Use of computers
Since the mid-1960s, computer technology has
been continually developed to the point at which
aircraft and engine designs can be simulated and tested
in myriad variations under a full spectrum of
environmental conditions prior to construction. As a
result, practical consideration may be given to a series
of aircraft configurations, which, while occasionally
and usually unsuccessfully attempted in the past, can
now be used in production aircraft. These include
forward swept wings, canard surfaces, blended body and
wings, and the refinement of specialized airfoils (wing,
propeller, and turbine blade). With this goes a far more
comprehensive understanding of structural requirements,
so that adequate strength can be maintained even as
reductions are made in weight.
Complementing and enhancing the results of the use of
computers in design is the pervasive use of computers on
board the aircraft itself. Computers are used to test
and calibrate the aircraft's equipment, so that, both
before and during flight, potential problems can be
anticipated and corrected. Whereas the first autopilots
were devices that simply maintained an aircraft in
straight and level flight, modern computers permit an
autopilot system to guide an aircraft from takeoff to
landing, incorporating continuous adjustment for wind
and weather conditions and ensuring that fuel
consumption is minimized. In the most advanced
instances, the role of the pilot has been changed from
that of an individual who continuously controlled the
aircraft in every phase of flight to a systems manager
who oversees and directs the human and mechanical
resources in the cockpit.
The use of computers for design and in-flight control
is synergistic, for more radical designs can be created
when there are on-board computers to continuously adapt
the controls to flight conditions. The degree of
inherent stability formerly desired in an aircraft
design called for the wing, fuselage, and empennage
(tail assembly) of what came to be conventional size and
configurations, with their inherent weight and drag
penalties. By using computers that can sense changes in
flight conditions and make corrections hundreds and even
thousands of times a second--far faster and more
accurately than any pilot's capability--aircraft can be
deliberately designed to be unstable. Wings can, if
desired, be given a forward sweep, and tail surfaces can
be reduced in size to an absolute minimum (or, in a
flying wing layout, eliminated completely). Airfoils can
be customized not only for a particular aircraft's wing
or propeller but also for particular points on those
components.
Eagle
Computer - Buys and sells refurbished laptops and desktops.
TechnoFILE
- How to Buy a Computer - Article by Jim Bray on the
introduction to the world of computer shopping.
Computer Connection -
Obtains financing for active and retired military and civil
service personnel.
Holme Computer - Aktuelle
Informationen und Preise zu Notebooks, PC-Systemen,
Digitalkameras und Datenprojektoren. Verkauf, Service und
Support von diversen Marken.
Worcester Computer Co-op
- Information about a local co-op in Worcester, MA providing
free computer and internet access to children, adults and
seniors.
JET - Computer aide
and PBEM tool for Europa series of WWII games. Supports many
basic rules of the game system. Open source, Windows executable.
Fust-Computer - Biete
Neu- und Gebraucht-Geräte, Komponenten und ein Sortiment an
Computer-Zubehör. |