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NASA Meatball NASA Dryden F-15B banner
F-15B transonic flight research testbed aircraft in flight F-15B transonic flight research testbed aircraft in flight

Photo Number: EC96-43398-22
Photo Date: January 17, 1996

Formats: 558x480 JPEG Image (62 KBytes)
1190x1024 JPEG Image (570 KBytes)
3030x2606 JPEG Image (9,147 KBytes)

Description: NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, is flying a modified McDonnell-Douglas F-15B aircraft as a testbed for a variety of transonic flight experiments. The two-seat aircraft, bearing NASA tail number 836, is shown during a recent flight over the high desert carrying a Drdyen-designed Flight Test Fixture (FTF) upon which aerodynamic experiments are mounted. The FTF is a heavily instrumented fin-like structure which is mounted on the F-15B's underbelly in place of the standard external fuel tank.

Since being aquired by NASA in 1993, the aircraft has been modified to include video recording, telemetry and data recording capabilities. The twin-engine aircraft flew several flights recently in support of an experiment to determine the precise location of sonic shockwave development as air passes over an airfoil.


Keywords: F-15; F-15B; 836; FTF; Flight Test Fixture; McDonnell Douglas; Boundary Layer Heat Experiment

References: F-15B Flight Test Fixture Fact Sheet - FS-1998-10-055-DFRC


Last Modified: February 6, 2002
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