Posted 13 years ago
packrat-pl…
(310 items)
A acquired these photographs in a box of items this weekend, however, I am having a little trouble identifying these aircraft.
I have also included the hand written notes on the back, of which I am having trouble reading several of the words.
Are they experimental or prototype aircraft?
Any help appreciated.
thank you BELLIN68, any idea exactly what they are?
Hey packrat-place, I am not really sure, but I would have to say that these are prototype, experimental, or possibly test planes. I know that Nasa had some unusual planes that were used by astronauts -in-training. That symbol beside of the NASA emblem is for the company Rockwell which was always big with the space programs. I worked in the automotive branch of Rockwell but they sold us a few years back. Probably not much help, thought I would holler at ya and give you my opinion for what it's worth. Hope your having a good day ! Thrifty Gypsy
BELLIN68 & ThriftyGypsy, Thank you for your help, I will keep digging.
The one on the left looks like someone had a very bad day.
packrat-place, check this out and Happy New Year
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-008-DFRC.html
Thank you Militarist & rocker-sd, Thank you for the site, that sure looks like it. I sent them the photographs for confirmation. Happy New Year to you too.
BELLIN68, thank you for trying, I am working on it. I am still waiting to hear back from the website rocker-sd gave me.
For the Rockwell plane : >>In 1975, NASA and the U.S. Air Force's Flight Dynamics Laboratory (FDL) initiated the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) program to develop an unmanned subscale demonstrator aircraft for advanced fighter airframe technology. In May that year, Rockwell won the design contest against competitive designs from Grumman and McDonnell. Two HiMAT RPRVs (Remotely Piloted Research Vehicles) were built, and the first flight occured in July 1979.
The other one is a Grumman X-29 and I have this info for you:>>>Two X-29 aircraft, featuring one of the most unusual designs in aviation history, were flown at the NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility (soon to be renamed the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, Calif., as technology demonstrators to investigate advanced concepts and technologies. The multi-phased program was conducted from 1984 to 1992 and provided an engineering data base that is available in the design and development of future aircraft.
More on the X-29 can be found here:http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/air/xplanes/x29.html
I have an update. I received a response from NASA and here is what told me concerning these aircraft.
"The second of your photos is of the HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) remotely piloted subscale research aircraft as constructed; the first photo is of a conceptual forward-swept-wing mockup, not an actual aircraft. Neither aircraft are related to the X-29.
The HiMAT aircraft, which was the centerpiece of a flight research project at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in the late 1970s—early 1980s, has been cosmetically refurbished and is on display outside NASA Dryden today.
From mid-1979 to January 1983, two remotely piloted, experimental Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology (HiMAT) vehicles were used at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., to develop high-performance fighter technologies that would be applied to later aircraft. Each aircraft was approximately half the size of an F-16 and had nearly twice the fighter's turning capability.
HiMAT research at Dryden was conducted jointly by NASA and the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Because the planes were controlled from a ground station, experimental technologies and high-risk maneuverability tests could be employed without endangering pilots. The aircraft were flown 26 times during the 3 1/2 year history of the program.
The HiMAT vehicle was 23.5 feet long, with a wingspan of just under 16 feet. It was powered by a General Electric J-85-21 turbojet, which produced 5,000 pounds of static thrust at sea level. At launch, the HiMAT planes weighed 4,030 pounds (including 660 pounds of fuel). They had a top speed of Mach 1.4 (1.4 times the speed of sound). About 30 percent of the materials used to construct the aircraft were experimental composites, mainly fiberglass and graphite-epoxy. The cost of both vehicles was $17.3 million.
The small aircraft were launched from NASA's B-52 carrier plane at an altitude of approximately 45,000 feet. Each HiMAT plane had a digital on-board computer system and was flown remotely by a NASA research pilot from a ground station with the aid of a television camera mounted in the cockpit. There was also a TF-104G chase aircraft with backup controls if the remote pilot lost ground control.
The two research planes are now on exhibit, one at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and the other at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum."
Another mystery solved.
Thank you very much chevy59 & Bruce99 for the love and visiting.