San Antonio College Library

"How can an airplane weighing many tons stay aloft for many hours, flying so smoothly that passengers may feel less like they are moving than they would in a car? The answer, of course, lies in the wings and in the air they are moving through. The study of this flow of air is part of the science of aerodynamics." "This book is about aerodynamics in the broadest sense. In addition to airplanes, it discusses the aerodynamics of cars and birds and the...

Explores how animals evolved wings and how humans have conquered the associated physical challenges of taking to the air.

Jet engines debuted in the waning days of World War II, as a stunning new fighter plane arrived too late to help the Nazi cause. Since then, they have revolutionized transportation and brought the world closer together. This episode of Modern Marvels uses extensive footage, computer animation, and interviews with pilots, scientists, and industry insiders to tell the powerful story of jet engines. From the secret Nazi attempts to develop a revolutionary...

In order to be a competent pilot, one must develop a thorough understanding of how and why a plane flies, as well as the forces that affect the flight of an aircraft. This video gives viewers just that. It outlines the forces of Lift and Gravity on an aircraft and goes on to describe how different structures on the plane are used to control these forces. Experts on aeronautics and flight give exciting commentary on their area of expertise.

Do you really understand speed properly? James May does. In this fast-moving mix of animation and motion graphics, he tries to figure out how you can catch speeding bullets in your teeth, why the Moon doesn't fall out of the sky, why his cat knows more about terminal velocity than he does, and why a six-ton chicken cannot run.

Fascinated by flight? In this episode of the PBS Scientific American Frontiers series, host Alan Alda takes the viewer on a captivating journey through the world of aviation. From the evolution of flight in primitive insects to the latest in high-tech aircrafts, Flying High explores the flight secrets of birds, insects, and airplanes. This program features individual stories of avionic ingenuity and our natural world, such as: how birds fly; the test-flight...

"The twentieth century loved machines and the speed they made possible. Speeding cars, trains, and planes promised to conquer space and time; their aerodynamic styling and metal skins embodied a new and modern beauty, one that especially enchanted American designers from the late 1920s through the 1950s. Streamlining became the popular American style for all sorts of objects: from toy scooters to typewriters, from power tools to teakettles." "This...

The helicopter is a sophisticated aircraft and is therefore demanding on its designers. This unique introductory text charts a journey through the theory, design, construction and operation of helicopters. The difficulties that can arise when the aircraft is considered as a whole are highlighted using many practical examples and case studies. The author examines these problems for situations in which the helicopter is operating on the ground or in...

If you need to build a 'top-secret' piece of equipment in the U.K., there's one place many people choose to go: defense contractor QinetiQ. Follow workers at this leading British company on a global journey as they reveal a handful of their secretive projects. Meet the scientists and engineers building robots to defuse Afghanistan's deadly roadside bombs and learn how they're adapting them to help in dangerous civilian situations at home. Find out...