Flight Dynamics, Simulation, and Control, 2nd Edition

1 Introduction to Flight Vehicles

DOI: 10.1201/9781003266310-1

1.1 Introduction

While aerodynamics is the study of flows past and over bodies, the principles of flight are governed by the dynamics and aerodynamics of flight vehicles. The focus of this chapter is on the general principles of flight and primary features of aircraft. Further details may be found in Anderson [1] and Shevell [2]. As the aerodynamics of bodies is greatly influenced by their external geometry, the aerodynamics of flight vehicles is entirely determined by their external geometry. The external geometry is in turn completely influenced by the entire complement of components external to the vehicle. The basic architecture of a typical aeroplane, the simplest of flight ...