Modeling and Simulation of Aerospace Vehicle Dynamics

This book unifies all aspects of flight dynamics for the efficient development of aerospace vehicle simulations. It provides the reader with a complete set of tools to build, program, and execute simulations. Unlike other books, it uses tensors for modeling flight dynamics in a form invariant under coordinate transformations. For implementation, the tensors are converted to matrices, resulting in compact computer code. The reader can pick templates of missiles, aircraft, or hypersonic vehicles to jump-start a particular application.

It is the only textbook that combines the theory of modeling with hands-on examples of three-, five-, and six-DoF simulations. Free access to eight prototype simulations and to CADAC Studio–used in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany–is included with the book.

Amply illustrated with 318 figures and 44 examples, the text can be used for advanced undergraduate and graduate instruction or for self-study. Also included are 77 problems that enhance the ability to model aerospace vehicles and nine projects that hone the skills for developing three-, five-, and six-DoF simulations. Instructors may request a solution manual at no cost from the publisher.

Peter H. Zipfel is a graduate of the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and the Catholic University of America with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. Currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Florida, he's also worked with the German Helicopter Institute, the U.S. Army , and U.S. Air Force. He has 40 years of experience in aerospace vehicle simulation including helicopters, missiles, airplanes, and hypersonic vehicles and has written several journal articles and numerous technical reports. He is the recipient of U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force awards, is a former member of the Missile Sciences Techncial Committee of AIAA, and is an AIAA Associate Fellow.