Modern Flight Dynamics

When introduced to the topic of aircraft flight dynamics students discover that it is the essence of aeronautical engineering because it involves the study of the motion—the flight—of the vehicle. This motion defines the vehicle's performance, a topic of enormous significance to the ultimate success of the machine. Flight dynamics is a study of the complete vehicle, rather than just a component of a vehicle. Hence, it is fundamentally the study of a multicomponent system and its dynamics and control. Modern Flight Dynamics is a result of the author's 30-years of experience in teaching flight dynamics, plus his years of experience as a practitioner and researcher in the field. This book can serve as the text for a two-course or three-course sequence in modern flight dynamics: the first an undergraduate course, the second two at the graduate level. Other course usage is also possible. The book was written with the assumption that the student has mastered basic dynamics and has some exposure to classical control theory prior to beginning this course sequence. A previous course in aerodynamics would be helpful but could be taken concurrently. In addition to its use as a textbook, Modern Flight Dynamics is a useful reference for the practicing engineer and researcher, with many practical examples—some involving the use of MATLAB.