This seems like a really reasonable implementation looking at the actual physics loop. From a game design perspective, lookup tables can be a very powerful way

This seems like a really reasonable implementation looking at the actual physics loop. From a game design perspective, lookup tables can be a very powerful way for artists to interact with the physics. For example, it makes balancing 2 different vehicles a lot easier in conversation. You could say things like "I think we need to reduce the performance of XYZ between 1000 and 8000 feet to balance with ABC". Inserting a new band into the table is an obvious exercise in Microsoft excel.