Additional high-resolution color photos, taken from another
F/A-18 chase plane Nov. 15 during the first flight of the Active
Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18, have been added to the Gallery section of
the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Web site at:
The AAW test aircraft is being flown to explore the utility
of wing-warping — twisting the wings of a high-performance aircraft
in flight — to induce rolling maneuvers instead of using
conventional control surfaces.
A computer-driven concept reminiscent of the way the Wright
brothers originally controlled their aircraft a century ago, wing
warping could lead to lighter, more efficient structure, as well as
to reconfigurable, or “morphing” aircraft that adapt to conditions
around them.
