Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles [Hardcover]

John H. Blakelock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0471506516 | ISBN-13: 978-0471506515 | Edition: 2

This Second Edition continues the fine tradition of its predecessor by exploring the various automatic control systems in aircraft and on board missiles. Considerably expanded and updated, it now includes new or additional material on: the effectiveness of beta-beta feedback as a method of obtaining coordination during turns using the F-15 as the aircraft model; the root locus analysis of a generic acceleration autopilot used in many air-to-air and surface-to-air guided missiles; the guidance systems of the AIM-9L Sidewinder as well as bank-to-turn missiles; various types of guidance, including proportional navigation and line-of-sight and lead-angle command guidance; the coupling of the output of a director fire control system into the autopilot; the analysis of multivariable control systems; and methods for modeling the human pilot, plus the integration of the human pilot into an aircraft flight control system. Also features many new additions to the appendices.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 672 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience; 2 edition (January 18, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471506516
• ISBN-13: 978-0471506515
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ode to Frequency Domain Methods, August 22, 2005

By 

James H. McDuffie (Huntsville, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles (Hardcover)

Blakelock's book is probably the most practical flight control book out there for both planes and missiles. Unfortunatly fly-by-wire and some other newer methods now practicable because of increased on-board computing power are not really covered but are hinted at in places. This tome provides probably the easiest to understand approach to aircraft control in existance. Straightforward and oriented to a step-by-step approach, it beats many of the "classic" texts popular with many professors hands down. Being a controls kind of guy, I particularly enjoy his use of normalized stability derivatives which result in controller designs already in units that can be directly used for servomotor design. A good understanding of this book will be of enormous use to even the most moderm airplane control system designer. For many years this book has been the secret weapon of those "in the know".
This book is oriented almost exclusively to frequency domain methods but there is a state variable approach chapter. Currently, there is a return to state-space methods movement in progress but this material in Blakelock is mandatory even for understanding the state-space methods. Examine Stengel's new work Flight Dynamics.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles by J H Blakelock, August 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles (Hardcover)

Blakelock's text is a very fine book. You may also find Control Systems Engineering by Nise (now in 3rd Edn)of benefit.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The reference book to have for missile simulation, September 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Automatic Control of Aircraft and Missiles (Hardcover)

I used this book as a ready refence for all my six degree-of-freedom missile modeling. An excellent presentation. There are 13 chapters with 9 Appendices. I suspect this book is out-of-print - get it while you can!