---------------------------------------------------------- Zenith-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Wed 03/24/10: 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 08:49 AM - Re: CHris Heintz' book (Jim Belcher) 2. 09:59 AM - Re: CHris Heintz' book (n801bh@netzero.com) 3. 10:27 AM - Re: CHris Heintz' book (Paul Mulwitz) 4. 03:37 PM - Re: CHris Heintz' book (kmccune) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 08:49:17 AM PST US From: Jim Belcher Subject: Re: Zenith-List: CHris Heintz' book I said I'd publish a review of this book as soon as I read it. I spent quite a bit of time with it last night. I've posted a review on Mr. Heintz website (www.flyingonyourownwings.com), and on Barnes and Noble, per their request. I don't believe humans write perfect books, and I've tried my best to give this book an honest review. I like it, and I recommend it, but as you will see, I think it could be made better. ========================================== Chris Heintz' book, Flying on You Own Wings, is subtitled: A Complete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design. The subtitle is a very accurate description of the book's contents. I'm going to first tell you my basis for review, and what I believe is good about the book. I'll then tell you what I believe could be improved. I won't hide my conclusion from you, or make you wait until the end of the review. Your wife has been hiding money in the sugar bowl so she can buy a second dress. Wait until she is fast asleep, sneak out $39.95, and buy the book. Who needs a second dress? You need this book. His first chapter, Mathematics, is a review of freshman and perhaps sophomore level college math, and physical symbology. Those already possessing this information could easily skip over this chapter and the following chapter. However, I feel it and the second chapter on units would help introduce many to these subjects, and provide a generally good basic grounding. In fact, I intend to buy a copy of this book, and provide it to our son, who is a first year engineering student, trying to come to grips with where all this math came from, and what it really means. Mr. Heintz hits his stride in the third chapter on aerodynamics and air loads, followed by chapters on structural stress analysis, and human factors. Although his approach provides reasonably rigorous mathematical backup, it is common sense, and has real world examples. He concludes with chapters on a sample design, and flight testing. I can't absorb all this book at a single reading period. It's going to take days or weeks to think some of this through. I am confident that this book will provide me with background missing in many areas. It's certain I will have a much better understanding of aircraft design when I finish. You should be aware that the reviewer holds degrees in physics, with minors in math and computer science. What I consider common knowledge may not be common to everyone, and you should adjust the opinions I express accordingly. Conversely, some of you may have much more knowledge than I, and find the book too basic. Now for the down side of things. First, it's clear the author's primary language is not English. This results in occasional odd turns of phrase which may hinder the readability of the book. Engineers are not known for being the best communicators, and don't always break things up into short, manageable segments. This book is no exception: it appears to badly need a technical editor. It's far, far, too pedantic. But so are a lot of technical books. The lot of the author of a book on a technical subject is a challenging one. If the book is too technical, it becomes turgid, and difficult to read, even for those knowledgable in the field. If the author writes on too broad a level, some of the technical content is lost. It's even worse when math is involved. Mathematicians are less concerned about the real world value of their work than its theoretical value. Those of us in the real world must pick our way very carefully through a mine field, selecting those areas of math which have physical meaning, and those which do not. Unfortunately, it's too easy to dismiss something of value in another discipline, which is meaningless in our own. That's an error Mr. Heintz has made. An example of this is on page 32, where imaginary numbers are dismissed. Students of engineering and science need to be aware that these numbers have real physical meaning in some fields. There really are things that work this way. Where there is one error of this type, there are likely to be others. Study this book carefully, and focus on the aircraft design portions. I agree with his premise that the metric system is easier to use in most engineering calculations. But I wonder why, in a book whose largest audience is likely to be in the United States, this system was used. Maybe I underestimate the ability of aircraft builders, but those I know don't use the metric system, and most rather frown on its usage. Perhaps one purpose of the book is to educate on the use of the metric system, or to promote it. I think it might have been more accurate to introduce the subject by saying that calculations are more readily done in the metric system. For this reason, the book is written around that system, to make the calculations easier to understand. I do most of my own calculations in the metric system, but convert the results to a more familiar form, because most materials available to me only come in feet, pounds, and inches. Some of the philosophy strikes the mark very well. For example, an aircraft should not only perform well, it should be handsome in appearance. But some of the philosophy is very cryptic, and I have no idea what its intent may have been. Unfortunately, some of the philosophy borders on metaphysics, and would put Shirley McClaine to shame. On page 51, there is speculation that the number of calendar years in a sidereal year are the approximately the same as the number of breaths a human takes in in one day. This is hardly a causual relationship, and included in a book on light aircraft design, throws the technical credibility into question. If I breathe more slowly, does the universe slow down? More of this appears on page 53, where Mr. Heintz observes Note: Although