Book Description

Here is an accessible introduction to the fundamentals of civil and military aircraft design. Giving a largely descriptive overview of all aspects of the design process, this well-illustrated account provides an insight into the requirements of each specialist in an aircraft design team. After discussing the need for new designs, the text assesses the merits of different aircraft shapes from micro-lights and helicopters to super-jumbos and V/STOL aircraft. Subsequent chapters explore structures, airframe systems, avionics and weapons systems. Later chapters examine the costs involved in the acquisition and operation of new aircraft, aircraft reliability and maintainability, and a variety of unsuccessful projects to see what conclusions can be drawn. Three appendices and a bibliography give a wealth of useful information, much not published elsewhere, including simple aerodynamic formulae, aircraft, engine and equipment data and a detailed description of a parametric study of a 500-seat transport aircraft. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No substance
I consider this book to be a rough draft for a much larger book to come (I hope). The author just skims lightly through vast numbers of subjects, so that anyone who knows anything about airplanes will learn nothing new. Yet it isn't written on a basic enough level to have much to offer someone who knows nothing.

Disappointing.

Practical guide to aircraft design
Many aircraft design books detail the 'how' of aircraft design. For example, determining the stall characteristics of a conceptual aircraft design. John Flemings' book introduces the 'why' of the aircraft design process. This book is a perfect companion to other aircraft design texts, like 'Aircraft Design-a conceptual approach' by Daniel Raymer ... Read more

Book Description

WHEELS UP: AIRLINE BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT is the first text that teaches the fundamentals of strategic business planning as they apply to the airline industry. Dr. John Wensveenan international consultant and Assistant Professor of Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universityfocuses on issues of particular concern to airline professionals. Flexibility in the current competitive environment, the importance of understanding the structural organization of an airline, and the considerations necessary when making any strategic decision are just a few of the recurring themes he addresses. In addition, the reader is encouraged to consider current trends (post-9/11) and topics of special interest (cost-cutting, aircraft fleet management, and corporate structure, to name a few) while learning the process of creating a successful business plan. Written to be accessible to executives, graduates, and undergraduates, Wensveen's text will be of interest to aviation enthusiasts as well as professionals in the field. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

book not yet available
This first ever wonderful book is not yet available. The author should have waited until it was actually published before writing his own review. The review sounds like one of his epic "about the author" novels.

First book ever written on this subject and well needed
This is the world's first book ever written on airline business pland development. The author outlines the true "elements" of an airline business plan versus the generic business plan. Anyone interested in starting a big or small company, airline or otherwise, must have this book. Every airline, airport, air cargo operator, consultant, entrepreneur, investor, and enthusiast must have this reference on hand. Excellent work! ... Read more

Book Description

This practical handbook provides the reader with enough background and specific information to begin conducting thermal analysis and to participate in the thermal design of spacecraft systems.

The book is a revised and updated edition of Satellite Thermal Control Handbook, published in 1994. The name change reflects the expanded scope of this work, which now includes thermal environments and design techniques for interplanetary spacecraft, in addition to the Earth-orbiting satellites that were the focus of the original handbook. The reader will now find an updated characterization of the thermal environment in Earth orbit, new material documenting the environments of interplanetary missions, more detailed information about each of the thermal control hardware elements found in the first edition, and presentation of some newer technologies such as heat switches and precision temperature control techniques. ... Read more

Book Description

What will happen to the near-Earth space environment? How can we ensure the survival of future scientific, commercial and military satellites and space stations? This book addresses the questions that must be asked as debris in space around the Earth--from dust particles to rocket casings, and even radioactive materials--becomes a critical problem. In this volume, many specialists from around the world address the issues, problems, and policies concerned with the preservation of near-Earth space. Their articles cover the technical aspects, and the economic and legal issues concerned, including the enforcement and monitoring of international agreements and the resolution of disputes. This clearly written and well illustrated survey offers the professional and concerned nonspecialist an authoritative and comprehensive review of the problems with and solutions to space debris. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (15)

Institutions Create and Condone Risk
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986. To millions of viewers, it is a moment they will never forget.

