Introduction

1.1 Overview

This book begins with a brief historical introduction in which our aeronautical legacy is surveyed. The historical background illustrates the human quest to con­quer the sky and is manifested in a system shaping society as it stands today: in com­merce, travel, and defense. Its academic outcome is to prepare the next generation for the advancement of this cause.

Some of the discussion in this chapter is based on personal experience and is shared by many of my colleagues in several countries; I do not contest any dif­ferences of opinion. Aerospace is not only multidisciplinary but also multidimen­sional – it may look different from varying points of view. Only this chapter is written in the first person to retain personal comments as well as for easy reading.

Current trends indicate maturing technology of the classical aeronautical sci­ences with diminishing returns on investment, making the industry cost-conscious. To sustain the industry, newer avenues are being searched through better manu­facturing philosophies. Future trends indicate “globalization,” with multinational efforts to advance technology to be better, faster, and less expensive beyond exist­ing limits.

1.1.1 What Is to Be Learned?

This chapter covers the following topics:

Подпись: Section 1.2: Section 1.3: Section 1.4: Section 1.5: Section 1.6: Section 1.7:A brief historical background

Current design trends for civil and military aircraft

Future design trends for civil and military aircraft

The classroom learning process

Units and dimensions

The importance of cost for aircraft designers

1.1.2 Coursework Content

There is no classroom work in this chapter, but I recommend reading it to motivate readers to learn about our inheritance. Classwork begins in Chapter 6 (except for the mock market survey in Chapter 2).

Figure 1.1. Da Vinci’s flying machine