Introduction to Mechanics of Flight

0 Introduction
- Newton's laws
- Scalar and vector quantities
- Review of vector calculus
- Degrees of freedom and constraints

1 Kinematics of point particles
- Reference frames
- Position, velocity and acceleration
- Planar motion
- Tangential and normal components
- Relative motion
- Rotations
- Relations between position, velocity and acceleration using translating and rotating axes

2 Dynamics of point particles
- Force and momentum
- Work and energy
- Rectilinear motion. Vibrations.
- Motion of a free particle
- Motion of a particle over a curve
- Motion of a particle over a surface
- Relative dynamics
- Angular momentum
- Central forces
- Kepler's problem
- Elliptical trajectories

3 Kinematics of a rigid body
- Velocity and acceleration fields
- Properties of the velocity field
- The Euler angles

4 Geometry of masses
- Center of mass
- Moments of inertia
- Moment of inertia tensor
- Steiner's theorem
- Principal axes

5 Rigid body dynamics
- Linear momentum
- Angular momentum
- Kinetic energy
- General equations for a system of particles
- General equations for the rigid body
- Equilibrium
- Work and energy principles

6 Systems of rigid bodies
- General equations
- Constraints and linkages

7 The airplane as a rigid body
- Airplane parts
- Forces on the airplane: Lift, drag, aerodynamic moments
- Straight and level flight
- Gliding flight
- Climbing flight