The SR-71 Blackbird is an iconic aircraft that has come to symbolize America's technological superiority during the Cold War. Using recently declassified information, globally renowned expert Paul Crickmore updates his definitive account of the aircraft.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird ranks as one of the most elegant, sleek and powerful aeroplanes ever designed. But it was not built to be admired – it was built not to be seen at all. The high-altitude aerial reconnaissance sorties it was to perform were top secret and carefully concealed from public knowledge. However, as the aircraft have become museum pieces and details of their work declassified, the whole story of their design and operation can finally be told.

This updated edition of Paul Crickmore's classic Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond the Secret Missions is based on 850 pages of documentation and images declassified by the CIA covering the A-12 Oxcart programme. These highly significant documents range from discussions at the highest levels of the US government concerning the rationale for Oxcart's development and eventual deployment, to extremely detailed intelligence data gleaned from each of the 29 operational missions flown by Oxcart during Operation Black Shield.

The Blackbird family of aircraft continue to fascinate a wide age group and, since the aircraft will never fly again, its history has become timeless. This new edition will provide the last word on the SR-71 Blackbird and its operational history.

The conventional approach to through-life-support for aircraft structures can be divided into the following phases: (i) detection of defects, (ii) diagnosis of their nature and significance, (iii) forecasting future behaviour-prognosis, and (iv) pre scription and implementation of remedial measures including repairs. Considerable scientific effort has been devoted to developing the science and technology base for the first three phases. Of particular note is the development of fracture mechanics as a major analytical tool for metals, for predicting residual strength in the presence of cracks ( damage tolerance) and rate of crack propagation under service loading. Intensive effort is currently being devoted to developing similar approaches for fibre composite structures, particularly to assess damage tolerance and durability in the presence of delamination damage. Until recently there has been no major attempt to develop a science and tech nology base for the last phase, particularly with respect to the development of repairs. Approaches are required which will allow assessment of the type and magnitude of defects amenable to repair and the influence of the repair on the stress intensity factor (or some related parameter). Approaches are also required for the development and design of optimum repairs and for assessment of their durability."

The Navier-Stokes equations describe the motion of fluids and are an invaluable addition to the toolbox of every physicist, applied mathematician, and engineer. The equations arise from applying Newton's laws of motion to a moving fluid and are considered, when used in combination with mass and energy conservation rules, to be the fundamental governing equations of fluid motion. They are relevant across many disciplines, from astrophysics and oceanic sciences to aerospace engineering and materials science. This Student's Guide provides a clear and focused presentation of the derivation, significance and applications of the Navier-Stokes equations, along with the associated continuity and energy equations. Designed as a useful supplementary resource for undergraduate and graduate students, each chapter concludes with a selection of exercises intended to reinforce and extend important concepts. Video podcasts demonstrating the solutions in full are provided online, along with written solutions and other additional resources.

At the time of ?nalising this second volume of the ?Yearbook on Space Policy? which covers the period mid-2007 to mid-2008, Europe is as visible and strong in the area of space activities as never before. Its space probes are present on the Moon, around Mars, and on Saturn's Moon Titan, and are chasing asteroids and comets; Ariane V is the most successful commercial launch vehicle; and more and more European space applications satellites are in operation. Finally, with the successful launch of the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF) - the most prominent highlight of this period which is also depicted on the cover of this Yearbook - and the ?rst Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), Europe has become a decisive player in human space?ight. This is accompanied by new policy initiatives on the ministerial level which have been bringing the European Space Agency and the European Union steadily closer. Europe's outstanding development and positioning in the space ?eld is based not only on Europe's successful engineering and scienti?c capabilities and capacities, but also on the forceful political determination of all European actors to maintain and even further their engagement in the use of outer space. And it is this political determination which provides the focus for this ?Yearbook on Space Policy?. The Yearbook describes and analyses the contexts and contents of space policy. Its primary ?eld of investigation is Europe, but it also covers the whole range of global space activities and their in?uence on European endeavours.

This book presents theoretical explorations of several fundamental problems in the dynamics and control of flexible beam systems. By integrating fresh concepts and results to form a systematic approach to control, it establishes a basic theoretical framework. It includes typical control design examples verified using MATLAB simulation, which in turn illustrate the successful practical applications of active vibration control theory for flexible beam systems. The book is primarily intended for researchers and engineers in the control system and mechanical engineering community, offering them a unique resource.

