Could Air Travel be on the Verge of  Revolutionary Change?
Channel: CurioNexus
Date: 13/01/2024

Symmetry plays a crucial but unspoken role in the design of aircraft. It is observed in all flying creatures, ranging from tiny insects to massive birds. However, birds do not possess the ability to fly at supersonic speeds as Robert T Jones put it once when told that nature doesn't have Oblique wings, that the concept is not viable.

Imagine a future where air travel is faster, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. A future where the limitations of conventional aircraft design are overcome, and new possibilities take flight. This future may be closer than we think, thanks to a revolutionary concept known as oblique wings.

During the 1950s, Robert Thomas Jones, an exceptional engineer working for NASA, embarked on a groundbreaking project to develop a unique wing configuration known as an oblique wing (also called a skewed wing). This design involved a wing that could rotate at an angle relative to the aircraft's fuselage. Compared to conventional swept wings, the oblique wing offered numerous advantages. 

Its ability to transform into a straight wing made it highly efficient for low-speed flight, enhancing take-off, landing, and overall performance. Additionally, at transonic and supersonic speeds, the angled orientation of the wing minimized both wave and induced drag, resulting in improved aerodynamic efficiency. With reduced drag at higher speeds, oblique wing aircraft required less thrust to maintain their velocity, leading to lower fuel consumption and operating costs. Moreover, oblique wings were lighter, less complex, and had fewer drawbacks, such as a shifting center of lift, compared to other variable geometry wings.

Jones substantiated his theories through wind tunnel tests and by utilizing small-scale remote control models. Encouraging results prompted NASA to conduct more extensive research during the 1970s. The first significant step involved the Oblique Wing Remotely Piloted Research Aircraft (OWRPRA), powered by propellers, which successfully took flight in 1976. Simultaneously, leading aviation companies Boeing and Lockheed were invited to investigate the benefits of oblique wings for commercial air travel. In 1979, the NASA Ames-Dryden-1 (AD-1), a subsonic aircraft with human pilots, commenced rigorous flight testing of the oblique wing.

NASA's research efforts confirmed many of Jones's theories and demonstrated the oblique wing's potential in real-world flight scenarios. There were plans to further test the oblique wing concept using a modified U.S Navy F-8 fighter at supersonic speeds. Unfortunately, this program was terminated during its early stages due to budget constraints and shifting priorities. As a result, intensive research on oblique wings has largely stagnated since the early 1990s. Widespread reservations still exist regarding the flying capabilities of highly asymmetrical aircraft. Flight control becomes challenging at extreme wing pivots and necessitates automated systems to augment control. However, with the application of modern flight control technologies and advanced materials, many of these drawbacks could be overcome. Oblique wings continue to be considered a viable concept for large transports, and many experts firmly believe that they will eventually be adopted. The advantages they offer are simply too significant to disregard.

Research: “Thinking Obliquely: Robert T. Jones - https://shorturl.at/kpFHL

OUTLINE:
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The Future of Air Travel

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The Concept of Oblique Wings

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The Benefits of Oblique Wings

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The Challenges and Potential of Oblique Wings

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The Future of Aviation with Oblique Wings