Official inquiries into the accident placed the blame with a "frozen, brittle O ring." In this book, Diane Vaughan, a Boston College Professor of Sociology, does not stop there. In what I think is a brilliant piece of research, she traces the threads of the disaster's roots to fabric of NASA's institutional life and culture.

NASA saw itself competing for scarce resources. This fostered a culture that accepted risk-taking and corner-cutting as norms that shaped decision-making. Small, seemingly harmless modifications to technical and procedural standards propelled the space agency toward the disaster. No specific rules were broken, yet well-intentioned people produced great harm.

Vaughan often resorts to an academic writing style, yet there is no confusion about its conclusion.

"The explanation of the Challenger launch is a story of how people who worked together developed patterns that blinded them to the consequences of their actions," wrote Dr. Vaughan.

"It is not only about the development of norms but about the incremental expansion of normative boundaries: how small changes--new behaviors that were slight deviations from the normal course of events- gradually became the norm, providing a basis for accepting additional deviance. Nor rules were violated; there was no intent to do harm. Yet harm was done. Astronauts died."

For project and risk managers, this book offers a rare warning of the hazards of working in structured and institutionalized environments.

Not what I expected, but better
I purchased this book after reading the first chapter in the bookstore. I was very interested in the technical details behind the loss of STS-51L aka the Challenger Disaster. After a brief period of discussion of the specifics of the accident, Vaughn delves incredibly deeply into the culture of NASA and the management culture that in some ways directly led to the loss of the vehicle and her crew.

The amount of info Vaughn is able to bring up is incredible, and she must have done hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews to compile all of her data. I was amazed at how freely some people were with their comments (given the subject matter) and here reconstruction of events in fantastic in it's detail.

This is not a book to be read lightly. It is an in-depth social analysis more than it is a book about the Challenger Disaster. Of note, it was shelved under sociology (and not Science/Technical) at my local bookstore. Many people who live in cultures where high-risk decisions are made(doctors, law enforcement personell, etc) would benefit from this work.

great analysis-must read for managers in high risk industry
This is the most comprehensive, thorough and believable analysis of the Challenger shuttle disaster that is available. Diane Vaughn goes far beyond the newspaper accounts or even the capitol hill hearings and really gets to the root causes of this incident found in the management culture of NASA and contractors. I would definitely recommend this to anyone involved in managing risk whether in the aircraft / aerospace industry or any other fundamentally risky industry (refining, chemical manufacturing, construction, etc...)

Fascinating account, tortured writing
Penetrating account of the organizational causes of the Challenger disaster. The author shows that the engineering mistake that led to the disaster was not the result of intentional wrongdoing ("amoral calculator" thesis = managers overruling engineers due to economic and/or political pressures) but that quite on the contrary that the NASA and contractor teams played by the rulebook to a fault and that the mistake was "systematic and socially organized". A must read for everybody interested in organizational dynamics or in how to manage risk in the development of technological innovations.
Given the fascinating subject matter and revisionist thesis it's a pity that the writing is very uneven. Most of the "thick description" of the decisions around the booster joint from the early design days to the post-mortem by the Presidential Commission is quite readable. This core of the text, however, is embedded in an unbearably repetitive and plodding overall narrative flow (the account could probably be reduced in length by 50%) which in places degenerates into (sociological?) opaque language. Taking a cue from the author's concept of "structural secrecy" (things are hidden not on purpose but due to organizational compartmentalization), the argument of the book loses a lot of its force due to the undisciplined way of telling it; the author could profit from a strong editor.

