The Flying-Machine from an Engineering Standpoint: A Reprint of the - Hardcover

Frederick William Lanchester

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0332394158 ISBN 13: 9780332394152

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2022

Synopsis

Explore the engineering mind behind early flight and how machines break the air to climb above it.

This edition presents Frederick William Lanchester’s pioneering analysis of the flying machine from an engineering standpoint, drawing on the James Forrest lecture and contemporary aerodynamics knowledge.

This work gathers the practical challenges faced by early aircraft designers—resistance, stability, propulsion, landing gear, and control—into a coherent understanding of how a machine moves through air. It blends theory with real-world testing and references, offering readers a window into the methods that shaped the first decades of aviation.

• Learn how air acts as a persistent guide and obstacle to flight, and how designers balance wing area, weight, and power.
• Understand stability concepts, such as how different configurations respond to gusts, banking, and changes in speed.
• See how resistance is measured and modeled, including the roles of body shape, struts, wires, wheels, and propellers.
• Explore discussions on propulsion, power installation, and the relationship between engine choices and aircraft behavior.

Ideal for readers with an interest in the history of engineering, early aerodynamics, and the foundational questions that guided how flying machines were built.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0332394158
• ISBN 13: 9780332394152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 152