23  About the Book, etc.

23.1  About the Book

The text of this book was prepared using:

• the T_EX typesetting system created by Donald Knuth
• the L^AT_EX document preparation macros by Leslie Lamport
• the Emacs editor created by Richard Stallman and others
• the Computer Modern typeface also by Donald Knuth

I created the airflow diagrams using a simulation program to evaluate the fluid-dynamic equations of motion. I scanned the chart in figure 14.1. I drew the rest of the figures, line by line, as digital originals, using a combination of drawtool (a descendant of Idraw) and Adobe Illustrator. They are not “clip art”.

23.2  About the Web Site

I have made essentially all of this book available on the World Wide Web. You can find it at //www.av8n.com/how/.

The HTML was prepared from the L^AT_EX sources using H^EV^EA, plus some custom post-processing.

If you are having trouble downloading or viewing this book, please read the “troubleshooting” section below.

Many readers have provided valuable feedback about the parts they liked and the parts that needed fixing. Many sections were written in response to readers’ requests for more information on certain topics. If you have questions or comments, you can send email to <jsd@av8n.com>.

23.3  Configuring and Troubleshooting your Browser

When viewing this book there are a couple of things that could go wrong:

1. Every so often I hear from somebody who observes that one or more of the chapters is truncated: it just stops in mid-sentence. This happens because of a problem in your web browser, probably a memory shortage. If this happens to you, you should try the following things:
   • Hit the “Reload” button on your browser. This probably won’t help, but it’s easy to do, so you might as well try it.
   • Clear your browser’s disk-cache and memory-cache. On some browsers this involves clicking on Edit — Preferences — Advanced — Cache — Clear. This will probably do the trick. While you’re at it, make sure the caches have a reasonable size (at least 3000 kB memory, 5000 kB disk).
   • Terminate and restart your browser.
   • Get rid of some of the other processes running on your computer and try again.
   • Make sure your computer’s virtual memory system is configured properly, and is using a disk that has plenty of free space. Delete some junk files if necessary. Try again.
   • Shut down and restart your computer, then try again.
   • Install a current version of the browser, then try again. The older versions seem to be much less robust.

   If all that doesn’t work, consult your local computer guru. There is nothing I can do to help, other than rewriting the book, and I’m not going to do that.

2. In your browser, the following should look like Greek letters: “γ π”. If instead they look like square blotches or like Roman letters (such as “g” and “p”) then either your browser or your operating system has a problem. In either case, there’s nothing I can do about it. You can try switching to a different browser; most modern browsers can display Greek letters just fine.

23.4  Notice — Instructions — Terms of Sale

The purpose of this book is to express some of my ideas and opinions. The suitability of this book for any other purpose is expressly disclaimed. This book comes with no warranty whatsoever.

It is foreseen that you may wish to take action based on some of these ideas and opinions. Such action is entirely at your own risk. You should be aware that aviation involves risks, some of which are irreducible, and some of which can be greatly reduced by careful piloting.

Some care has been taken with this book, in the hopes that it will dispel more errors and misconceptions than it creates. However, nothing in this world is perfect, and you are warned that this book is neither 100% complete nor 100% error-free.

Before taking any potentially hazardous action, obtain and understand all available information on the subject. Do not use this book as a substitute for skilled professional flight instruction.

In no case will the author or publisher be liable for any direct, indirect, secondary, or consequential damages. In no case will the author or publisher be liable for any amount exceeding the normal price of this book. These terms are needed for the protection of the author and publisher. They shall not be construed to limit or exclude any other protections the author or publisher may have. If any of these protections is found invalid, the others shall remain in force.