Hiscock's 'Design of Light Aircraft' or Pazmany's "Light Airplane Design". Eventually, though, you'll need to move beyond simpler equations and rules of thumb into more detailed math. Unfortunately, most texts for this phase are either older, hard-to-find texts written in the days of prop planes (eg Perkins-Hage 'Stability and Control', still a must-have classic) or modern textbooks heavy in grad-level math and a focus on advanced-transport/supersonic fighter applications. 'Mechanics of Flight', on the other hand, is one of those few modern textbooks that are as useful for general aviation enthusiasts as for those aiming for a career at Boeing. Yes, there are chapters on turbojet engines and supersonic flow, and yes, you had better be comfortable with engineering mathematics (partial derivatives, matrix math, and the like). However, this author is clearly an engineer first and a mathematician second--he doesn't waste your time proving mathematical theorems, he instead shows the derivation of the math from the physical principles involved in flight. Even though my university engineering courses are a few decades behind me, I had no trouble following the math in this book.For us general aviation folks, there's a wealth of material here. The math for finding exact aerodynamic center and section lift distribution on real wings with taper and twist, and the differences between the approximate solutions and CFD and windtunnel results. A large chapter on propeller theory, and another on detailed aircraft performance (range, thrust required, field length, etc.) The problem sets range from commercial transports to human-powered designs. Most of the rest of the book covers aircraft stability and control, with plenty of clear and descriptive text accompanying the equations. Important results are highlighted in bold face throughout the text. Chapter 10 is particularly valuable in it's coverage of aircraft handling qualities and control response, relating the stability derivatives calculated in earlier chapters to the more qualitative aspects of how the plane 'feels' to the pilot. As another reviewer mentioned, the book ends with a chapter on the equations used for aircraft flight simulation, which is an interesting read even if you don't intend to write your own simulator.

The book came well packaged and in like new condition. It did take about a month to ship. Part of this was due to the book being out of stock at the time I bought it. One of the best books for learning the aerodynamics of flight and creating programs to calculate the resulting forces.

I am not an aeronautics student, however i am interested in the precise details of flight control and stability for simulation. This book has very brief overviews of aerodynamics, but it quickly gets to the important details of the different coordinate systems used and characterizing the behavior of aircraft numerically and analytically. Be sure to brush up on your aero, calculus, linear algebra, and differential equationsto get the most out of this book.

Cheap version of the Mechanics of Flight book. Paper cover came as described and the book is exactly the same content as the US Version. Book pages are thin and bend easily, be careful beating it too much in your backpack. Good overall.

Sure, Phillips is extremely clear, and cautious to keep us on track when deriving the equations. But what really sets this book apart is the clarity of its structure, which lets you find what you need, and know what to skip, most easily. I always know where I am heading when reading this book.The treats are:- A 25-page index, what a pleasure!- Beautiful, clear figures (an element usually neglected by most)- Real-world examples (think: can you go-around with one engine in a Tomcat?)- A refresher in Aerodynamics in the first chapter.This book is on the top 5 list of my aeronautical engineering collection. I wish every textbook was written this way.

I am an aeronautical engineer, and if I was only able to have one book on my shelf, this would be it! The book covers nearly every major topic related to flight mechanics, with thorough explanations and detailed derivations of pertinent equations. Extensive "design-aid" charts/figures are also included, which are extremely valuable for quick-look design trade studies (i.e., saves you the time of solving some of the complex equations...you can just look-up into the charts using the relevant input parameters).I highly recommend this book for any engineer looking for a comprehensive reference for flight mechanics.

This book is thorough. But I found it too detailed and unintuitive. I got lost in the Sea of C's (180 different terms all called C, with varioussubscripts).The author is knowledgeable and nice. Maybe this is best as a reference, but it is hard to learn from.

I got what I paid for. It is a soft cover. All my friends have had covers they work better for the binding. The book is just an awkward shape.

Most complete book on the topic, serves way more than needed for undergraduate degree in aeronautics/aerospace engineering.Personal opinion: every student of aeronautics/aerospace engineering must have this book.

During the senior year I was invite to read this book in the aeronautical field once I got close to the theories involved to construct the flight envelope I discovered this book as a snack for my mind.

good quality

Perfect

Highly helpful