Books on Airplane Design

Book Resources: Services

Simplified Aircraft Design for Homebuilders

Mr. Raymer has created a small book that is fully packed with the information and procedure you need to design your own conventionally configured light airplane. The math is all very simple and the procedure is straight forward.

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Flying On Your Own Wings

Chris Heintz has created a book that covers nearly every aspect of designing a light airplane. It includes aerodynamic fundamentals, simplified aerodynamic design, aerodynamic loads, structural analysis and human factors in design. He even provides an example design.

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Aerodynamics, Aeronautics and Flight Mechanics

This a great text book for learning aerodynamics. Although it has plenty of analytical equation for determining aerodynamics qualities, it also is modern in the sense that it provides information on programming either spreadsheets or writing a computer program for some situations. But it also provides simplified analysis. You can take your pick.

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Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach

This textbook by Dan Raymer is a great supplement to his book "Simplified Aircraft Design for Homebuilders". If you want more details and discussion of aircraft design this is the book to get.

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Airfoil Selection

Barnaby Wainfan guides you through the qualities of an airfoil and what to look for in an airfoil for your airplane design. In the process he also provides information that is very useful for airplane wing design.

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GA Airfoils

Series of turbulent and laminar airfoils designed by Harry Riblet for light aircraft derived from the NACA 6X-XXX series airfoils.

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Evans Lightplane Designer's Handbook

Covers design equations (very little explanation) ,engine selection, propeller properties, material properties (metals, wood, composites), lander gear loads, structural loads explained, etc. Very good as a reference.

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Stress Without Tears

A great book for an aspiring amateur structural designer.

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Synthesis of Subsonic Airplane Design

Chapters 1 through 12 provide an thorough discussion of airplane conceptual design. Appendixes A through G provide fantastic set of equations for calculating aerodynamics.

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General Aviation Aircraft Design

This hefty tomb is jamb packed with design information. It is intended to be both a reference and text book. It also is generous with pictures, graphs and diagrams.

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