In the more than half a century since World War II, aircraft have become a vital component of our transportation system, developed and finely tuned to become the fast, efficient, dependable, and safe machines they are today. But technological advances have brought additional complexities that demand the aircraft be operated in exactly the way the designer intended. To do this, pilots must understand what each handle or knob controls and what he or she can expect from each system.

Dale Crane covers everything, writing in an easy-to-grasp style, from single-engine pistons to multi-engine turbines, including:

• principles of flight, the forces acting on an airplane in flight
• control surfaces and their operation
• aircraft structures and materials
• systems hydraulic, electrical, fuel, ice protection and instrument
• turbine and piston engine theory and operations
• propeller forces, construction and controls

Understanding their aircrafts' systems will help pilots enjoy their flying more, and make them safer and more efficient aviators. Softcover, illustrated, 320 pages.