Introduction to Atmospheric Flight

Abstract

The topic of propulsion for atmospheric flight is introduced. Relevant parameters like thrust, aerodynamic drag, aerodynamic lift and aircraft weight are discussed. The success of an airplane's flight mission is in large part dependent on the effectiveness of the propulsion system being employed. In order to illustrate this point, two example flight mission requirements are covered in some detail in this chapter: cruise performance analysis for a fixed-wing aircraft, and takeoff performance analysis for a fixed-wing aircraft.