This course provides an introduction to the engineering science of flight dynamics -- the response of flight vehicles to external perturbing forces and control inputs. After a review of aerodynamic principles and the concepts of static longitudinal and lateral/directional stability, the equations of motion for a rigid airplane are developed. Motions of aircraft having bi-lateral symmetry are considered, both as linear problems involving small perturbations from equilibrium (straight and level) flight, and for non-linear problems involving larger departures from equilibrium.

The numerical software package MATLAB will be used extensively, both for analysis of linear systems and for integration of the complete nonlinear equations.

Course pre-requisites include M&AE 3230 and M&AE 3050 (or their equivalents), plus M&AE 3260 (at least concurrently).

Lectures for Spring 2011 semester are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 11:15 am - 12:05 pm, in Phillips 203.