Great work
Having been priviledged to work at NASA's Kennedy Space Center for 17 years this exceptionally well researched work brought back much. This book is not simply a rehash of media coverage. I recommend it to anyone who works DoD or NASA or similar programs. It rings true with the culture, brilliant and not so, that is and was NASA. I left three months before the launch of STS 51L and until now had no real insight into the why that one looks for to explain exceptional grief. All I knew when I left was that things were much different than they were in the Apollo era. And I got chills reading of how the other issue that night before launch was ice impinging on the Shuttle. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

An excellent introductory text to the subject
This work was written by three instructors at the USAF Academy for use as a textbook. It provides an excellent introduction to astrodynamics. A knowledge of calculus and linear algebra is required, but the derivations are quite reasonable. The diagrams are also very good, enabling the reader to visualize complex spatial orientations.

The book's only weakness is its age. Several real-world examples are out-of-date, and the numerical analysis techniques do not reflect the current state-of-the-art.

Nevertheless, this is the best book to start learning astrodynamics, and gives a solid foundation from which to study more advanced texts.

Very useful
Written in the 1970s for use at the Air Force Academy, this book, though quite old, is still a great reference for those wishing to learn basic astrodynamics. It covers most of the major topics in very good detail, and is suitable for self-study as well as classroom instruction. Its age does not really have a significant impact on the quality of its content.

Aspiring Aerospace Engineers Read This Book
Do the math. Study the problems. Derive the equations. You will go to the stars. De Motu resurrected. Isaac Newton watch out!

Excellant first book
The book isn't intended to be all things to all people. It covers fundamentals. I have worked in the field and keep two copies ;)

The review of vector mathematics in the appendix is especially useful for non-specialists who want to start studying this topic.

Great Little Introduction
A quick examination of the table of contents gives an idea of the scope of topics for this text. It covers a wide range of topics with a pretty good introduction to the general problem of ballistic missile trajectories. Some of the terminology is a bit dated, however, which can cause some confusion to readers familiar with some of the material. For example, it uses the term "Geocentric-Equatorial Coordinate System" to describe a geocentric Cartesian frame better known as the "Earth-Centered Inertial (ECI)". However, this does not diminish the value of the material contained in this work. I highly recommend it as an introduction to astrodynamics.

George Chastain
Software Consultant/Systems Engineer
Huntsville, Al ... Read more

Book Description

An introduction to helicopter flying techniques, many of which are difficult to master, as well as a discussion of emergency procedure, human factors, advanced operations and even a section on careers. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Informative, well-written, and an all-around fun book
I read this book before I started my helicopter training just about two years ago. Since then, I have bought and read just about every book about rotary-wing aircraft that I can get my hands on. This book is fundamental in nature, but fairly complete none the less and an absolute joy to read. I recently read it again and loved it more than when I first picked it up. Of all the helicopter books I have read this one is still by far my favorite.

Worked for me
In reading this book, I can see how people with even limited helo experience could find it beneath them. It covers the very basics and some advanced manuevers, but is nothing that you can't learn from a flight instructor. When I read it, I was 14 and just becoming interested in helos. I am now 16 and have recently re-read it and found it to be less comprehensive than information gleaned from free sources; ie the internet or library. However, if you are interested in helos but don't know many specifics, it is a good book and an easy read.

This book is just great!
I am a student pilot in Switzerland. This book gave me a lot of information on helicopter flying. More than that, it thought me what is essential to know and to remember when flying. If you look for a very technical book, you will be certainly disappointed because the autor does not want to overload the subject with graphs and calculations. But the book is breathtaking for any reader interested in helicopters... (sorry for my english...)

Absolutely worthless
I strongly urge anyone who has any rotory wing time not to buy this book. It is completely introductory in nature. The only usefulness might be for someone before they undergo rotary wing training to gain and understanding of what a rotary wing training program is about.

The back cover boasts that this book is "an ideal supplement to ground school training." But, it is not. There's nothing in this book you do not learn in pilot school. If you're looking for supplemental information, I would suggest "The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters." That is a book I would consider supplemental because it offers a different perspective on aerodynamics and maneuvers. But this "Learning to Fly Helicopters" book does not offer anything new. It does not offer a unique enough insight to justify it even having been published to begin with.