Manufacturing processes for aircraft components include broad activities consisting of multiple materials processing technologies. This book focuses on presenting manufacturing process technologies exclusively for fabricating major aircraft components. Topics covered in a total of twenty chapters are presented with a balanced perspective on the relevant fundamentals and various examples and case studies. An individual chapter is aimed at discussing the scope and direction of research and development in producing high strength lighter aircraft materials, and cost effective manufacturing processes are also included.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE AND FELICITY JONES A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW STATESMAN BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A DAILY TELEGRAPH BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A NEW REPUBLIC BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A TIME MAGAZINE TOP 10 NONFICTION From ambitious scientists rising above the clouds to analyse the air to war generals floating across enemy lines, Richard Holmes takes to the air in this heart-lifting history of pioneer balloonists. Falling Upwards asks why they risked their lives, and how their flights revealed the secrets of our planet. The stories range from early ballooning rivals to the long-distance voyages of American entrepreneurs; from the legendary balloon escape from the Prussian siege of Paris to dauntless James Glaisher, who in the 1860s flew seven miles above the earth - without oxygen. Falling Upwards has inspired the Major Motion Picture The Aeronauts - in cinemas SOON. In a glorious fusion of history, art, science and biography, this is a book about what balloons give rise to: the spirit of discovery, and the brilliant humanity of recklessness, vision and hope.

Describes the quality management underpinnings of SMS, the four components, risk management, reliability engineering, SMS implementation, and the scientific rigor that must be designed into proactive safety. Covers international requirements and implications for harmonization across international boundaries. Offers an expanded treatment of safety culture. Discusses the integration of accident investigation and SMS. Presents an expanded discussion of Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Monte Carlo methods.

Airport design and operation are always closely related. A poor design affects the airport operations, resulting in increased costs, and a sound understanding of operation is needed to enable good design. The aim of this third edition is to present an updated and integrated approach to the two. The chapters have been enhanced to reflect changes in technology and the way the air transport industry functions. Key topics that are newly addressed in this book include low cost airline operations, security issues and EASA regulations on airports. A new chapter covering extended details about wildlife control has been added to the volume.

First published in 1997, this volume responds to the increase in air traffic, as there has been a great deal of work by the nations of the world, under the auspices of ICAO, toward developing the concept for a future air navigation infrastructure to serve worldwide civil aviation efficiency. Even though the concept is well described and implementation is beginning, only technical manuals are available to advance the systems concept. This book describes the global vision for the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) and is the first text of its kind dedicated solely to Communications Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management and the CNS/ATM systems concept. In addition to the technical issues associated with CNS/ATM, the book also examines institutional, economic, labour and Human Factors issues. It is designed as a text usable in the classroom environment in universities and aviation technical schools.

In Psychology and Human Performance in Space Programs: Research at the Frontier, leading space researchers from multiple fields of expertise summarize the recent growth of knowledge, the resulting tools and techniques, and the research still needed to protect humans in space. Making use of cutting-edge research and development related to composing, training, and supporting astronaut crews who will live and work together for future missions to Mars, this book examines the current practices of leaders in the field both at NASA and in academia. Presenting astronaut data alongside data from analogous extreme environments such as mission simulation habitats, this volume helpfully contrasts and compares to examine the lessons that can be learned from other approaches. Using the context of current International Space Station missions, the book discusses the influence of human factors and physiological health on individual and team job performance and social cohesion. With an overview of the physical and psychological hazards of space, and the challenges posed by conducting space-related applied psychology research, this volume uses the context of a long-duration Mars mission as a lens through which to discuss adaptation and resilience, technical and team training, technological advances related to working and living in space, and human interaction with onboard systems. Additionally, the book includes an essay from retired astronaut Clay Anderson on his experiences in space and thoughts on future missions to the moon and Mars. This first of two volumes will be of interest to professionals in the field of human factors and psychology at work, as well as academics examining human performance in extreme environments and aerospace.

