The Grand Designers

John D. Anderson, Jr is currently the Curator for Aerodynamics at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland. Dr Anderson has published eleven books including A History of Aerodynamics (Cambridge, 1999). He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

• 1. Introduction: before the beginning; 2. The beginning: the Wright Brothers and their design process; 3. Setting the gold standard: the design methodology of Frank Barnwell; 4. Products of the first design revolution: Arthur Raymond and the DC-3; 5. Design for speed: R. J. Mitchell and the Spitfire; 6. Design perfection: Edgar Schmued and the P-51 Mustang; 7. Defying the limits: the jet airplane, the second design revolution, and Kelly Johnson; 8. Airplane design and the grand designers: the end game; Appendices; References and notes; Index.

John D. Anderson, Jr is an icon in the science and technology of aeronautics, and equally revered for his knowledge of the history of aeronautics, aircraft design, and the people who pioneered these fields. He combines this deep knowledge with the most accessible writing style of any author I have read, explaining difficult concepts in such a way that the reader cannot fail to understand. Anyone with an interest in the history of flight will love this book.' Michael D. Griffin, former Administrator at NASA