A fantastic book for people starting to fly Heli's
Probably the best and most reccomendable book i have ever read for people starting their rotary training answering every question up to at least ppl ... Read more

Book Description

Mission Geometry; Orbit and Constellation Design and Management (OCDM) provides greatly expanded detail on many topics first introduced in the 2 of the earlier Wertz works - Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control (SADC) and Space Mission Analysis and Design (SMAD).

If these two books got you started in mission engineering and you need more detail on the key area of Spacecraft Orbit and Attitude Systems (SOAS), then this book provides more detail in SOAS requirements definition, mission geometry, orbit and constellation design, relative motion of satellites, observation and measurement systems engineering, orbit control and management, and similar topics. ... Read more

Book Description

This text is a practical guide to building Kalman filters and shows how the filtering equations can be applied to real-life problems. Numerous examples are presented in detail showing the many ways in which Kalman filters can be designed. Computer code written in FORTRAN, MATLAB®, and True BASIC accompanies all of the examples so that the interested reader can verify concepts and explore issues beyond the scope of the text.

Sometimes mistakes are introduced intentionally to the initial filter designs in order to show the reader what happens when the filter is not working properly. The text spends a great deal of time setting up a problem before the Kalman filter is actually formulated in order to give the reader an intuitive feel for the problem being addressed. Real problems are seldom presented in the form of differential equations and they usually don’t have unique solutions. Therefore, the authors illustrate several different filtering approaches for tackling a problem. Readers will gain experience in software and performance tradeoffs for determining the best filtering approach for the application at hand.

MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A great book
I just wanted to offer a counterpoint to the only other review.This book builds up the concepts needed to understand Kalman filtering, and tries to keep things grounded in practical examples.It is not a rigorous derivation of every subtlety of Kalman filtering, but it is a great book for an engineer to use to learn them.

The book is wonderfully unpretentious.Anthropomorphizing filters may be un-kosher in a math sense, but it common practice.

Very Disappointing
If you are a software engineer / programmer looking for a practical guide on implementation of Kalman filter, this book will be totally useless to you.Authors seem to jump from equation to equation without much explanation (except for phrases such as "it is readily evident").Worse, in most cases, equations seem to be thrown at you without a description of what any (most) of the parameters (alphabet letters) used are.Leaving you flipping backward page after page (and chapter after chapter) to look for the first use of that letter (the permuted index is only two pages - so forget about searching there).Even after you semi-figure what the author is saying, there is no real, practical example of the application of the equations (that you can use).The so-called "software" examples mentioned in the sales pitch for the book are short segments of FORTRAN code doing MATLAB function calls (which do the actual processing).Here's an excerpt from chapter 4, page 129 of the book (authors explanation of the process noise parameter of Kalman's general equation): "...although process noise might not always have physical meaning, it is sometimes used as a device for telling the filter that we know the filter's model of the real world is not precise."Hello!? The filter is a mathematical equation.We don't tell it no nothing! ... Read more

Book Description

An internationally recognized expert explains the aerodynamic principles of helicopters and other rotating-wing vertical lift aircraft.Besides the history of helicopter flight, basic methods of analysis, and performance and design issues, Leishman covers airfoil flows, unsteady aerodynamics, dynamic stall, and rotor wakes. Each chapter includes homework problems. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must have for all rotorcraft engineers
As an aerospace engineer I have read many books on rotorcraft and I must admit that this is the most up to date and useful text on rotorcraft that I have had the pleasure to read. There are many aspects of the text that stand out, however the one I found most useful, especially as a graduate student, was that the equations are derived from engineering basics and are accompanied by clear explanations of the principles involved. The text and equations are also supplimented by clear diagrams that serve to enhance understanding of the more complex topics covered. All in all a great book and one that I would highly recommend to both rotorcraft students and practicing engineers alike. ... Read more

Book Description

Twenty years after its first publication, this book continues to be regarded as the standard work on model aircraft, attracting worldwide interest and approval. This new edition includes new sections incorporating new research and developments in model flying practice. The book presents standard aerodynamic theory as it applies to model flight in a concise and practical form for enthusiasts wishing to better understand the behavior of their models in flight. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Interesting
Unfortunatly, the author uses Bernoulli's principle to explain lift. Also, his use of equations is minimal. Please see John D. Anderson's book if you wish to understand aerodynamic theory. Otherwise, the other customers' reviews stand.

