You might wonder: with modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and fly-by-wire, is a theoretical PDF from 1950 still useful? Absolutely. The fundamental equations of longitudinal stability and the concepts of reflex camber, drag rudders, and bell-shaped lift distributions have not changed. Every time a modern aerospace engineer designs a UAV (like the RQ-170 Sentinel) or a blended wing body airliner, they revisit the same "theory" chapters that Lippisch and Prandtl wrote.
Tailless Aircraft in Theory and Practice (1994), by Karl Nickel and Michael Wohlfahrt, is a seminal work that bridges the gap between aerodynamic theory and the physical reality of "flying wings". The book explores the complex mechanics required to fly without a traditional tail assembly, drawing on Karl Nickel's direct experience working with the Horten brothers , pioneers of revolutionary tailless designs. Theoretical Foundations tailless aircraft in theory and practice pdf