The bird is on the wing : aerodynamics and the progress of the American airplane / James R. Hansen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hansen, James R.

Series:

Centennial of flight series ; no. 6.

Centennial of flight series ; no. 6

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Aeronautics--Research--United States--History.

Aeronautics.

Aerodynamics--Research--United States--History.

Aerodynamics.

Airplanes--Design and construction--History.

Airplanes.

Aeronautical engineers--Biography.

Aeronautical engineers.

Airplanes--Design and construction.

History.

Aerodynamics--Research.

Aeronautics--Research.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xi, 273 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2004]

Summary:

The airplane ranks as one of history's most ingenious and phenomenal inventions -- and surely one of the most world-shaking. How ideas about its aerodynamics first came together and how the science and technology evolved to forge the airplane into the revolutionary machine it became is the epic story James R. Hansen tells in The Bird Is on the Wing. Just as the airplane is a defining technology of the twentieth century, aerodynamics has been the defining element of the airplane. Hansen provides an engaging, easily understandable introduction to the role of aerodynamics in the design of such historic American aircraft as the DC-3, X-1, and 747. Recognizing the impact individuals have had on the development of the field, he conveys not only a history of aircraft technology, but also a collective biography of the scientists, engineers, and designers who created the airplanes. Hansen's explanation of how vocabulary and specifications were developed to fill the gap between the perceptions of pilots and the system of engineers will fascinate all those interested in how human beings have used aerodynamics to move among, and even beyond, birds on the wing.

Contents:

Introduction: The Defining Element of a Defining Technology 3

Chapter 1 The Winding Path to the Wright Brothers 15

Chapter 2 Reinventing the Airplane 41

Chapter 3 Breaking the Sound Barrier 82

Chapter 4 The Supersonic Design Revolution 110

Chapter 5 The Rise and Fall of the SST 143

Chapter 6 The Progress of the Jetliner 175

Chapter 7 The Future of Flight 212.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [249]-258) and index.

ISBN:

1585442887

1585442437

OCLC:

52251147