Dec. 21, 1979 The first flight of the Burt Rutan designed, NASA AD-1. The aircraft has a unique wing that can be pivoted obliquely from zero to 60 degrees during flight. Flying the aircraft for the first time is NASA research pilot Thomas C. McMurtry, who would also fly the airplane on its final flight Aug. 7, 1982. The program gathered information on handling qualities and aerodynamics at various speeds and degrees of pivot. Analytical and wind tunnel studies indicated that a transport-size oblique-wing aircraft, flying at speeds up to Mach 1.4, would have substantially better aerodynamic performance than aircraft with more conventional wings. While successful in meeting the programs technical objectives, the AD-1 exhibited some aeroelastic and pitch-roll-coupling effects that contributed to poor handling qualities.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 21:07:50 +0000
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