Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > F-16XL Ship #2 > Photo # EC95-42974-2 |
F-16XL Ship #2 Laminar Flow Glove mounting | ||
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Photo Number: | EC95-42974-2 | |
Photo Date: | Feb 1995 | |
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Formats: | 539x480 JPEG Image (117 KBytes) 1150x1024 JPEG Image (578 KBytes) 3000x2670 JPEG Image (5,591 KBytes) |
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Description: |
NASA's two-seat F-16XL research aircraft is shown in the modification hangar at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, during installation of a titanium "glove" on the upper surface of its modified left wing.
The aircraft subsequently carried out a 13-month-long, 45-flight research program which investigated drawing off a small part of the boundary-layer air in order to provide laminar--or smooth--flow over a major portion of a wing flying at supersonic speeds. A turbo-compressor in the aircraft's fuselage provided suction to draw air through more than 10 million tiny laser-drilled holes in the glove via a manifold system employing 20 valves. Data obtained during the program could assist designers of future aircraft in developing a more efficient high-speed civil transport. |
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Keywords: | F-16XL Ship #2; laminar flow; titanium glove installation; smooth; left wing; supersonic |
Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > F-16XL Ship #2 > Photo # EC95-42974-2 |
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Last Modified: February 6, 2002 |