This is the latest edition - fully revised and updated - of the standard textbook on aerodynamic theory, as applied to model flight. Everything is explained in a concise and practical form for those enthusiasts who appreciate that a better understanding of model behaviour is the sure path to greater success and enjoyment, whether just for fun or in competition. The revisions for this new edition reflect the significant developments in model aircraft during the last few years, and include brand new data: * The chapter on aerofoils has been rewritten to take account of the vast amount of testing carried out recently in the USA by the University of Illinois. * A brand new chapter explains the latest research into the flight of birds and insects and how it is applied to small drones and model-sized surveillance aircraft. * Older wind tunnel test reports all replaced with the latest trials and measurements.

This is an ideal book for graduate students and researchers interested in the aerodynamics, structural dynamics and flight dynamics of small birds, bats and insects, as well as of micro air vehicles (MAVs), which present some of the richest problems intersecting science and engineering. The agility and spectacular flight performance of natural flyers, thanks to their flexible, deformable wing structures, as well as to outstanding wing, tail and body coordination, is particularly significant. To design and build MAVs with performance comparable to natural flyers, it is essential that natural flyers' combined flexible structural dynamics and aerodynamics are adequately understood. The primary focus of this book is to address the recent developments in flapping wing aerodynamics. This book extends the work presented in Aerodynamics of Low Reynolds Number Flyers (Shyy et al. 2008).