Mechanics of flight

by Alfred Cotterill Kermode

Starting with an overview of the relevant aspects of mechanics, the book goes on to cover topics such as air and airflow, aerofoils, thrust, level flight, gliding, landing, performance, manoeuvres, stability and control. Important aspects of these topics are illustrated by a description of a trial flight in a light aircraft. The book also deals with flight at transonic and supersonic speeds, and finally orbital and space flight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Aviation, Science

507 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 1996

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really proud of finally finishing this book. This is the first dense engineering book that I’ve finished from cover to cover. It took 8 months.
The subject is fascinating and beautiful, and Kermode did a fantastic job: he took phenomenon that are often so complex and convulsed, and sometimes counter intuitive, and explained them both simply, humorously, and elegantly. I can count on one hand the number of times his explanation of physical phenomena didn’t make sense to me. Personal highlights include: supersonic flight, maneuvers, stability, and subsonic airfoils. Transonic flight was fascinating too.
Fantastic read. I will be returning to this book in the future as reference.

[Kogei Wisley]

its good