Highly detailed text book. Intense reading but worthwhile
The book is, to me, hard to read because there is little to no "scenery" in the book. Every sentence is packed with information which results in a slow read particular for a newcomer to the field of aerodynamics like myself.
Inevitably, every page is filled with "Why didn't I think of that" - type revelations. Don't rush into the book. Take it a page at a time because the pace builds up quickly - particularly in the first few chapters. If you don't understand a chapter, you will waste your time on the next. A Book for the patient, but eager to learn.

Martin Simons is an expert in his field and in this conversational, intense, book his knowledge is shared well.
Definitely the pride of my library.

Model Aircraft Aerodynamics by Martin Simons
This is an excellent book, applicable to much more than model aircraft. Most of it's material is applicable to full size sailplanes and aircraft also. The book is not heavily mathematical, and chapters start with basic fundamentals and build from there. Significant prior knowledge is not required, but helpful. I actually bought the book after reading a copy of a friend's. I was pleasantly suprized to find that the later edition that I bought had more material in the same down to earth style as the first. Great book.

Really Solid and Easily Understood
As a professional aerospace engineer, I am often disappointed by books and articles written for amateurs and hobbyists. This book is a rare exception in that it is accurate, understandable and well laid out. The very low Reynolds number conditions that model aircraft fly in are sufficiently different from full scale that most engineers don't really understand what is going on. This book led me through unfamiliar territory and gave me a much fuller appreciation for the aerodynamics I encountered in very-high-altitude and planetary flight.

The best modeling book in my library
This is without a doubt the most useful book in my library and is a "must have" for any serious modeler. It not only gives the basics that any modeler should be able to understand but backs the concepts up with some basic math to prove the points. In addition, Martin has used the metric SI system of units which makes everything much easier to understand. ... Read more

Book Description

The Starflight Handbook A Pioneer’s Guide to Interstellar Travel "The Starflight Handbook is an indispensable compendium of the many and varied methods for traversing the vast interstellar gulf—don’t leave the Solar System without it!" —Robert Forward "Very sensible, very complete and useful. Its good use of references and technical ‘sidebars’ adds to the book and allows the nontechnical text to be used by ordinary readers in an easy fashion. I certainly would recommend this book to anyone doing any thinking at all about interstellar flight or the notion of possibilities of contacts between hypothetical civilizations in different stat systems." —Louis Friedman Executive Director, The Planetary Society The Starflight Handbook is the first and only compendium on planet Earth of the radical new technologies now on the drawing boards of some of our smartest and most imaginative space scientists and engineers. Scientists and engineers as well as general readers will be captivated by its:

• In-depth discussions of everything from nuclear pulse propulsion engines to in-flight navigation, in flowing, non-technical language
• Sidebars and appendices cover technical and mathematical concepts in detail
• Seventy-five elegant and enlightening illustrations depicting starships and their hardware

Reviews (9)

Solid Reference Guide
This book covers the strengths and weaknesses of various types of spacecraft, and often adds visuals and drawings to help explain the ways these crafts might work. Electromag-ramjets, light-sails, Nuke powered, they're all here. It's 15 years old, however, but it is nonetheless a good starting point to understand the possibilities of interstellar travel. This book also covers the basic physics behind space propulsion. The book is obviously a good resource for science fiction writers, futurists, and people who want to wow their friends w/ insightful comments on space colonization. W/ the new Mars initiative by NASA, designed to be fulfilled w/in 50 years, maybe NASA might fulfill some of the theories outlined in this book. Be ahead of the curve.

