June 28, 2010 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announces the publication of a new book, "Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design: Volume 1: Aircraft Design." Written by Leland M. Nicolai and Grant E. Carichner, the work is part of AIAA's Education Series.
The new work revises the 1975 edition of the text, considered a standard in aircraft design classes around the world, and highlights the latest industry processes and techniques. The updated material in the book covers designing aircraft for survivability (stealth), solar and human power aircraft systems, and very high altitude aircraft operation with air breathing propulsion systems. The book also includes a completely new chapter on material selection and structural arrangement, with a complete wing design example included in the text. Intended for graduate students and upper level undergraduate students, as well as for practicing engineers, the book is a complete reference aid, addressing the conceptual design phase for civil and military aircraft, from initial consideration of user needs to the decision to iterate the design one more time. The authors present aircraft design in a step-by-step process as it would occur in the actual industrial design process, reminding readers that while there is no "right" answer when it comes to design, there is always a "best" answer for designers to use.
Dr. Leland M. Nicolai is a Lockheed Martin Fellow in the Lockheed Martin Advanced Development Programs ("Skunk Works") facility, Palmdale, Calif. He holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering from Michigan University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University. He has more than 40 years experience in the design of advanced aircraft, including the AGM-129/Advanced Cruise Missile, F-20 Tigershark, T-46A Next Generation Trainer, and the F-22 Raptor. Grant E. Carichner holds a Master of Science degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles. His extensive career includes work at the Lockheed Martin "Skunk Works" for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NASA on the SR-71 Blackbird; the M-5 Methane Penetrator, a suspersonic stealth Short-Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) fighter; the JASSM Missile; Aerocraft, and the Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) Program. In 1999 he received the "Inventor of the Year" Award for his work on the JASSM Missile.
(Published by AIAA, 2010, 960 pages, Hardback. ISBN: 978-1-60086-751-4; List Price: $119.95) Press review copy requests may be e-mailed to janices@aiaa.org. Orders may be placed online: www.aiaa.org/books; by mail: AIAA Publications Customer Service, P.O. Box 960, Herndon, VA, 20172-0960; by phone: 800.682.2422 or 703.661.1595; or by fax: 703.661.1501.
AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.
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