Stratospheric Flight

Dr. Andras Sobester is an aerospace engineering lecturer at the University of Southampton in the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment. He holds a Research Fellowship funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research council. The remit of the Fellowship is to investigate technologies for the reduction of the environmental impact of the next generation of passenger airliners. In particular, his research is aimed at the design of airframe surfaces for minimizing the noise footprint of aircraft, while maintaining their performance. His other research areas include high altitude flight (including lighter-than-air systems), the multi-disciplinary design optimization of aircraft, the mathematical description of geometries used in aerospace engineering, as well as machine learning technologies underpinning the use of high fidelity computer simulations in aircraft design.

"I have put in many hours looking out of airliner windows, even more in aircraft design offices and years test flying but this book fascinated me and taught me a lot." - John Farley

• Preface.- Acknowledgements.- About the author.- Prologue.- Millimeters of mercury.- Part I: In a hostile environment.- Chapter 1: A sense of not belonging.- Chapter 2: Comfort Zone.- Part II: New heights of flight.- Chapter 3: A tale of two Comets.- Chapter 4: Higher.- Chapter 5: Faster.- Part III: 'Above the weather'.- Chapter 6: Deep freeze.- Chapter 7: Rivers of air.- Chapter 8: Rough ride.- Chapter 9: A gray area.- Part IV: Where next?.- Chapter 10: Higher still.- V. Appendices.- Chapter 11: Unit conversions.- Chapter 12: Temperature profiles around the globe.- References.- Index.