BASIC AERODYNAMICS

In the rapidly advancing field of flight aerodynamics, it is important for students to completely master the fundamentals. This textbook, written by renowned experts, clearly presents the basic concepts underlying aerodynamic prediction methodology. These concepts are closely linked to physical principles so that they may be more readily retained and their limits of applicability fully appreciated. The ultimate goal is to provide the student with the necessary tools to confidently approach and solve practical flight-vehicle design problems of current and future interest. The text is designed for use in a course in aerodynamics at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level. A comprehensive set of exercise problems is included at the end of each chapter.

Gary A. Flandro is the Boling Chair (Emeritus) of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He is also Vice President and Chief Engineer of Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, LLC. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research interests include acoustics, aerodynamics, rocket propulsion, flight mechanics and performance, hypersonic aerodynamics, propulsion, and vehicle design. Dr. Flandro received the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exceptional Achievement Medal (1998) and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Diamond Soaring Badge (1979) for his work.

Dr. Howard McMahon was a Professor Emeritus of Aerospace Engi­neering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Following his graduate work at Santa Clara and doctoral research at the California Institute of Technology, he worked for CARDE (the Canadian Armament and Research Development Establishment) near Quebec City, with top rocketry researchers in Canada, including Gerald Bull. His desire to teach and expand his research work led him to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he guided undergraduate and graduate students for 26 years. His particular area of focus was in aerodynamics, and he spent many years guiding research in the university wind tunnel with pro­jects involving rotary aviation, compressible flow, and fluid mechanics. Following his retirement from the university in 1990, he continued to col­laborate with both teaching and research faculty until his death in 2008.

Robert L. Roach currently teaches mathematics and science at the Kfar Hayarok School in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. He was formerly an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He also taught aerodynamics, rocket pro­pulsion, and mathematics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and at the U. S. Air Force Institute of Technology. He is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research interests include numerical solutions of the canonical equations of engineering, propulsion, and many aspects of solar energy.