In Psychology and Human Performance in Space Programs: Extreme Application, operations experts from multiple space agencies, with support from spaceflight researchers, outline existing and proposed operations for selecting, training, and supporting space crews who currently live and work on the International Space Station, and who are preparing for future missions to the moon and Mars. Highlighting applied psychology in spaceflight whilst acknowledging real-world complexities that occur when integrating across an international, multi-agency collective, this volume provides both historical and current perspectives toward spaceflight operations, with expert contributions from NASA and international partners such as the Japanese Space Agency, Russian space researchers, and the Canadian Space Agency. Helpfully outlining the progress that has been made so far, this book includes topics such as the selection and hiring of astronauts, the process of training a crew for a mission to Mars, and workload and mission planning. Discussing operational psychology in space and on the ground, this book looks to the future of research and operational needs for future missions to Mars, with an essay from astronaut Dr. Don Pettit on his experiences in space and how the Mars mission will challenge us in new ways. This second of two volumes will be of interest to professionals in the field of human factors and psychology in extreme environments.

Anyone becoming a company director faces a steep learning curve; this book will give every director and especially one joining the board of an airline, a head-start on the process. Airline Governance: The Right Direction will help existing directors, those who have been newly appointed and those 'in waiting' in a company's management. This book reviews the fundamentals of corporate governance and puts them into the context of guiding, directing and managing an airline, and also complements the discussion of accounting and finance in its sister book Airline Management Finance: The Essentials. The detailed review will give directors confidence to make decisions on governance matters, avoiding a 'tick the box' approach and focusing on what is important. This book not only gives directors a comprehensive introduction to good governance, but also discusses the application of the principles of governance for an airline at various stages of its development so any changes can be made at the right time. Understanding corporate governance not only helps directors, but also an airline's senior and junior management, because the considerations around matters such as 'conflict of interest' apply to all decision-makers in the organisation. Understanding and applying good governance does not guarantee success, but it surely helps in achieving it.

Anyone becoming a company director faces a steep learning curve; this book will give every director and especially one joining the board of an airline, a head-start on the process. Airline Governance: The Right Direction will help existing directors, those who have been newly appointed and those 'in waiting' in a company's management. This book reviews the fundamentals of corporate governance and puts them into the context of guiding, directing and managing an airline, and also complements the discussion of accounting and finance in its sister book Airline Management Finance: The Essentials. The detailed review will give directors confidence to make decisions on governance matters, avoiding a 'tick the box' approach and focusing on what is important. This book not only gives directors a comprehensive introduction to good governance, but also discusses the application of the principles of governance for an airline at various stages of its development so any changes can be made at the right time. Understanding corporate governance not only helps directors, but also an airline's senior and junior management, because the considerations around matters such as 'conflict of interest' apply to all decision-makers in the organisation. Understanding and applying good governance does not guarantee success, but it surely helps in achieving it.

Air cargo is a key element of the global supply chain. It allows outsourcing of manufacturing to other countries and links production in both multinational and smaller enterprises. It has also been the most important driver of certain export industries in countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Chile. As a component of the air transport industry, air cargo makes the crucial difference between profit and loss on many long-haul routes. This second edition of Moving Boxes by Air offers a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to the business and practices of air cargo, with chapters dedicated to key issues such as current trends, market characteristics, regulation, airport terminal operations, pricing and revenues, and environmental impacts. The book illustrates the recent emphasis on mergers at the expense of alliances, which have not had the impact that they had on passenger operations. The section on security has been expanded to assess in more depth the threats to aircraft from terrorists, particularly in the lower cargo and passenger baggage compartments. Surcharges are examined and the book considers whether all airlines will follow the lead of some to do away with both fuel and security surcharges. The book concludes with a summary of the latest industry forecasts. Fully updated throughout, this edition is the definitive guide to air cargo for professionals within both the aviation and freight industries.

This book is a political-economic analysis of China's transformation to become a global aviation power. It aims to identify the driving forces that have shaped China's ever-evolving international air transport policy direction and goals in the past four decades and further determines how and to what extent these driving forces have shaped China's considerations and strategies when executing its policy goals through bilateral air services negotiations. The findings reveal that China's international air transport policymaking has remained in the domain of the country's aviation regulator, which has enjoyed an exclusivity to exercise its power on the air transport sector. The book argues that China's international air transport policy direction is in alignment with the country's overall strategic mission and its goal is set to support the country's endeavour to realise the "China dream." It concludes that factors at all levels interact with each other with a far-reaching impact on the country's policy direction and goal setting; however, these factors are constrained by time and circumstances. The book is a must-read for a wide array of audiences, including, but not limited to, scholars and industry professionals who have an interest in China's political economy, policymaking, international trade, government behaviour, corporate political activities, air transport, aviation liberalisation, and bilateral negotiations.

