The Airplane: A History of Its Technology

Rating:
Summary: Masterfully Conceived and Written
Review: With the publication of John Anderson's seminal overview of the history of aerodynamics, "A History of Aerodynamics, and Its Impact on Flying Machines" (Cambridge University Press, 1997), the former Glenn L. Martin Distinguished Professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland and current curator for aerodynamics at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum established himself as the preeminent interpreter of the history of flight technology in the United States. This book solidifies Anderson's stature with its outstanding analysis of the evolution of the airplane from its origins before the Wright brothers through the design revolution wrought by the advent of jet propulsion.

Anderson begins with an introduction that serves as chapter 1. He then offers six additional chapters chronologically exploring the development of aeronautics. These include: (2) aeronautical thought and research before the nineteenth century, (3) work during the nineteenth century but before the Wright brothers, (4) the efforts of the Wrights and their revolutionary Flyer, (5) the era of the strut-and-wire biplane which Anderson characterizes as "seat-of-the-pants" design, (6) the development of the mature propeller-driven airplane which the author considers the first design revolution, (7) and the second design revolution wrought by jet propulsion.

This work is written for the general reader, and Anderson does a fine job of communicating difficult concepts without reliance on jargon and a plethora of equations. There are a few of the latter, but they are kept to a minimum and the author takes pains to explain them clearly. This is also a large format book well illustrated with diagrams and photographs that do much than just decorate the text by serving to illustrate the principles of flight.

Anderson also does a good job of demonstrating the state of the art of flight at critical points in the evolution of the airplane. For example, while most people believe that Wilbur and Orville Wright "invented" the airplane, Anderson shows that the idea of the airplane predated them by centuries and that they inherited a considerable body of knowledge about the principles of flight. This, and their own work, enabled the Wrights to fly the first successful airplane. Others following in their footsteps significantly advanced knowledge about the technology of flight and brought us to the point we are now. Always, Anderson explores the evolution of the major technologies required for flight: aerodynamics, materials and structures, propulsion, guidance and control, and the systems and processes that guide the development of any airplane.

While there are no footnotes in the text, there is a bibliography and Anderson often refers to specific publications in his text. Prepared in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight, this is quite an excellent work and highly recommended.