TABLE OF CONTENTS but the fact remains that a couple of bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, had designed, constructed, and flown for the first time ever a practical airplane.
J. Dos Passos, in The Big Money, 1932
After an uncertain start at the beginning of the 20th century, aviation has grown to a size on a global scale. By the year 2000, over 100 million passengers traveled through the airports of large metropolitan areas, such as London. In the same year, there have been 35.14 million commercial departures worldwide, for a total of 18.14 million flight hours [1]. Demand for commercial air travel has grown by an estimated 9% a year since the 1960s. The expansion of the aviation services is set to increase strongly. Today, every million passengers contribute about 3,000 jobs (directly and indirectly) to the economy. Therefore, aircraft performance is a substantial subject.
The calculation and optimization of aircraft performance are required to:
Design a new aircraft;
Verify that the aircraft achieves its design targets;
Efficiently operate an existing aircraft or fleet;
Select a new aircraft;
Modify, upgrade and extend the flight envelope;
Upgrade and extend the mission profile;
Investigate the causes of aircraft accidents;
Provide data for the aircraft certification ( Certificate of Airworthiness).
The engineering methods for the evaluation of aircraft performance are based on theoretical analysis and flight testing. The latter method is made possible by accurate measurement techniques, including navigation instruments. Flight testing is essentially an experimental discipline albeit an expensive one.
