Rapid developments of computer technology have affected the analysis, synthesis and control of every aspect of aerospace vehicle dynamics. The rewards of increased research have had far reaching implications in terms of performance, safety, and operational cost effectiveness. New challenges have emerged in the wake of the recent shift in emphasis from military to civil applications. This collection of papers covers a wide range of topics including mathematical modelling, computational methods, computer simulation, and developments in control systems. The first paper is on aerospace vehicle modelling requirements for high bandwidth flight control (P.G. Hamel, Braunschweig University, Germany); there is a paper on advanced control of high performance rotocraft (Ian Postlethwaite and D.G. Walker, University of Leicester); a paper on recent developments in aircraft parameter indentification and optimal input design (C.A.A.M. van der Linden, J.A. Mulder and J.K. Sridhar, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands); a section on intellegent flight control systems (R.F. Stengel, Princeton University, USA); navigation in the vicinity of a comet (M. Noton, British Aerospace, Bristol). In summary, this is a topical selection of papers on recent research in an area of growing interest and application.
