Skip Top nav bar link group topnav end piece go to business section go to education section go to history section go to gallery section go to news section go to organizations section go to research section go to search engine go to site index topnav end piece
NASA Meatball NASA Dryden /Gallery/Photo/Fleet-1970s banner
 
Dryden Aircraft Fleet 1970s  Photo Gallery Contact Sheet

Dryden Aircraft Fleet 1970s Photo Gallery Contact Sheet

 
Photo Date: September 25, 2006
 
Formats: Low Resolution Image Contact Sheet (15058 KBytes)
Medium Resolution Image Contact Sheet (15085 KBytes)
High Resolution Image Contact Sheet (15072 KBytes)
 
Photo
Description:
Dryden Aircraft Fleet 1970s
 
Project
Description:

The 1970s marked a period of transition for what became in 1976 the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Although the lifting bodies continued to fly until 1975 and the Shuttle underwent glide flights in the Approach and Landing Tests in 1977, the emphasis had shifted from space-related activities to systems and aeronautical research. The primary examples of this were the F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW) and the F-8 Supercritical Wing, although the F-8 DFBW did contribute substantially to the Space Shuttle through testing its IBM AP-101 flight control computer and contributing to the development of a pilot induced oscillation-suppression filter for the flight-control-computer system. The DFBW replaced the F-8's normal controls with controls operated by a digital computer system. This project showed that a digital computer-based flight control system was both possible and practical from the twin standpoints of cost and reliability. The DFBW paved the way for aircraft like the F-117A, which are totally dependent on fly-by-wire technology.

On the aeronautical side, the major breakthrough was flight tests of a supercritical wing on an F-8. This wing shape was designed to reduce drag at speeds near Mach 1. The innovation greatly improved fuel economy for aircraft. Following tests on the F-8, the F-111 Transonic Aircraft Technology (TACT) program flew a supercritical wing on the Aardvark aircraft (F-111). This also proved successful, and over the following decades, supercritical wings appeared on aircraft as diverse as heavy transports, airliners, and fighters.

Another development during the 1970s at Dryden was the flight of remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs). The early RPVs tested in the 1970s included the 3/8th Scale F-15/Spin Research Vehicle, the Drones for Aerodynamic and Structural Testing (DAST), and the Mini-Sniffer. By the end of the 20th century, these early efforts developed into such large-scale projects as the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program, the X-34, X-38, and X-40A projects.

 
Keywords: Fleet; 1970s; NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; 3/8th Scale F-15/Spin Research Vehicle; Drones for Aerodynamic and Structural Testing; DAST; Mini-Sniffer; F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire; DFBW; Supercritical Wing; F-111 Transonic Aircraft Technology; TACT; AP-101; flight control computer; pilot induced oscillation; Space Shuttle
 


Last Modified: September 25, 2006
Responsible NASA Official: Marty Curry
Curator: PAO Webmasters

NASA Website Privacy Statement