Understanding the Aircraft Volume II - Flight Mechanics

Sailor training is certainly not the last area where more effort is needed. It is not only a question of teaching the reader a great deal of knowledge, in the clearest possible way and sometimes in a new or even unprecedented light, but also of explaining to everyone the real "why of things" and thus contributing to the overall improvement of air transport safety.

To quantify safety, there are formidable tools available: statistics and probability theory. In fact, certain errors and incident sequences are now well known; the training given to pilots helps to prevent their reoccurrence. But there is also what is known as the "probability tail", which is the set of events - or sequences of events - that have never happened and that, in some cases, we don't even suspect.

How can we deal most effectively with a totally unexpected situation? The answer is to be able to become aware of the situation as quickly as possible in order to make the right decision. To understand the situation correctly and quickly, you need to have acquired knowledge that is reliable, deep and well put into practice. It is the very survival of the aircraft occupants that may depend on this "acquired intelligence".

The ambition of the 3 volumes "UNDERSTANDING THE PLANE" is also to reconcile theoretical instruction with practical flying instruction and understanding of aircraft flight. This is why mathematical expressions are deliberately reduced to the strict minimum necessary to justify certain statements.