Interstellar Space Travel lost on way to moon
This subject is too important to bring up in a review. Like a game of Risk the post-MAD political order has limited pre-thought in respect to Western economic development. Whence the website Astronautix brought me to review this book, so too am I in accordance with their Orion project summary and conclusion : we lost our way with a journey to the moon. In so far as the only the human species exists with a consciousness to express religion and hence evolution, any planet "anywhere" is surely at a disadvantage in a post-MAD structure to have rejected flight to the stars in favour of cold war moon bravado. Indeed the excess military products of this cold war rather than point to our preparation to travel to the stars as hypothesized by Orion project devotees, only threatens our imminent vaporisation at the end of interstellar fuel pellets misunderstood or at least not even recognised by their "any planet - anywhere" evolutionary poise. Of course the fundamental problem with Orion is the failure to counterbalance the goal of physical containment with the true size of explosion. Hence the continual attempts of academic studies to reduce the reaction size considerably or to place it outside any necessary direct containment pressures e.g. somewhere behind the craft. Most telling in this whole sorry evolutionary period of this plant is the repetition by the leading nation America of China when it encountered gunpowder. Not only did the Chinese fail to develop "physical containment" in the form of the cannon but they masked secret of the reaction in a science of alchemy. Hence any reader of this who did not actually participate in The Manhattan project is a product of this deliberate obscurity of fact and likely to misunderstand even the basic applications in space and interstellar travel. The safest education strategy is to remain within the historical limits of the application of the project's fruit, the surrender of Japan and not to go further along the development timeline. At least in my opinion! Draw your own historical analogy, but China in failing to physically contain gunpowder failed to initiate the longest technical development path in history: cannon - musket - rifle - machine gun. Interstellar space travel starts and finishes with physical containment.

Excellent Overview of Interstellar Spaceflight Concepts
This is an excellent book for anyone intersted in the engineering possibilities of interplanetary and interstellar spaceflight. I read this book years ago as an aerospace engineering undergrad and it helped inspire me in my dream to help make starflight a reality. As can be found here, the technologies for limited interstellar flight have already been investigated, and in some cases, could be implemented today with sufficient funds. The books provides background on all types of rocket based propulsion, covering chemical, nuclear, anti-matter, electric (ion), solar sail, and solar thermal propulsion systems. It also provides an introduction to astrodynamics, space power systems, and the inherent problems encountered by long duration spaceflight over vast distances. As wonderful as this book is, it is badly in need of an update. It barely touches on more recent ideas like long range laser power transmission, as well as more "out-of-the-box" concepts like propellant-less propulsion. Granted there is alot of controversy surrounding notions of artificial wormholes and warp drives, but I'd like to see such ideas at least included as possibilities. As mentioned before, this book is not exceptionally mathematically rigorous, but that could be beneficial to those interested in these concepts without having to possess a background in differential calculus. These ideas stir the imagination and perhaps, someday, we may see these dreams become reality as mankind reaches out to the stars.

Good, but not the best
This is a very, very good book. It covers the basics of space flight, and covers specifics such as different types of propulsion methods and possible interstellar missions.

However, this book is not mathematically rigorous. Although I suggest everyone buy THIS book, anyone who wants a better mathematical treatment of the topic should try to find a copy of the out-of-print _Prospects for Interstellar Travel_, by Mauldin.

Excellent!
One of the most readable, interesting, and "gentle" space science books for the general reader I've ever come across. More, more, more! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good overview of how to start...
This book provides an excellent introduction to the conceptual design process (sizing and performance estimates) for the homebuilder. It's a bit wordy in places, and some examples are not entirely relevant to the average builder (who, besides the author and Burt Rutan, wants to build an asymmetrical design?). But it was the lack of any detail on load factors or structural analysis that prevented me from giving it 5 stars. If you want to understand the basics of how to size a wing, or calculate stall speed, then this book is an excellent choice.

