Preface-
This thread has shown itself to be a nice listing of books and in some cases software related to understanding airfoils in particular and aerodynamics in general. It has been stickied to provide a service to anyone looking for reference material. At some point I''ll provide a one stop listing of the books and software mentioned as part of this quote.
If anyone knows sources to obtain the books please mention those as well so they can be included in this preface.
Bruce Matthews
I''ve worked my way through Andy Lennon''s book R/C Model Airplane Design and currently reading the classic by Martin Simons, Model Aircraft Aerodynamics. My question is what''s the next book for a model aerodynamics enthusiast and hopeful designer. I''ve heard Abbott''s book, Theory of Wing Sections is pretty informative. Simons mentions a couple of interesting sounding works by H.L. Chevalier (Challenge Engineering?) in his book''s appendix but I''ve yet to come across them. Any other good stuff out there? (I understand calculus etc. and have an ME degree..)
EDIT: I am so impressed with Martin Simons book I have to give it a better plug! Here's the review I wrote for Amazon:
Don't judge this book by it's lightweight looking cover like I once did. This book is a CLASSIC filled with 100's of pages of important information for understanding aerodynamics in general and improving your model aircraft. Simons has a gift for conveying all of this knowledge without resorting to mind-numbing mathematics, instead relying on vector graphics and charts so that all can follow along. I am now reading the book for a second time highlighting important bits as I go! It's a great value for anyone wanting to design or just learn more about their R/C hobby. There are even chapters on the dynamics of propellers and helicopters. Appendix 1 contains all the salient calculations necessary to design a plane from scratch. Appendix 2 has some experimental data on airfoils. Appendix 3 has hundreds of airfoils and laminar bodies from many different sources. Publishers: please add more polar data to appendix 2 and replace that cheesy cover with something more appropriate in the next edition.