Fundamentals of Aeroplane Design

DURING the expansion of the aircraft industry it is very easy for us to forget the early struggles and hard‐won lessons of the past. We are now immersed in long and elaborate discussions of the merits of this or that manner of making some piece of accessory equipment and never seem to question the advisability of doing away with the gadget entirely. The writer, through his contacts with young engineers and students, has noticed that they frequently lose sight of the principal objectives in aircraft design and construction. This has left him with the feeling that these objectives and the hard underlying principles of sound engineering need a restatement.