Customer Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding for the serious beginner or experienced pilot - Six Stars
Comment: Way too many pilots are making it through "professional" flight schools, a few years of instructing, into the commuters and finally into the cockpit of large jets with very little rigorous study of aerodynamics. With the emphasis on conservative training, electronic gadgets and such something is shortchanged and that is fundamentals of aerodynamics. This book is the answer as a text, instructor's aide and desk reference.
The product review infers that this is an FAA publication. Thankfully it is not. Rather it is the text that has lead generations of young Naval Aviation officers from diverse backgrounds into the cockpits of jet fighters operating off of carriers and many other forms of aviation. The preface and title page clearly indicate that it was written by Hugh Hurt (University of Southern California); Hurt notes "The purpose of this textbook is to present the elements of applied aerodynamics and aeronautical engineering which relate directly to the problem of flying operations." In this case the client was the Naval Air Systems Command and the book's mission was to provide the aeronautical knowledge required to transition from a liberal arts major to the deck of a carrier.
When I first bought this book I had been flying for several decades. My regret was that I had not read it earlier. Students who use the book in aviation courses will have a significant advantage in their training. It is a great resource book on all things having to do with how airplanes ( and helos) fly and sometimes do not fly.
Considering that the feedstock of Navy aviation is a diverse group with backgrounds from aero to poly sci and that the demands placed on the graduates are huge, it is not surprising that this book was produced. It does a fantastic job of discussing concepts and then providing the math (most of it far beyond my ability) and graphs. However, the lack of a background in calculus does not prevent the reader from gaining priceless insights into the physics and practice of flying.
Yes the photographs are dated and of planes long sent to the boneyard but the physics of flying have not changed since the earth cooled. In fact, with the current crop of flight instructors so affixed to their digital displays, most civilian students will need to study aerodynamics on their own. Want to understand why Mooney aircraft have so many bent props on the 231/252 series, just spend a few minutes wiht the applied problems in aero and some of the basics.
For me the goal was not to understand every topic covered, but to add to my knowledge base, especially as it relates to the type of flying I normally do, and to have an excellent reference. With that goal this book is great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The author's success is evident in many ways but perhaps most in the fact that after more than four decades it is still the text of choice in many rigorous academic and professional training programs. If I had to pick two books to give a student pilot it would be Richard Bach's Stranger To The Ground and this book. I have also recommended this book to several of my instructor friends as an aid to understanding what they are teaching.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well done...
Comment: This is an excellent, well priced book. I think it is especially useful for engineers who are not aeronautical engineers. It is also very useful as a companion book to a calculus-based aerodynamics book. The mathematics in this book are not difficult--which is nice since it allows the reader to concentrate on the basic concepts of flight and aerodynamics. My one point deduction comes only because more problem solving would be appreciated--but there are plenty of other texts for that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great quality
Comment: I've just bought a special book to navy's pilot which is about how to understand aerodynamics for naval aviators. The service is good and it took not so much time as I thought it would take and the book is new in great quality paper, that's why I rate this item to 5 stars.
Thankyou very much Amazon.com
It was a pleasure buy this book with you.
Edilson.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Reference Book
Comment: I first read this book in community college as a student pilot, then later at San Jose State University studying aerodynamics. It's the only book I've found that effectivly communicates the complexities of aerodynamics without becoming overly scientific or simplistic. The age of the book shows in it's graphics, but the line drawings used to illustrate the important points I find to be less distracting and more informative than the more complex graphics found in later works. Overall, this is an excellent addition to the library of anyone seriously interested in the science of flight.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great aeronautical reference. Great price.
Comment: Althought written in 1959, this book covers many subjects related to aeronautical knowledge which are still in use today. High speed aerodynamics & aircraft performance are also covered. You dont have to be a naval aviatior for this book.
Summary: Outstanding for the serious beginner or experienced pilot - Six Stars
Comment: Way too many pilots are making it through "professional" flight schools, a few years of instructing, into the commuters and finally into the cockpit of large jets with very little rigorous study of aerodynamics. With the emphasis on conservative training, electronic gadgets and such something is shortchanged and that is fundamentals of aerodynamics. This book is the answer as a text, instructor's aide and desk reference.
The product review infers that this is an FAA publication. Thankfully it is not. Rather it is the text that has lead generations of young Naval Aviation officers from diverse backgrounds into the cockpits of jet fighters operating off of carriers and many other forms of aviation. The preface and title page clearly indicate that it was written by Hugh Hurt (University of Southern California); Hurt notes "The purpose of this textbook is to present the elements of applied aerodynamics and aeronautical engineering which relate directly to the problem of flying operations." In this case the client was the Naval Air Systems Command and the book's mission was to provide the aeronautical knowledge required to transition from a liberal arts major to the deck of a carrier.
When I first bought this book I had been flying for several decades. My regret was that I had not read it earlier. Students who use the book in aviation courses will have a significant advantage in their training. It is a great resource book on all things having to do with how airplanes ( and helos) fly and sometimes do not fly.
Considering that the feedstock of Navy aviation is a diverse group with backgrounds from aero to poly sci and that the demands placed on the graduates are huge, it is not surprising that this book was produced. It does a fantastic job of discussing concepts and then providing the math (most of it far beyond my ability) and graphs. However, the lack of a background in calculus does not prevent the reader from gaining priceless insights into the physics and practice of flying.
Yes the photographs are dated and of planes long sent to the boneyard but the physics of flying have not changed since the earth cooled. In fact, with the current crop of flight instructors so affixed to their digital displays, most civilian students will need to study aerodynamics on their own. Want to understand why Mooney aircraft have so many bent props on the 231/252 series, just spend a few minutes wiht the applied problems in aero and some of the basics.
For me the goal was not to understand every topic covered, but to add to my knowledge base, especially as it relates to the type of flying I normally do, and to have an excellent reference. With that goal this book is great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
The author's success is evident in many ways but perhaps most in the fact that after more than four decades it is still the text of choice in many rigorous academic and professional training programs. If I had to pick two books to give a student pilot it would be Richard Bach's Stranger To The Ground and this book. I have also recommended this book to several of my instructor friends as an aid to understanding what they are teaching.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well done...
Comment: This is an excellent, well priced book. I think it is especially useful for engineers who are not aeronautical engineers. It is also very useful as a companion book to a calculus-based aerodynamics book. The mathematics in this book are not difficult--which is nice since it allows the reader to concentrate on the basic concepts of flight and aerodynamics. My one point deduction comes only because more problem solving would be appreciated--but there are plenty of other texts for that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great quality
Comment: I've just bought a special book to navy's pilot which is about how to understand aerodynamics for naval aviators. The service is good and it took not so much time as I thought it would take and the book is new in great quality paper, that's why I rate this item to 5 stars.
Thankyou very much Amazon.com
It was a pleasure buy this book with you.
Edilson.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Reference Book
Comment: I first read this book in community college as a student pilot, then later at San Jose State University studying aerodynamics. It's the only book I've found that effectivly communicates the complexities of aerodynamics without becoming overly scientific or simplistic. The age of the book shows in it's graphics, but the line drawings used to illustrate the important points I find to be less distracting and more informative than the more complex graphics found in later works. Overall, this is an excellent addition to the library of anyone seriously interested in the science of flight.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great aeronautical reference. Great price.
Comment: Althought written in 1959, this book covers many subjects related to aeronautical knowledge which are still in use today. High speed aerodynamics & aircraft performance are also covered. You dont have to be a naval aviatior for this book.