The Physics of Flight: A Primer

The Physics of Flight provides a comprehensive explanatory reference on the basic physics of flight with a clear presentation of the underlying mathematics. It presents a momentum-based explanation of lift making no use of Bernoulli’s theorem. Misconceptions are disproved, such as identifying centrifugal force experienced in an airplane undergoing maneuvers as a fictitious force, and not attributing weightlessness during airplane pitch over or experienced in an airplane performing a parabolic flight path to the effects of free fall. This book places particular emphasis on Newton’s second law of motion to explain the effects of forces acting on an airplane, the mechanism of lift, and the principles of propulsion. This book is intended for undergraduate aviation and aerospace students taking courses in Flight Dynamics, Introduction to Flight, and Physics of Flight.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 An Overview of Newton’s Laws of Motion Chapter 2 Newton’s Second Law of Motion in Non-Inertial Frames with Translational Acceleration Chapter 3 Newton’s Second Law of Motion in Inertial and Non-Inertial Frames with Acceleration due to Rotation Chapter 4 G Loading and Weightlessness Chapter 5 Aerodynamic Lift Chapter 6 Airplane Maneuvers Chapter 7 Propulsion Chapter 8 Airplane Engine Dynamics Chapter 9 Satellite Orbit

About the Author :
Albert Storace, BME, MME, P.E. has more than 40 years of industrial experience in the areas of jet engine dynamics, structures, and mechanical design, and he has authored numerous design practices, papers, and reports. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the City College of New York. He is a licensed professional mechanical engineer in Ohio and holds five patents. He holds the commercial pilot license with instrument rating and is an aircraft owner. He has developed design process improvements and computer codes for jet engine rotordynamics, squeeze-film dampers, and composite structures. He developed the architecture and design for wireless jet engine radio controlled auto balancing systems. He developed and coded the VISTA computer program used for the dynamics architecture and rotordynamics design and analysis of all GE Aviation Jet and aero derivative marine and stationary engines. He developed the Modal Stability Criterion used at GE Aviation for the prediction of engine dynamic instability caused by blade tip-clearance aerodynamic forces. A member of ASME, he has served as a rotordynamics session organizer for various ASME International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) meetings. He received the Melville Medal, the highest honor for the best original technical paper published in the ASME Transactions over a two-year period.