Understanding Mathematics for Aircraft Navigation (Understanding Aviation) (Paperback)

by James Wolper (Author) "Navigation involves moving along or above the surface of the Earth (or other planet), and in order to understand navigation we need to understand the..." (more)
Key Phrases: fuel burn curve, prudent navigator, pressurization failure, United States, North Pole, Goose Bay (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Even with computers, the mathematics lives on...The book is a mix of data, historical information, and personal experiences... -- JournalNet, August 9, 2001

Product Description
*Explains the mathematics essential to flight, teaching basic principles and reasoning *Provides an understanding that allows pilots to utilize new technologies *Examines techniques of GPS (Global Positioning System), and other navigation forms, including calculations of distance and bearings *Covers chart construction, magnetic compasses, mental calculations, long-range flight planning

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Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (May 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071375724
• ISBN-13: 978-0071375726
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,743 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for getting to know things from a different point of view., April 21, 2007

By	Oliver Racz "Oliver" - See all my reviews

While Richard's comment about the book might be true, I (private pilot currently doing instrument rating) found the book very interesting in the way that it introduces much of what I already knew (and much of what I didn't) from a completely new point of view. The thing is, pilots are confined in their own way of thinking, and fairly often know much less about the mathematical part of navigation than would be desirable. I personally felt my private pilot ground school was baby talk, the textbooks did not contain enough about mathematics, and it felt good to read something that assumes the reader went to at least high school.

That being said, the mathematics in the book are not scary, I felt the author intentionally did not use anything more complicated than high school math (mostly simple trigonometry), which he also said in the beginning of the book. My math was quite average in high school, and never really dealt with it anymore in university, and it still did not take too much effort to understand most of the book. It did require some brain work to follow the calculations, though. The most mathematical part of the book is the second chapter, "Vectors and Spheres", where I had to skip some of the calculations. The book could have used a little more explanation in this part, but I must admit, had I not been a little lazy, I could have looked up the necessary knowledge in a couple of days.

I am the kind of person who likes to ask a lot of "why?" questions in my head, and this book gave me answers to a number of them.

I imagine the book could be equally interesting for math students, as it gives meaning to the numbers - something I missed a lot in mathematics. While to me it was definitely the first half of the book that contained most of the new things, to them it might be the other way round.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, easy to read, September 27, 2007

By	B. H. Van Dyk (Haarlem, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great book, easy to read. Makes navigation looks easy. Another advantage is that it is cheap.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but, January 9, 2007

By	Richard (a Texan currently in Australia) - See all my reviews

the content was not quite what I expected it to be. Most of the content of this book is already common knowledge among professional pilots.