Understanding Flight

Rating:
Summary: Understanding flight - good subject, stodgy text.
Review: fascinating book hampered by some fairly poor sentence crafting. For example, on the flight of insects, the authors say

"Circulation is a model developed for large aircraft that does not apply to small insects, by blowing air down."

I have yet to figure out this sentence.

And there is the interesting typo on page 232 "Remember, the Coanda effect is the pheromone that causes a flowing liquid such as air to wrap around a solid object."...

Rating:
Summary: Understanding Flight
Review: I teach aerodynamics at San Jacinto College in Houston and have been searching for a number of years for what I consider to be satisfactory textbook. "Understanding Flight" meets a college level criteria for the explanation of aerodynamic theories and concepts without the complicated math and geometry. The authors, David Anderson and Scott Eberhardt, have published some interesting papers over the net in the past. I was excited when I found that a book covering all phases of aerodynamics had been produced by the two. A new and refreshing approach to old subjects and misunderstood opinions filled the pages. I have read everything I could find in order to give my students the latest information available. These concepts and the methods used to explain them have not been addressed in a complete textbook up until now, at least to my knowledge. The fact that a physicist and a professor of aeronautics have delivered these principals and ideas in a texbook format lends a tremendous amount of credibility to their validity. I'm thrilled to be able to present these explanations in the classroom but every aviator should possess the understanding this book provides about what's going on about him or her each time they leave the ground.

Rating:
Summary: Understanding Flight
Review: I teach aerodynamics at San Jacinto College in Houston and have been searching for a number of years for what I consider to be satisfactory textbook. "Understanding Flight" meets a college level criteria for the explanation of aerodynamic theories and concepts without the complicated math and geometry. The authors, David Anderson and Scott Eberhardt, have published some interesting papers over the net in the past. I was excited when I found that a book covering all phases of aerodynamics had been produced by the two. A new and refreshing approach to old subjects and misunderstood opinions filled the pages. I have read everything I could find in order to give my students the latest information available. These concepts and the methods used to explain them have not been addressed in a complete textbook up until now, at least to my knowledge. The fact that a physicist and a professor of aeronautics have delivered these principals and ideas in a texbook format lends a tremendous amount of credibility to their validity. I'm thrilled to be able to present these explanations in the classroom but every aviator should possess the understanding this book provides about what's going on about him or her each time they leave the ground.

Rating:
Summary: Gets the Job Done
Review: The authors want to give you "the SIMPLEST way to master an understanding of the science of flight". They do this without any real math to speak of, but their text, illustrations, and pictures very well convey the physical description of lift and other material that they strive to present to the reader. A good book for the layman, the beginning and/or more experienced pilot, but too basic for the engineer. There are typos that may confuse (as on page 24), but for the most part the authors have delivered on what you're looking for when you purchase the book.

Rating:
Summary: ug Author Is Not Correct
Review: The authors want to give you "the SIMPLEST way to master an understanding of the science of flight". They do this without any real math to speak of, but their text, illustrations, and pictures very well convey the physical description of lift and other material that they strive to present to the reader. A good book for the layman, the beginning and/or more experienced pilot, but too basic for the engineer. There are typos that may confuse (as on page 24), but for the most part the authors have delivered on what you're looking for when you purchase the book.

Rating:
Summary: Book editors must be in short supply.
Review: The authors' attempt at giving the reader a feel for the physics of flight is lost in a sea of laughably poor grammar and typographic errors.

My favorite error is in Figure 2.10 which shows the 'Angel of Attack' of a wing. All I can think of is 'Cherubim with an attitude'.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read For everyone interested in machines that fly
Review: This book provides an excellent, non-technical introduction to the flight of airplanes and even golf balls and baseballs. As a beautiful book, it is well-illustrated with good drawings and photographs that help the reader to understand the concepts as they are presented. The side notes on aviation history and facts add interest to the book and should, along with the main text, provide starting points for "coffee table" conversation. The book should even serve to help people who have an irrational fear of commercial aviation to overcome those concerns. I liked the book so much that I am buying three more copies for relatives.