Sixteen background papers presented to a plenary session at a 1980 workshop on the role of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in aeronautics are presented. The central task of the workshop was to examine the relationship of NASA's research capabilities to the state of U.S. aviation and to make recommendations about NASA's future role in adronautics. Individual papers reflect a variety of topics such as: background and questions on NASA's role in aeronautics; NASA's roles and concerns; the legislative outlook; world economic and financial outlook; petroleum outlook; perspective on engineering manpower; outlook for metallic materials; military aeronautics; general aviation; the helicopter's future; and how NASA can assist other federal agencies. (Author/DS)