Items related to But Will It Fly?: The History and Science of Unconventional...

But Will It Fly?: The History and Science of Unconventional Aerial Power and Propulsion - Softcover

Cooper, Iver P.

 
9781476696546: But Will It Fly?: The History and Science of Unconventional Aerial Power and Propulsion
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1476696543 ISBN 13: 9781476696546
Publisher: McFarland, 2025

Synopsis

Conventional aircraft today are propelled by the action of propellers or jets, and powered by the internal combustion of petroleum fuels in piston, turboprop or jet engines. But other power sources, powerplants, and propulsion devices, for airships as well as aircraft, have been proposed and even experimented with over the last few centuries. The power sources considered include human muscles, steam, batteries, nuclear reactors, and hydrogen fuel; and the propulsion devices include sails, oars, flapping wings, rockets and cycloidal propellers.

This meticulously researched book presents the history of these unconventional aerial power and propulsion systems, explains the underlying science and technology behind them, and assesses the crucial question of practicality.

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About the Author

Iver P. Cooper is a retired patent attorney and is an independent researcher in the history of science and technology. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
McFarland
Publication date
2025
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1476696543
ISBN 13 
9781476696546
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
292