Aeronautics: aircraft and atmospheric flight

Abstract

The chapter ‘Aeronautics: aircraft and atmospheric flight’ delves deeper into topics associated with those flight systems capable of sustaining flight within an atmosphere. The discussion focuses on powered, fixed-wing, heavier-than-air aircraft (aeroplanes). Fundamental to aeronautic flight systems is the field of aerodynamics, which is the study of lift and drag forces. It is here that the discussion of aeronautics begins. Following this, a notional aeroplane is used to explore the topics of aircraft structures and materials. The conversation then turns to propellers and turbojet engines, the principal means of generating the thrust force needed for aeroplanes to fly. Flight mechanics, the study of how the various forces acting on an aircraft affect its motion, is then introduced. The chapter concludes by examining the concepts of stability and control, and how feedback can be used to overcome disturbances that would otherwise negatively impact an aircraft’s flight.