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This is an updated edition of the well-known introduction to the principles involved in the automatic flight of fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft. The principles are related to the systems used in the representative types of aircraft (UK and US) currently in service.
A method is suggested for predicting the stability of automatically controlled aircraft by a comparison of calculated frequency-response curves for the aircraft and experimentally determined frequency-response curves for the automatic pilot. The method is applied only to stabilization in roll. The method is expected to be useful as a means of establishing the specifications of the performance required of the automatic control devices for pilotless aircraft designed as missiles.
This edition of this this flight stability and controls guide features an unintimidating math level, full coverage of terminology, and expanded discussions of classical to modern control theory and autopilot designs. Extensive examples, problems, and historical notes, make this concise book a vital addition to the engineer's library.
Though we routinely take to the air, for many of us flying remains a mystery. Few of us understand the how and why of jetting from New York to London in six hours. How does a plane stay in the air? Can turbulence bring it down? What is windshear? How good are the security checks? Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and author of Salon.com's popular column, "Ask the Pilot," unravels the secrets and tells you all there is to know about the strange and fascinating world of commercial flight. He offers: A nuts and bolts explanation of how planes fly Insights into safety and security Straight talk about turbulence, air traffic control, windshear, and crashes The history, color, and controversy of the world's airlines The awe and oddity of being a pilot The poetry and drama of airplanes, airports, and traveling abroad In a series of frank, often funny explanations and essays, Smith speaks eloquently to our fears and curiosities, incorporating anecdotes, memoir, and a life's passion for flight. He tackles our toughest concerns, debunks conspiracy theories and myths, and in a rarely heard voice dares to return a dash of romance and glamour to air travel.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A fascinating fear of flying book from a commercial airline pilot and author of the popular website askthepilot.com. For millions of people, travel by air is a confounding, uncomfortable, and even frightening experience. When you go behind the scenes, however, you can see that the grand theater of air travel is actually fascinating. From the intricate design of airport architecture to the logistics of inflight service, here is everything you need to know about flying. Commercial airlines like to hide the truth from customers and do nothing to comfort nervous fliers. And what's scarier than the unknown? In this aviation book, pilot Patrick Smith breaks down that barr...
A method is presented for determining the control gearing and time lag necessary for determining a specified damping of the motions of an aircraft equipped with an autopilot having a constant-time-lag characteristics. The method is applied to a typical present-day airplane equipped with an autopilot sensitive to yawing acceleration. The types of motion predicted for this airplane-autopilot system by this method are compared with motions calculated by a step-by-step procedure.
This book provides an introduction to the pinciples of automatic flight of fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft. Representative types of aircraft (UK and US) are used to show how these principles are applied in their systems. The revised edition includes new material on automatic flight control systems and helicopters.
This introduction to the new generation of airplane cockpit automation, now prevalent in general-aviation aircraft, provides common-sense instructions and illustrations for each step of an actual flight—from preflight, taxi-out, takeoff, cruising, descent, and landing. Autopilots, GPS navigation systems, and other colorful “glass cockpit” displays are examined as well as other modern technologies found in late model aircraft; particular emphasis is placed on the Garmin G430. Ideal for both self-study and classroom use, each chapter ends with a practice session that can be used in a simulator program or at a local flight school. The accompanying 30-minute DVD further reinforces the new material by demonstrating each skill as it pertains to specific flight scenarios.
The award-winning journalist delves “into the confluence of modern airplane technology and pilot behavior to probe how and why flight disasters happen” (BookTrib). Aviation automation has been pushed to its limits, with pilots increasingly relying on it. Autopilot, autothrottle, autoland, flight management systems, air data systems, inertial guidance systems. All these systems are only as good as their inputs which, incredibly, can go rogue. Even the automation itself is subject to unpredictable failure. And what of the pilots? They began flight training with their hands on the throttle and yoke, and feet on the rudder pedals. Then they reached the pinnacle of their careers—airline pil...