November 3rd, 2023

Two days ago I decided to stop motivating my delayed life plans. I want to make air travel as fast as possible and fly one of my planes someday. I decided to no longer wait to be "rich enough" or "resourceful enough" to build this dream. I have started teaching myself the basics of aerospace engineering using some great resources available for FREE on the internet. I will always be baffled by how amazing internet is and how greatly it has changed the world around us. Everything feels reachable and limitless. I am using the books Introduction to Flight by John D. Anderson (Classic) and Interactive Aerospace Engineering and Design by Dava J. Newman. Both of them seem to be pretty good books for begineers. I can't wait for the "aha" moment when I actually start figuring out the math in these books. The second book is actually written by an MIT prof who made his course available online for free. All assignments, slides, for free. I could cry thinking about this.

So far I have brushed up on my 9th grade physics. Revised the Gas Law, buoyoncy, archimedes principle, and lift. The books started with the history of flight. Initial methods of flying fell under the "lighter than air" tools. It took a while (and many deaths) for people to figure out "heavier than air" flight. The Wright brothers were famous for their heavier than air flying machine and successfully attempting a flight with it. It was fascinating to know that they weren't the only ones. So many people all around the world tried things out. Understanding lift was kinda hard for me today. I don't yet understand the physics behind it. Made this lil illustration to picture it better: