Flight Mechanics Theory of Flight Paths

This classic text analyzes the trajectories of aircraft, missiles, satellites, and spaceships subjected to uniform and central gravitational forces, aerodynamic forces, and thrust. Suitable for students and professionals in aerodynamic engineering, the treatment illustrates the wealth of related problems in applied mathematics and addresses their solutions in terms of vehicle design.
The three-part approach begins with a survey of foundations that covers general principles of kinematics, dynamics, aerodynamics, and propulsion. Subsequent chapters examine quasi-steady flight over a flat earth with applications to aircraft powered by turbojet, turbofan, and ramjet engines flying at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds. The final chapters explore nonsteady flight over a flat earth with applications to rocket vehicles operating in the hypervelocity domain. A helpful appendix with material on properties of the atmosphere concludes the text.

Angelo Miele is A. J. Foyt Family Professor Emeritus in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Research Professor at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

PrefacePart I FoundationsIntroduction1. Elements of Kinematics2. Elements of Dynamics3. Equations of Motion for Rocket and Jet-Powered Vehicles4. Scalar equations for Flight Over a Flat Earth5. Scalar Equations for Flight Over a Spherical Earth6. Aerodynamic Forces7. Propulsion Systems Part IIIntroduction8. Introduction to the problem of Aircraft Performance9. Performance of an Aircraft with a Parabolic Polar10. Performance of an Aircraft with an Arbitrary Polar11. Aircraft Performance at High Subsonic, Transonic, and Supersonic speeds Part III12. Nonsteady Aircraft Performance13. Performance of Hypervelocity Vehicles14. Aerodynamic Heating of  Hypervelocity Vehicles15. Rocket Performance in a Vacuum16. Multistage Rockets in aVacuum17.Rocket Performance with Aerodynamic Forces IncludedAppendix: Properties of the AtmosphereAuthor IndexSubject Index