The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets - Revised & Expanded MIT Press Edition | Aerodynamics Book for Aviation Enthusiasts & Engineering Students | Perfect for Flight Theory Studies & Aerospace Education

This is an excellent intro book for those who want to study aerodynamics or aeronautical engineering; for two reasons.Firstly the author explains many principles and relationships using simple terms; lift, drag, stall, etc. Really easy to understand. Secondly, he uses the METRIC system (kg, m, etc.) in all examples; as one who had to learn all this in the ponderous and illogical Imperial system (pounds, feet, etc.), it was a REAL eye opener how much EASIER all the analyses and conversions are in the metric system. When I'm doing my own 'back of the envelope' calculations these days I always do them in metric units; and I suggest you do also.The only small weakness in the book would not be noticed by 99.9% of the readership, and I only mention this for those deeply into this subject.. There is some weakness in the author's understanding of actual aeronautics (vs. the mathematics of which he has mastered). For example, he considers the use of Bernouli's principle a "polite fiction" because it can't explain "how planes fly upside down"(1), or "how the sheet-metal blades of a home ventilator or an agricultural windmill work"(2). Well, the first case (1) IS Bernouli because un-cambered symmetrical wings can generate upwards lift while the plane flies upside down but the wing is at a positive angle of attack. In (2) the author is referring to simple kinetic energy transfer, such as water pushing the blades of a water-mill; this is actually not Bernouli's issue in the first place.Anyway, these small issues do not take away from the book as a whole; in fact the astute reader will simply research more using this book as an excellent, highly recommended intro text. As I've said about other reviews recently; how I wish I had this in college!! Kudo's Mr. Tennekes!Too technical for the lay personAgreeable and often gripping reading, this book has popular scientific purposes, keeping strictly scientific in language and showing method: at the start the physical quantities used are defined, then these quantities are put in diagrams to show the relations between them and the author makes these diagrams very telling. The writing is in general flowing and the communication is forceful but in at least one case it gives rise to some perplexity: ". . . creating a region of reduced pressure on the top surface (a kind of suction), witch pulls the passing air downward." (pg. 5). In the same paragraph Tennekes rails against the "polite fiction and misapprehension" told by high school teachers to explain the generation of lift. (I am pushed to ask where teachers learn these things?) The range of arguments touched is very wide: dimensions of wings from insects to big airplanes; long distance migration of several kinds of birds; comparative analysis of energy consumption between birds, cars, trains and jets . . . all explained through the laws of flight introduced in the first chapter. A brief amusing and instructive paragraph is devoted to the stability of a paper airplane. The amount of figures is very useful for the comprehension and the figures of birds are lovely. The public target of this book is very wide, and actually the book could be read by everyone, but with some rudiment of physics or with a more deep reading of diagrams you will have more benefit.Sandro Girolamo Tropiano, member of "Naturalmentescienza.it" editorial staff.Well written, great info. Illustrations are weak, but still a fantastic reference.Henk Tennekes writes a concise and accurate introduction to the physics of flight. This edition has more typographical errors than I expected (some words that were spelled correctly in the first edition are misspelled here) but the additional material he added is most welcome. If it weren't for the typos and the slightly lower quality of the paper and binding of the book, I would rate it five stars, as I do and did the first edition.This is a bird-focused explanation of flight. The first half of the book is bits of manned-flight history interspersed with numerous silhouettes of birds. Each one has listed its weight, wing area, and span, no doubt drawing from the author's background as a researcher in low-speed/turbulent flows. There's a summary of Paul MacCready's work in human-powered flight (more low-speed) that basically summarizes the book Gossamer Odyssey (Grosser). The last chapter on jetliner design sounds rote and recited by a researcher who has never worked in industry.There's nothing on rotary-wing aircraft, or on the pure flying wing, and barely a mention of any high-performance fighters. (He applauds General Dynamics for designing the YF-16 to be lightweight, even though it was the USAF's program requirements which dictated that.) The only appendix is a table of bird migration data. This book's subject coverage is just too myopic to the author's area of research. There's great detail on low-speed, small-scale flyers, but not nearly enough on aviation for a work purportedly on the general science of flight.Haven't read it through but it is really good so far. The author keeps referring to real birds in order to compare to modern jetliners and other man made craft.It corrects misconceptions on the nature of flight with actual equations that do make sense and boils everything down to how things do work in terms of actual power, force, speed, energy.A real gem.Many books on aerodynamics cover the standard range of speed, weights etc. Prof. Tennekes extends the range to the limits of the envelope, and provides data for a wide range of birds, insects and extends the equations of flight to ultralights and the human powered Gossamer CondorReally enjoyed reading this exploration into aeronautics. I am going to do aeronautical engineering at university and this gave me a real headstart in the area, taking my base knowledge of physics and maths and placing into the context of birds and planes in a really entertaining fashion. Would recommend to anyone with an interest in aeronautical engineering and a decent understanding of maths and physics.The comparisons between human engineering and nature are extraordinary. This book is written in such a way that makes it readable, without compromising the science it’s trying to explain. If you want to stop and spend time studying the equations and calculations in more detail, you can, but it’s not essential to get a good degree of understanding on the topics discussed. Anyone who is fascinated by things that fly will find this book a very enjoyable and interesting read.If you are looking to go into a career in aviation-related engineering or as a pilot, then this is also a good book to start you off. It’s not as detailed in some areas as you might need to study, but it does help ease you into the topics without blowing you away with maths and physics.As a pilot I highly recommend this book.Bought for 13 year old grandson who requested it as he would like to be a pilotThe title does say: 'the simple science' and that is what the book is about. I enjoyed reading it as it does introduce you to the world of the science of flight. It does explain some formulas and presents some good examples. Do not expect to take you into much details and therefore would not recommend it to someone who knows about flight engineering.Magnífico, sencillo y suficientemente profundo para entender el vuelo. Basándose en la segunda y tercera ley de Newton el autor explica la naturaleza de la fuerza de sustentación y aplca sus conclusiones a todos los animales voladores y máquinas voladoras.