The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets [Paperback]

Henk Tennekes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262700654 | ISBN-13: 978-0262700658 | Publication Date: May 16, 1997

From the smallest gnat to the largest aircraft, all things that fly obey the same aerodynamic principles. The Simple Science of Flight offers a leisurely introduction to the mechanics of flight and, beyond that, to the scientific attitude that finds wonder in simple calculations, forging connections between, say, the energy efficiency of a peanut butter sandwich and that of the kerosene that fuels a jumbo jet. It is the product of a lifetime of watching and investigating the way flight happens.

The hero of the book is the Boeing 747, which Tennekes sees as the current pinnacle of human ingenuity in mastering the science of flight. Also covered are paper airplanes, kites, gliders, and human-powered flying machines as well as birds and insects. Tennekes explains concepts like lift, drag, wing loading, and cruising speed through many fascinating comparisons, anecdotes, and examples.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An eminently practical example of how human engineering can be informed by the billions of years of biological structural evolution.

From the smallest gnat to the largest aircraft, all things that fly obey the same aerodynamic principles. This book offers an introduction to the mechanics of flight and, beyond that, to the scientific attitude that finds wonder in simple calculations and forges connections between, say, the energy efficiency of a peanut butter sandwich that fuels your body and that of the kerosene that fuels a jumbo jet. It is the product of a lifetime of watching and investigating flight by an always wise and often witty scientist and writer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"[I]nsights to delight both biologists and aircraft designers alike. . . . both informative and fun."
—Mick Hamer, New Scientist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 137 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (May 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262700654
• ISBN-13: 978-0262700658
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #580,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting book about how things fly, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)

This a fascinating look at how things fly. Insects, birds and airplanes all obey the same aerodynamic principles. With a few simple equations and copious examples the author explains lift, drag, wing loading, cruising speed and other aerodynamic concepts.

His descriptions of how birds fly, how much energy their flight requires and how they meet the challenge is as exciting as any adventure story. We learn that the pectoral muscles of birds can metabolize fats directly(Human muscles burn sugars which the liver must first convert from fat). But flying is hard work. After 12 hours of cruising a migrating swan will clock 650 miles and lose more than a kilogram of body weight. Thus the importance of bird sanctuaries. Migrating birds must feed to continue their journies.

Moving on to airplanes we learn that the Concorde uses 70 tons of kerosene to cross the ocean carrying 100 passengers. The 747 uses the same amount of fuel but carries 350 people and 30 tons of freight. This book explains why.

This book is filled with fascinating facts about flight, but charts, tables and illustrations tie them all together. There are a few equations but they are there to enlighten. The author doesn't overwhelm you with mathematics. This book is a must read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and instructive, November 8, 2004

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)

This delightful little book is an introduction to some major aspects of flight. Not all of them. There isn't much on strength of materials, for example. This book concentrates on the fundamental issues of how much power it takes to fly and what size a flying machine ought to be to make optimal use of its power. What makes the book so much fun is the inclusion of flight characteristics of birds and insects.

Tennekes starts with a chart of weight versus cruising speed for the insects, birds, and planes. Next, he discusses wing sizes. Then fuel consumption, strategies for takeoffs and landings, and gliding.

The author concludes with some praise for the design of the Boeing 747. All commercial passenger planes are best off flying as fast as possible without getting too near the speed of sound, so Mach 0.9 is best. These planes are best off flying high enough to take advantage of the cooler air and good weather: a height of 10 kilometers is ideal. To match the cruising speed with the optimal wing loading at that height, one gets an airplane which is roughly the size and shape of a Boeing 747.

I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More comprehensible? Impossible., March 18, 2005

By 

P. Garcia Fernandez "Pedro Garcia" (Madrid, SPAIN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)

Since years I love the aviation, only for curiosity I bought this book, and in one morning I've enjoyed too much and learnt a lot about aerodynamics, fuel consumption, the migration of birds(really interesting), the forces in skating! etc. It is a book with of 120 pages really educative and comprenhensible, all questions I made in my mind reading the book were answered a few pages ahead. If you are interested in planes, want to know how simple they fly, even loose the fear, and learn all this in easy way and learn about more things you never thought in relation with planes, this is your book. Is any commision for me??hahaha.
Enjoy it.