Make This The One Book You Start With
As an amateur backyard builder attempting to design and build an airplane, I actually got much more out of "Simplified Aircraft Design For Homebuilders" than any of the other aircraft design books, including some extremely expensive volumes that are regularly advertised.

This book is well-written, covering the subject of aircraft design on a basic level that is easily grasped by the average homebuilder/non engineer. It's also gleefully sprinkled with a dash of humor, much like a "design book for Dummies". Dan Raymer goes to great lengths to include the finer details of aircraft design that are so illusive and so very time-consuming and difficult for the amateur to research. This book will actually save you months of frustration and research. It's all here in this one little book. ... Read more

Book Description

Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine Technology provides acomprehensive, easy-to-understand treatment of the background, development, and applications of the gas turbine engine it its various forms, such as turobjet, turbofan, turboprop, and turboshaft powerplants. Designed primarily as a resource for technicians preparing for the FAA aircraft powerplant mechanic certification, Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine Technology also may be used a reference. The text also discusses the changing maintenance and overhaul procedures and philosophies and the role of fuel metering in engine operation. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A compelling reference souce
This volume is the best publication for aeronautical gas turbine technology. It is a powerful tool as a reference and as a didactic implement.

Theory. The development of theory is quite simple and straightforward. Being intended for technicians, the mathematical level is really easy, nevertheless the associated phenomenons are solidly explained. If the reader is looking for a more advanced maths dissection, he has to search a different book, conversely this treatment is the best complement to theoretical study: here concepts came alive and the mathematical set of solutions to equations are translated in real stuff.

Materials and technical evaluation. The edition copes with the advanced techniques introduced in more recent designs and products. The previous editions were full of excerpts from manufacturer pubblications or other technical papers, the current one is enriched by new illustrations and detailed explanations of advanced research. Drawings and graphs were the best facets of former editions and still they are, literally boosting reader's learning curve.

Engines. A wide selection of engines is avalable as examples, each one deeply dissected, showing typical arrangements and design solutions. This accurate study of construcion details and manufacturing techniques is explanatory since it shows the real article as designed, produced and maintained, focusing on each part functionality and it is real as it gets!

Great book for Gas Turbine Technician students!
I found this book to be intensively desciptive when I was taking my gas turbine technician course and would recommend it to any one who wishes to understand the concepts of the gas turbine engines.

One of the best gas-turbine books I've ever seen!
This book is awesome! Plain simple. It offers the reader in-depth introduction of aeronautical gas-turbine powerplants, in an easy to read format. This book is definately the book which want-to-be-aeronautical engineers would want to read. ... Read more

Book Description

This newly updated, second edition of Digital Techniques for Wideband Receivers is a current, comprehensive design guide for your digital processing work with today’s complex receiver systems. Brand new material brings you up-to-date with the latest information on wideband electronic warfare receivers, the ADC testing procedure, frequency channelization and decoding schemes, and the operation of monobit receivers.

The book shows you how to effectively evaluate ADCs, offers insight on building electronic warfare receivers, and describes zero crossing techniques that are critical to new receiver design. From fundamental concepts and procedures… to recent technology advances in digital receivers, you get practical solutions to all your demanding wideband receiver problems. This hands-on reference is packed with 1,103 equations and 315 illustrations that support key topics covered throughout the book. ... Read more

Book Description

This new text, from the bestselling Principles of Space-Time Adaptive Processing (IEE, 2002), discusses various applications of space time adaptive processing, including applications in OTH-radar, ground target tracking, STAP in real world clutter environments, jammer cancellation, supperresolution, active sonar, seismics and communications. The book provides a unique overview of the broad field of space-time processing and is divided into two parts: the first dealing with the classical adaptive suppression of airborne and spacebased radar clutter, and the second comprising miscellaneous applications in other fields such as communications, underwater sound and seismics. ... Read more

