Stability and control for the light airplane pilot

This thesis is intended to be a literary work to fill a void in the lightplane and homebuilder library. It is the author's view that, in this aviation segment, there is a general lack of fundamental knowledge in the areas of aerodynamics, stability and control, and flight test applications.

In this manuscript, the reader will be led down the path of a deeper understanding of these subjects. Aerodynamics is presented first, as the foundation for stability and control study. Most chapters are subdivided into "Fundamentals" and "Details" sections. In the first section, a basically text-based discussion and development of concepts will occur. This section is intended to be readable by nearly any pilot. In the following section, some of the mathematical relationships of classical airplanes will be presented to facilitate a deeper discussion of theory and practical application. Following aerodynamics as the foundation comes the major work of this manuscript, a focus on classical airplane stability and control. It is the fervent desire of this author that a smarter, safer generai aviation pilot will result.

In the text, italicized entries introduce new terms, and are also listed in the Glossary. Numerous Bibliography entries provide the reader with further material should this thesis inspire more study or interest.