Spotlighting the field of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO), this book illustrates and implements state-of-the-art methodologies within the complex process of aerospace system design under uncertainties. The book provides approaches to integrating a multitude of components and constraints with the ultimate goal of reducing design cycles. Insights on a vast assortment of problems are provided, including discipline modeling, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty propagation, reliability analysis, and global multidisciplinary optimization. The extensive range of topics covered include areas of current open research. This Work is destined to become a fundamental reference for aerospace systems engineers, researchers, as well as for practitioners and engineers working in areas of optimization and uncertainty. Part I is largely comprised of fundamentals. Part II presents methodologies for single discipline problems with a review of existing uncertainty propagation, reliability analysis, and optimization techniques. Part III is dedicated to the uncertainty-based MDO and related issues. Part IV deals with three MDO related issues: the multifidelity, the multi-objective optimization and the mixed continuous/discrete optimization and Part V is devoted to test cases for aerospace vehicle design.

While aviation fatalities have thankfully fallen dramatically in recent years, the phenomena of complexity and cognitive bias have been shown to be factors in many accidents. An understanding of these phenomena promises to bring the fatality rate even lower, and a deeper understanding of commercial aircraft in the context of systems engineering will contribute to that trend. Systems Approach to the Design of Commercial Aircraft describes commercial aircraft from an advanced systems point of view, addressing complexity, cybersecurity, and systems architecting. In addition, it provides an explanation of systems engineering, describes how systems engineering forms a framework for commercial aircraft, covers how systems engineering and systems architecting relate to commercial aircraft, addresses complexity, and shows how humans fit into systems engineering and the importance for commercial aircraft. It goes onto present how cybersecurity plays an important role in the mix and how human interface fits in. The readership includes designers of aircraft, manufacturers, researchers, systems engineers, and students. Scott Jackson is a fellow of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) and the author of Systems Engineering for Commercial Aircraft (1997 and 2015) in English and Chinese. Ricardo Moraes dos Santos is a senior systems engineer at EMBRAER S/A and an INCOSE Brazil chapter director. He works with Architecting process (Corporate) and is head of Cybersecurity and Safety (STPA Applications) at EMBRAER S/A.

This textbook introduces the theories and practical procedures used in planetary spacecraft navigation. Written by a former member of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) navigation team, it delves into the mathematics behind modern digital navigation programs, as well as the numerous technological resources used by JPL as a key player in the field. In addition, the text offers an analysis of navigation theory application in recent missions, with the goal of showing students the relationship between navigation theory and the real-world orchestration of mission operations.

This book provides a complete overview of the theory, design, and applications of unmanned aerial vehicles. It covers the basics, including definitions, attributes, manned vs. unmanned, design considerations, life cycle costs, architecture, components, air vehicle, payload, communications, data link, and ground control stations. Chapters cover types and civilian roles, sensors and characteristics, alternative power, communications and data links, conceptual design, human machine interface, sense and avoid systems, civil airspace issues and integration efforts, navigation, autonomous control, swarming, and future capabilities.

With the extraordinary growth of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in research, military, and commercial contexts, there has been a need for a reference that provides a comprehensive look at the latest research in the area. Filling this void, Smart Autonomous Aircraft: Flight Control and Planning for UAV introduces the advanced methods of flight control, planning, situation awareness, and decision making. This book is among the first to emphasize the theoretic and algorithmic side of control and planning in dynamic and uncertain environments. Focused on the latest theory that informs flight planning and control, it describes the use of computational intelligence modeling, control, and planning. Providing background information on fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles, the book proceeds from the basics to advanced methods, from classical to the most innovative. It examines the current state of the art and covers the topics required to assess the autonomy of UAVs. An ideal resource for researchers and practitioners working on solutions for implementing advanced capabilities in UAVs, the book details the mathematical underpinnings of each concept and includes illustrative case studies to reinforce understanding. Providing an interdisciplinary point of view on autonomous aircraft, the book reviews the different methodologies of control and planning used to create smart autonomous aircraft. The topics covered in this book have been derived from the author's research and teaching duties in smart aerospace and autonomous systems and from literature survey. Assuming an understanding of engineering at the undergraduate level, this book is suitable for advanced-level graduate students and PhD students enrolled in UAV or aerial robotics courses.

