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NASA Meatball NASA Dryden Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) banner
Flying an Autonomous Formation Flight mission, two F/A-18s from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, gain altitude near Rogers Dry Lake. Flying an Autonomous Formation Flight mission, two F/A-18s from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, gain altitude near Rogers Dry Lake.
Photo Number: EC01-0267-4
Photo Date: September 20, 2001
Formats: 580x480 JPEG Image (91 KBytes)
1238x1024 JPEG Image (638 KBytes)
3000x2481 JPEG Image (5,253 KBytes)
Description: Flying an Autonomous Formation Flight mission, two F/A-18's from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, gain altitude near Rogers Dry Lake. The Systems Research Aircraft (tail number 845) and F/A-18 tail number 847 are flying the second phase of a project that is demonstrating a 15-percent fuel savings of the trailing aircraft during cruise flight. Project goal was a 10-percent savings. The drag-reduction study mimics the formation of migrating birds. Scientists have known for years that the trailing birds require less energy than flying solo.
NASA Photo by: Lori Losey
Keywords: F/A-18; F-18; AFF; Autonomous Formation Flight; Systems Research Aircraft; 847; 845; flight number 728

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