LupinYonder Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 British engineers have released footage of the world's first ''flapless'' plane which uses hundreds of tiny air jets to control its movements. Thought you guys might be interested in this, cool innovation but I'd love some more detail. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8033224/Footage-released-of-plane-that-manoeuvres-without-flaps.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcos Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 It does appear to have flaps in the pictures: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupinYonder Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 (edited) Appears to, but then the whole article would be a lie or exaggeration. Maybe they are backups or something. Has a conventional control mode. Edited October 15, 2012 by LupinYonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterP Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 They are sure backups. Example: I never saw a autonomous car while in testing stage without a functional driving wheel and seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED Team NineLine Posted October 15, 2012 ED Team Share Posted October 15, 2012 If the purpose is for increased stealth then perhaps they are for takeoff/landing only, but not used in flight. Forum Rules • My YouTube • My Discord - NineLine#0440• **How to Report a Bug** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupinYonder Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 I realise that this is 2010 news but still kinda cool. Savings for efficiency and stealth, I wonder what state the project is in now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey45 Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Saw this at Farnborough this year. Very interesting. It has gone a long way since 2010. The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance. "Me, the 13th Duke of Wybourne, here on the ED forums at 3 'o' clock in the morning, with my reputation. Are they mad.." https://ko-fi.com/joey45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikoyan Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 But it is not a new concept; it was tested by Nasa on a f-18; the f-16xl. For the hornet thy used it as means of control the jet and for the f-16xl they used suction air to prevent airflow separation of the wing at supersonic speeds. It would be cool if they could use some kind of magnetic field to keep the air molecules from creating drag on key surfaces of the airplane thus reducing drag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron886 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Savings for efficiency and stealth On the former, not likely. That air has to come from somewhere... and somewhere is probably the engine. Using forced air is actually not a new concept. the F-4C "hard wing" for example, used bleed air vents on the upper surface of the wing to energize the boundary layer and help prevent airflow separation. I believe the term for it is just "boundary layer air control." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LupinYonder Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Learn something new every day :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobek Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Example: I never saw a autonomous car while in testing stage without a functional driving wheel and seat. That is also for cost reasons, they simply can't manufacture a prototype without standard configuration (costs would be astronomical without any benefits). Car industry has largely abandoned physical prototyping. Good, fast, cheap. Choose any two. Come let's eat grandpa! Use punctuation, save lives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weta43 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 seems to both have flaps and be using them in this shot - maybe they were working up to it... Or maybe as it's a prototype, they use conventional surfaces to trim it to a flyable condition, then test the gas controls from there... Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diveplane Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 aint got a pilot not intrested. https://www.youtube.com/user/diveplane11 DCS Audio Modding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weta43 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 You know that 'cause it's "AI", when it's chasing you, it'll be able to turn even though it's stalled :) Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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