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(More customer reviews)I built and flew an ultralight (Challenger I) in the early '90s and I'm interested in getting back into this hobby. This book, titled "Ultralight Flight", and subtitled "The Pilot's Handbook of Ultralight Knowledge", would be better titled as "A Primer on Aeronautical Engineering". There is nothing in this book that is instructional about how to join the ultralight community or how to master the joy of ultralight flight.
Fully 1/3 of the book is devoted to the history of flight, beginning with da Vinci. I wasn't looking for a history book! The bibliography is a "Who's Who" of technical (and historical) aeronautical reference material, such as "Theory of Wing Sections", "An introduction to Fluid Dynamics", "Aeroelasticity", and "Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics". These references give you a sense of the book's almost exclusive technical content. This material is supposed to encourage me to enjoy wind-in-your-face fun at low altitudes?
There were no previous reviews when I bought this book, so I didn't have much with which to judge it when I purchased it. If you're an aviation engineer who wants to study graphs of "Breakdown of typical ultralight longitudinal stability" or "How camber affects lift characteristics of an ultralight stall Reynolds Number of 700,000" (I could go on ad infinitum) for your Master's thesis, this book is for you. It's just not what I expected from the title. And I returned it the same day it arrived.
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A THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOWS AND WHYS OF ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT---the kind that transcends basic piloting techniques---IS AN ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT OF THE COMPLETE AVIATOR. For those who want to be the most competent pilot possible, this authoritative book unravels the mysteries of low speed flight in an easily understood, fun-to-read style.SECTION ONE---INTRODUCTION TO ULTRALIGHTS---presents the complete ultralight vocabulary and includes a fascinating review of the intriguing early days of ultralight flight, never before published.SECTION TWO---ULTRALIGHT AERODYNAMICS--- once and for all, reveals the truth about low speed flight. It begins with a discussion on the nature of the atmosphere and its vital importance to flight. Once air begins to move, it changes character and gives rise to THE FORCE---the only reason flight exists! The study of airflow will enlighten you to the mechanisms of the stall. Pilots argue how lift is generated---ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT tells it like it is. Learn the importance of streamlining. A special chapter vividly describes the amazing ultrlaight wing and how it works.SECTION THREE---ULTRALIGHT HANDLING QUALITIES---delves into the specialties of ultralight aircraft manners, including stability and control, as well as trim. It will impress upon you the vital importance of proper CG location. It tells why ultralights fly the way they do and allows you to predict how any ultralight should handle. A chapter is then devoted to the peculiarities of canards and flying wings.SECTION FOUR---ULTRALIGHT PERFORMANCE---deals with power and speed. It starts with a chapter on the four main forces of flight and their relationship during climb, cruise and glide. A typical ultralight is then investigated for its various performance characteristics and how they change with altitude, ,power, wingspan, bank angle, propeller size, drag, flaps, ground effect, and such. Finally, operational performance is reviewed and criteria extablished to determine qualities desirable in a good ultralight design.The information presented in ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT should be second nature to anyone who intends to be the best pilot he or she possibly can. ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT is your key to unlocking the mysteries of flight---your guide to INTELLIGENCE IN THE SKY. ULTRALIGHT FLIGHT will help you be the best and safest pilot you can be, giving yuo more peace of mind, while enabling you to have more fun flying.
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