This book opens with a discussion of the vorticity-dynamic formulation of the low Mach number viscous flow problem. It examines the physical aspects of the velocity and the vorticity fields, their instantaneous relationship, and the transport of vorticity in viscous fluids for steady and unsteady flows. Subsequently, using classical analyses it explores the mathematical aspects of vorticity dynamics and issues of initial and boundary conditions for the viscous flow problem. It also includes the evolution of the vorticity field which surrounds and trails behind airfoils and wings, generalizations of Helmholtz' vortex theorems and the Biot-Savart Law. The book introduces a theorem that relates the aerodynamic force to the vorticity moment and reviews the applications of the theorem. Further, it presents interpretations of the Kutta-Joukowski theorem and Prandtl's lifting line theory for vorticity dynamics and discusses wake integral methods. The virtual-mass effect is shown to be the seminal event in unsteady aerodynamics and a simple approach for evaluating virtual-mass forces on the basis of vorticity dynamics is presented. The book presents a modern viewpoint on vorticity dynamics as the framework for understanding and establishing the fundamental principles of viscous and unsteady aerodynamics. It is intended for graduate-level students of classical aerodynamics and researchers exploring the frontiers of fully unsteady and non-streamlined aerodynamics.

This book introduces readers to a range of jamming principles and techniques for new radars, combining a wealth of theoretical analyses, test data, calculations, and charts. With rapid advances in military radar technology, new types of radar are constantly emerging. Therefore, there is an urgent need to carry out effective research on these new radars and to develop corresponding jamming techniques. The main topics covered include development of radar and radar countermeasures; jamming techniques for synthetic aperture radar; jamming techniques for pulse compression radar; jamming techniques for pulse Doppler radar; general jamming techniques for various radars; analysis and calculation of the effective jamming suppression zone and jamming exposure zone for radars installed on different platforms; jamming techniques for phased array radar; jamming techniques for dual (multiple) static radar; and solutions for high equivalent radiation power, high reception sensitivity, and transceiver isolation in jammer design.

Contained in the volume are the papers presented at an International Symposium on Advanced Technology for Design and Fabrication of Composite Materials and Structures. The Symposium was organized by Consorzio per la Ricerca e l'Educazione Permanente; Institute of Fracture and Solid Mechanics, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania USA; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale del Politecnico di Torino; and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aeronautica e Spaziale del Politecnico di Torino. It was held at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy, May 24-28, 1993. The support from the various organizations is acknowledged as follows: * Consiglio N azionale delle Ricerche * ALENIA SP AZIO * AGUST A * CIRA * AERMACCHI * Centro Ricerche FIAT * ALENIA (formerly AERITALIA) * Collegio Costruttori Edili della Provincia di Torino As new knowledge is being accumulated on the design and fabrication of advanced composite systems in different sectors of the world, there is the need not only to exchange new ideas but also to disseminate the information from the researchers to the users. The theme of this Symposium is particularly relevant to the automobile, marine, aerospace and construction industry where the competitive edge lies on improved processing and/or manufacturing of the products. Technological advances have been and will continue to depend strongly on the development of new materials and their effective use in design. Empirical trial-and- error methods could no longer be considered economically feasible when applied to usage-specific materials such as composites.

This book presents contributions to the 18th biannual symposium of the German Aerospace Aerodynamics Association (STAB). The individual chapters reflect ongoing research conducted by the STAB members in the field of numerical and experimental fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, mainly for (but not limited to) aerospace applications, and cover both nationally and EC-funded projects. By addressing a number of essential research subjects, together with their related physical and mathematics fundamentals, the book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the current research work in the field, as well as its main challenges and new directions. Current work on e.g. high aspect-ratio and low aspect-ratio wings, bluff bodies, laminar flow control and transition, active flow control, hypersonic flows, aeroelasticity, aeroacoustics and biofluid mechanics is exhaustively discussed here.