Note that this book is highly technical and requires a good understanding of mathematics and engineering concepts.

From the Author’s Introduction
The book has been divided into four parts: the first one shows the basic content, and the second one describes the historical and technical progress of sailplane design and construction over a century. It is useful to have a look at the past in order to understand how slow progress and the factors affecting it are; it helps us to imagine the future better and to improve the actual state of the art. The third part is intended to show us how to proceed in order to calculate the various sailplane parts, according to the EASA CS 22 rules; it is an introduction to a possible future project. The fourth part deals with the basic structural calculations to be made in order to complete a project.

Topics covered include:

• Sample sailplane drawing and calculation list.
• Sample sailplane data.
• Fuselage wetted surface area.
• Polar calculation.
• Polar with airbrakes open.
• V-N diagrams.
• Gust envelope determination.
• Tow speed.
• Lift distribution. Shrenk’s method.
• Mass forces determination and distribution.
• Wing torsion.
• MT variation due to wing “p” and “q”.
• Wing torsion design consideration.
• Wing torsion due to aileron maneuver.
• Aileron loads.
• Airbrakes loads.
• Wing fitting loads.
• MAC and MGC calculations.
• Sailplane weights and pitching moment of inertia.
• The pitching moment of inertia and Jg calculation.
• Inertia moments about the three axes: x, y, z.
• CG excursion.
• Horizontal tail loads BCR-e rules.
• Horizontal tail loads.
• Horizontal tail gust loads maneuver.
• Horizontal tail asymmetric loads.
• Vertical tail loads due to the rudder rotation.
• Vertical tail loads yaw loads.
• Fin supplementary loads.
• Control loads.
• Fuselage loads.
• Static stability.
• Analysis of the controls.
• Landing gears.