the gravitational pull of planets does not affect aircraft design, its action on the life forces (plants, animals, humans) and soul forces (animals and humans) is not much recognized in our western culture. Some cultures are more attuned to this.... First, if it has nothing to do with aircraft design, why is it here? Second, it's possible to find a lot of cultures with some pretty strange ideas, but that doesn't make them correct. The book needs to be more focused. Do not take this criticism as damming the book with faint praise. It's a good book, and, if you want to understand aircraft design, well worth studying. In fairness, the answer to many of these issues is that children should not read books written for adults. When you read Mr. Heintz' book, you should simply be mature enough to recognize his rather unique outlook. Absorb the parts about aircraft design, and filter out some of the rest. This is a good book, and worth studying (reading is too light a word). My regret is that what is now a good book could have been an excellent book with the services of a good technical editor. -- ======================================= Jim B. Belcher BS,MS Physics A&P/IA General Radio Telephone Certificate Instrument Rated Pilot Retired Aerospace Technical Manager Semi-proficient Househusband ======================================= ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 09:59:06 AM PST US From: "n801bh@netzero.com" Subject: Re: Zenith-List: CHris Heintz' book I am living proof that Chris designs a strong airframe... <> But this statement flys in the face of reality... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Some of the philosophy strikes the mark very well. For example, an aircr aft should not only perform well, it should be handsome in appearance. But s ome of the philosophy is very cryptic, and I have no idea what its intent may h ave been. Unfortunately, some of the philosophy borders on metaphysics, and would put Shirley McClaine to shame ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ After all , he did design the 801 and its 'less then handsome' looks. Thanks for the write up though, I will one day get the book and read it. Ben Haas N801BH www.haaspowerair.com ---------- Original Message ---------- From: Jim Belcher Subject: Re: Zenith-List: CHris Heintz' book > I said I'd publish a review of this book as soon as I read it. I spent q uite a bit of time with it last night. I've posted a review on Mr. Heintz websi te (www.flyingonyourownwings.com), and on Barnes and Noble, per their reque st. I don't believe humans write perfect books, and I've tried my best to gi ve this book an honest review. I like it, and I recommend it, but as you wi ll see, I think it could be made better. ======================== ================== Chris Heintz' book, Flying on You Own Wings, is subtitled: =9CA Co mplete Guide to Understanding Light Airplane Design.=9D The subtitle is a very accurate description of the book's contents. I'm going to first tell you my basis for review, and what I believe is good about the book. I'll then tell you wh at I believe could be improved. I won't hide my conclusion from you, or make you wait until the end of t he review. Your wife has been hiding money in the sugar bowl so she can buy a second dress. Wait until she is fast asleep, sneak out $39.95, and buy t he book. Who needs a second dress? You need this book. His first chapter, Mathematics, is a review of freshman and perhaps soph omore level college math, and physical symbology. Those already possessing thi s information could easily skip over this chapter and the following chapte r. However, I feel it and the second chapter on units would help introduce many to these subjects, and provide a generally good basic grounding. In fact , I intend to buy a copy of this book, and provide it to our son, who is a f irst year engineering student, trying to come to grips with where all this ma th came from, and what it really means. Mr. Heintz hits his stride in the third chapter on aerodynamics and air loads, followed by chapters on structural stress analysis, and human factors. Although his approach provides reasonably rigorous mathematical backup, it is common sense, and has real world examples. He concludes with chapters on a sample design, and flight testing. I can't absorb all this book at a single reading period. It's going to t ake days or weeks to think some of this through. I am confident that this bo ok will provide me with background missing in many areas. It's certain I will ha ve a much better understanding of aircraft design when I finish. You should be aware that the reviewer holds degrees in physics, with min ors in math and computer science. What I consider common knowledge may not be c ommon to everyone, and you should adjust the opinions I express accordingly. Conversely, some of you may have much more knowledge than I, and find th e book too basic. Now for the down side of things. First, it's clear the author's primary language is not English. This results in occasional odd turns of phrase which may hinder the readability of the book. Engineers are not known for bein g the best communicators, and don't always break things up into short, managea ble segments. This book is no exception: it appears to badly need a technica l editor. It's far, far, too pedantic. But so are a lot of technical books .. The lot of the author of a book on a technical subject is a challenging one. If the book is too technical, it becomes turgid, and difficult to read, even for those knowledgable in the field. If the author writes on too broad a lev el, some of the technical content is lost. It's even worse when math is involved. Mathematicians are less concerned about the real world value of their work than its theoretical value. Those of us in the real world must pick our way very carefully through a mine field, se lecting those areas of math which have physical meaning, and those which do not. Unfortunately, it's too easy to dismiss something of value in another discipline, which is meaningless in our own. That's an error Mr. Heintz has made. An example of this is on page 32, where imaginary numbers are dismissed. Students of engineering and science need to be aware that these numbers have real physical meaning in some fields. There