FASTER THAN SOUND — The story of supersonic flight
Prix régulier 30,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
| ISBN-13 | 9781852603175 |
| ISBN-10 | 1852603178 |
| Book cover finish(es) | Hardcover ( round back binding ) |
| Special Features | • Dust jacket |
| Condition | Used - Like NEW |
| Author(s) | Bill Gunston |
| Publisher | Patrick Stephens Limited |
| Number of pages | 268 |
| Published date | 1992 |
| Language(s) | English |
| Size | 17.5 x 24.5 x 2 cm |
| Categorie(s) | • AVIATION MILITAIRE • AVIATION CIVILE • ESSAIS - OUVRAGES THÉMATIQUES • DIDACTIQUE - TECHNIQUE |
Description
Today airline passengers routinely travel between continents at Mach 2. Yet as recently as four decades ago this would have been considered impossible - indeed in 1952 the British Air Ministry felt confident that its forthcoming V bombers would be safe from enemy fighters as none would risk breaking the sound barrier. Much has happened since then. Aviation expert Bill Gunston tells the thrilling story of supersonic flight - it is a tribute to man's ingenuity, determination and courage.
In 1952 the British Air Minister said that the forthcoming V bombers would be almost immune to interception because they will fly so fast that enemy fighters would have to pierce the sound barrier, and the thunderclap hazard is a better defence than old-fashioned gun turrets'. Yet today the so-called thunderclap hazard is forgotten, and millions of fare-paying passengers routinely travel between continents, not at Mach 1, but at Mach 2.
It is a thrilling story of how test pilots, mainly in the United States, first pierced the sound barrier and eventually showed that it need not be a barrier at all. Here aviation expert Bill Gunston explains in simple language why many of the basic rules of aerodynamics change completely at exactly the speed of sound. Even though much of the theory was worked out nearly a century ago, nobody was able to explore the difficult transonic region (from Mach 0.8 to 1.2) until the 1950s. As a result, the fastest piston-engined fighters and the earliest jet fighters tended to suffer from disconcerting and often very dangerous characteristics which cost the lives of many pilots.
Superbly illustrated, this meaty book is packed with technical information yet presented in an easily digestible style. It makes fascinating reading. Bill Gunston answers questions such as: What are sonic bangs? Why do subsonic jetliners have sweptback wings and modern fighters 'straight' wings? How would 'son of Concorde' be designed? What are aerospace planes?