TABLE OF CONTENTS Contrary to the British and German military authorities, both of whom believed in nose armament, the Italians took the view that speeds of 250 mph made frontal attacks by fighters unlikely.
J.H. Stevens [29], 1953
This chapter discusses the general aircraft model for the rigid-body approximation, the reference systems, the nomenclature of the aircraft, forces, moments and angles. The aircraft operates in the atmosphere, therefore the standard air model is reviewed, along with relevant approximating functions for performance calculations. Some atmospheric effects in non-standard conditions are briefly reviewed.
Since the late 1940s [33], [34], the accepted aircraft model for performance calculations consists of a point mass concentrated at the center of gravity. The engines are assumed to operate at the aircraft symmetry plane. There have been attempts to improve on the point-movement prediction methods, to include the fact that thrust, aerodynamic center and weight operate at different points. Aircraft flexibility is important at supersonic speed. Although a subsonic aircraft has a nearly "square" dimension, a viable supersonic transport aircraft has a length about double its wing span.
Variable geometry produces changes in the aerodynamic coefficients and in the handling quality. Longitudinal flexibility can be controlled by combined wing, tail-plane and canards. Allowance for wing flexibility is essential in special flight conditions, in order to avoid flutter effects. Wing flexibility at take-off may also contribute to the ground performance. Current research focuses on the aerodynamics, structural dynamics and flight mechanics coupling. However, the...