really are things that work this way. Where there is one error of this type, there are likely to be othe rs. Study this book carefully, and focus on the aircraft design portions. I agree with his premise that the metric system is easier to use in most engineering calculations. But I wonder why, in a book whose largest audi ence is likely to be in the United States, this system was used. Maybe I underestimate the ability of aircraft builders, but those I know don't u se the metric system, and most rather frown on its usage. Perhaps one purpose o f the book is to educate on the use of the metric system, or to promote it. I think it might have been more accurate to introduce the subject by say ing that calculations are more readily done in the metric system. For this r eason, the book is written around that system, to make the calculations easier to understand. I do most of my own calculations in the metric system, but c onvert the results to a more familiar form, because most materials available to me only come in feet, pounds, and inches. Some of the philosophy strikes the mark very well. For example, an aircr aft should not only perform well, it should be handsome in appearance. But s ome of the philosophy is very cryptic, and I have no idea what its intent may h ave been. Unfortunately, some of the philosophy borders on metaphysics, and would put Shirley McClaine to shame. On page 51, there is speculation that the num ber of calendar years in a sidereal year are the approximately the same as the number of breaths a human takes in in one day. This is hardly a causual relatio nship, and included in a book on light aircraft design, throws the technical credibility into question. If I breathe more slowly, does the universe s low down? More of this appears on page 53, where Mr. Heintz observes =9CNote : Although the gravitational pull of planets does not affect aircraft design, its actio n on the life forces (plants, animals, humans) and soul forces (animals and h umans) is not much recognized in our western culture. Some cultures are more at tuned to this....=9D First, if it has nothing to do with aircraft design, why is it here? Sec ond, it's possible to find a lot of cultures with some pretty strange ideas, but that doesn't make them correct. The book needs to be more focused. Do not take this criticism as damming the book with faint praise. It's a good book, and, if you want to understand aircraft design, well worth studyin g. In fairness, the answer to many of these issues is that children should not read books written for adults. When you read Mr. Heintz' book, you should sim ply be mature enough to recognize his rather unique outlook. Absorb the parts a bout aircraft design, and filter out some of the rest. This is a good book, and worth studying (reading is too light a word). My regret is that what is now a good book could have been an excellent book with the services of a good technical editor. -- ======================== =============== Jim B. Belcher BS,MS Physics A&P/IA General Radio Telephone Certificate Instrument Rated Pilot Retired Aerospace Technical Manager Semi-proficient Househusband ======================== =============== ======================== =========== ======================== =========== ======================== =========== ======================== =========== ____________________________________________________________ Diet Help Reach your goals of being healthier and happier. Click here for diet tip s and solutions. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/c?cp=uKXLUrH5XlwPOYxp95HHZ AAAJ1HwQ8b1VOas4hI8eG3vvLZKAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYQ AAAAAA ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 10:27:43 AM PST US From: "Paul Mulwitz" Subject: RE: Zenith-List: CHris Heintz' book Hi Jim, Thank you for the great review of Chris' book. My immediate reaction was to order a copy from Amazon.com. The biggest reason I did that was one small comment you made about Chris nixing imaginary numbers. I did the same thing in my career as an electrical engineer. You see -- My education is in mathematics. All of mathematics is based on 4 axioms. To get imaginary numbers to work you need to add a 5th axiom (that i-squared is equal to -1). This is totally unacceptable from a philosophical point of view. In my opinion it invalidates all the math used after making this outrageous change to the rules. (There is a reason they are called imaginary.) I am still very angry over my experience with the Zodiac XL and the business conducted by ZAC/Zenair. Still, my original reason for selecting this design was Chris' reputation for design of this type of aircraft. I really look forward to reading his thoughts on airplane design. Paul XL - installing upgrade kit -----Original Message----- From: owner-zenith-list-server@matronics.com [mailto:owner-zenith-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of Jim Belcher Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 8:24 AM Subject: Re: Zenith-List: CHris Heintz' book I said I'd publish a review of this book as soon as I read it. I spent quite a bit of time with it last night. I've posted a review on Mr. Heintz website (www.flyingonyourownwings.com), and on Barnes and Noble, per their request. ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 03:37:58 PM PST US Subject: Zenith-List: Re: CHris Heintz' book From: "kmccune" Ben, I for one, hold to the beauty of function over form! And the 701/750 and 801 are beautiful technical designs! Sorry couldn't resist. Kevin n801bh(at)netzero.com wrote: > I am living proof that Chris designs a strong airframe... > But this statement flys in the face of reality... > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Some of the philosophy strikes the mark very well. For example, an aircraft > should not only perform well, it should be handsome in appearance. But some of > the philosophy is very cryptic, and I have no idea what its intent may have > been. > > After all , he did design the 801 and its 'less then handsome' looks. > Thanks for the write up though, I will one day get the book and read it. > Ben Haas > N801BH > www.haaspowerair.com > > -------- -------- "Real freedom is the sustained act of being an individual." 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