Introduction to Aerospace Engineering With A Flight Perspective

The history of aerospace engineering is full of firsts, such as the first balloon flight, the first airplane
flight, the first helicopter flight, the first artificial satellite flight, the first manned spacecraft flight,
and many others. In this first chapter, these many firsts are discussed in the context of the aerospace
engineering involved in making these historic events happen. The first flight of a new vehicle design
is a significant achievement and milestone. It is usually the culmination of years of hard work by
many people, including engineers, technicians, managers, pilots, and other support personnel. First
flights often represent firsts in the application of new aerospace engineering concepts or theories
that are being validated by the actual flight.
As an aerospace engineer, you have the opportunity to contribute to the first flight of a new aircraft,
a new spacecraft, or a new technology. Aerospace engineers are involved in all facets of the
design, analysis, research, development, and testing of aerospace vehicles. This encompasses many
different aerospace engineering discipline specialties, including aerodynamics, propulsion, performance,
stability, control, structures, systems, and others. Several of these fundamental disciplines
of aerospace engineering are introduced in this text. The aerospace engineer tests the vehicle, on
the ground and in flight, to verify that it can perform as predicted and to improve its operating characteristics. Flight testing is usually the final test to be performed on the complete vehicle or
system.
In many areas of engineering and technology, there is sometimes a perception that there is “nothing
left to be done”, or that “there is nothing left to be invented”. The impressive successes of our
aerospace past may appear, to some, to dim the prospects for future innovations. Aerospace engineers
have indeed designed, built, and flown some of the most innovative, complex, and amazing
machines known to humanity. However, there is still ample room for creativity and innovation in
the design of aerospace vehicles, and opportunities for technological breakthroughs to make the
skies and stars far more accessible. By the end of this textbook, you will have greatly increased
your knowledge of aerospace engineering, but you will also be humbled by how much more there
is to be discovered.