Book Description

Resin Transfer Moulding and other similar 'liquid moulding'manufacturing methods have been used to make non-structural compositesfor the last 35 years. However, in the last eight years these methodshave become the subject of enormous interest by aerospacemanufacturing companies. Resin Transfer Moulding for Aerospace Structures describes allaspects of Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) for aerospace structures.Written by an international team of experts, from both industry andacademia, it is a comprehensive work providing complete and detailedinformation on the process of RTM from theoretical modelling topractical experience. With subjects including manufacturing, tooling,fabric design and flow modelling all covered, this book is aninvaluable up-to-the-minute reference source which provides the readerwith a good understanding of RTM and its possible uses, especially forhigh performance applications. Resin Transfer Moulding for Aerospace Structures is an idealguide for those in the aerospace and related industries, who want tounderstand and utilize RTM, as well as those directly involved in theRTM industry. ... Read more

Book Description

With more than 4800 copies of the previous edition in use, this best-selling, comprehensive text documents the fundamental theoretical developments in astrodynamics and space navigation that led to Man's ventures into space. It includes the essential elements of celestial mechanics, spacecraft trajectories, and space navigation, as well as the history of the underlying mathematical developments.

The material presented in the text represents a 25-year evolution in course material developed by Dr. Battin. Former students who benefited from this material include three of the astronauts who walked on the moon.

The text format offers flexibility for the user. Chapters are largely independent of each other and may be read or taught in any order, offering the opportunity to organize an undergraduate or graduate course that meets the needs of students having various levels of background and preparation. Further, the book covers more subject matter than is covered in a single course of instruction, thereby motivating students to stray from the beaten path of the classroom. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

From a Student of Astrodynamics
The following comments refer to 1987 edition. These comments were communicated to Professor Battin, who, very kindly, acknowledged them. The 1999 edition may be free of these shortcomings.

The book by Richard H. Battin, Adjunct Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, covers essential mathematical background needed to work with astrodynamical problems. Topics covered include hypergeometric functions, elliptic integrals, continued fractions, coördinate transformations as well as essentials of two-body-central-force motion.

The author's way of discussing these topics with historical introduction and personal narrative makes the book interesting to read. There are minimal typographical errors, probably, because the book was, personally, typeset by the author. However, there are a few omissions and oversights. For example, on page 172 captions are given for Fig. 4.15 and Fig. 4.16, whereas the actual figures are missing. In addition:

a) On pages 10-11 it is stated: "If you want to drive a vector to zero, it is sufficient to align the time rate of change of the vector with the vector itself." This is not true, in general, but only if time rate of change is negative.

b) On page 13 the author tries to show that constant in the equation: [(DEL) x v(SUB)c]/(RHO) = constant, vanishes by the following argument. "The demonstration concludes with an argument that the fluid is converging on the target point r(SUB)T so that the density in the vicinity r(SUB)T of is becoming infinite. Hence, the constant is zero." This is true, only if the numerator is finite. B = infinity, implies A/B = 0, only if A is not equal to infinity. Otherwise, one has to apply l'Hospital rule.

c) On page 109 equation of motion in a frame of reference moving with acceleration -a(SUB)1 is written as: m(SUB)2[a(SUB)2 - a(SUB)1] = ... Since the frame is noninertial (accelerated) Newton's second law, F = ma, is not applicable in his frame.

d) On page 223 it is stated: "When we compare Eqns. (5.57) and (5.58), it is clear that we must have sinE = SQRT[6(E - sinE)/sinE]." This is not the only choice for sinE, which reduces (5.58) to (5.57) in the limit E tends to 0. The word "must" is inappropriately used here.

e) On page 227 a factor of 4 is mentioned on the right-hand side of eq. (6.95). Calculation shows that there should be a factor of 2 instead of a factor of 4.

I would recommend this book very strongly to anyone seriosly interested in learning astrodynamics. ... Read more