Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the administration, faculty, and staff of the Center for Aerospace Sciences for providing the environment and encouragement during the long process of researching and writing this book. Special thanks go to Mr. Greg Wagner, Assistant Professor of Aviation, for his assistance in proofing many of the chapters; Dr. Duane Cole, Professor of Physics, UND, for his assistance with Chapter One; David Blumkin for his critique of Chapter Nine; Mr. Mike Miller, IA for his proofreading efforts; and Mr. Jeff Boerboon for his contribution about preflight inspection in Chapter Sixteen. Also, many thanks to Dale Hurst and the staff at IAP, Inc., as well as Becky See, for the skill and professionalism that made completion of this book a very pleasant experience.

Cover photo: The Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship and the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum for providing the picture of the Young Park P-51 Mustang model depicted on the cover. Young Park, a retired dentist, lived in Hawaii and was an aircraft modeler since childhood. He had a lifelong dream of making an aluminum airplane model resulting in several beautifully crafted 1/16 scale models that can be seen at the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, California. For more information about Young Park or to learn more about the foundation’s museum, visit their website at www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com.