A Problem in Air Navigation

Authors

H. P. Thielman, Iowa State CollegeFollow

Document Type

Research

Abstract

The following problem is solved. A pilot is ordered to make a scouting flight around a base. His orders are to fly out from the base along a straight path, make a complete circle whose center is the base and return to the starting point. If a constant wind is blowing and the pilot has fuel for n hours of flight, what is the greatest distance and longest time the pilot can fly away from the base and still have enough fuel left to carry out his orders? The solution, which involves elliptic integrals, is brought to a usable practical form by a table which reveals at a glance the radius of the circle and the time of flight out for various combinations of wind and air speed.

Publication Date

1943

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

50

Issue

1

First Page

273

Last Page

277

Copyright

©1943 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Thielman, H. P. (1943) "A Problem in Air Navigation," Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, 50(1), 273-277.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/pias/vol50/iss1/23