Aircraft designers Nicolai and Carichner, currently with Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, define aircraft design as both a science and an art, with compromise based on current requirements and available technologies. They comprehensively detail the concept design phase for both military and civil aircraft in a way that addresses user needs, materials, and structure. They discuss designing for survivability (stealth), solar and human-powered aircraft systems, and high altitude flight with air-breathing propulsion. Features include step-by-step examples, including wing design; historical case studies of aircraft design, and numerous illustrations and color photographs. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)