Table of Contents

The Basics: Air - a Fluid; Aerodynamic Reaction; Streamlined and Separated Flow; Aerodynamic Centre; Pitching Moments; Lift and Drag; The Lift: Drag Ratio; Thrust, Drag and Speed; Pitching Moments of Wings; Stalling; G Forces. Control: Controls Axes; Control in Pitch; Control in Yaw; Control in Roll; Trimming; Taking Off; Flying Straight and Level; Turning; Landing; Looping; Rolling; Flying Inverted; Spinning. Wing Sections: Wing Lift; Wing Drag; Pitching Movement; Aerodynamic Centre of a Wing; Centre of pressure; Air Pressure and Flow Velocity; Flat Plate Wings; Curved Plate Wings. Thick Wing Sections. Camber. Influence of Camber on Lift. Camber and Drag. Camber of NACA Four-Digit Aerofoils. Thickness Forms. Thickness and Profile Drag. Profile Drag Bucket. Thickness and Lift. Laminar and Turbulent Flow. Scale Effects. Turbulators. Model Wing Sections. The Wing in Plan. Wing Area. Wing Loading. Ballast in Sailplanes. Turning at High Wing Loadings. Span Loading. Aspect Ratio. Vortex Drag. Vortex-Induced Downwash. Refinements of the Wing Plan. Swept Wing Effects. Gaps and Leaks. Multiplane Layouts. Wing Tip Stalling. Washout. Winglets and Tip Sails. Wing Tip Shapes. Locating the Wing Aerodynamic Centre. Stability: What Stability is. Stability and Control. Stability in Pitch, Centre of Gravity Position. How Pitch Stability Works. Neutral Stability in Pitch. Static Stability Margin. Stability in Yaw. Stability in Roll. Pendulum Effects. Dihedral Effects. Holding Off Bank. Sweep Effects. The Propeller: Propeller Basics. Diameter; Pitch. Constant Pitch Propeller. Coarse and Fine Pitch. Blade Lift and Thrust. Propeller Vortex System. Blade Interference. Blade Sections. Blade Shape. Torque Reactions. P Effect and Gyroscopic Reactions.

About the Author

Martin Simons MA, MEd, BSc, now retired from his university teaching post has been flying models of all kinds, and full-scale sailplanes, for more than fifty years. His more advanced book Model Aircraft Aerodynamics is the standard work on its subject in the English language. Model Flight is a much simplified introduction to the same complex field.