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Old 28th October 2003 | 21:45
  #11 (permalink)  
Say again s l o w l y
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,130
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From: U.K.
I don't mean a swing wing in the traditional sense, they are far to complex, mind you they worked OK in the F14.

I'm trying to find a link to the design that I mean, but until then I'll descibe it.

Long fuselage, at about 2/3 from the nose imagine a larger version of a spitfire wing (elliptical) stuck to the top of the fuselage by a pivot abot which it would rotate. One side would be projected forward and the other back in the same way as if you held one side of a pair of scissors and opened and closed with the freely moving part of the scissors.

NASA Ames have built and flown a small version of this and the handling characteristics were superb as well as stability, it was only tested in the low speed envelope, below 250kts, but is a very promising idea, even Boeing are supposedly looking into the concept!! (not sure about at the moment as the bean counters seem to be in firm charge currently)
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