GAU-8

Is anyone following the X-48B development and testing? Most of what I've read is now almost a year old. Does anyone have a site where updates are posted?

NASA - X-48B Blended Wing Body

The Boeing 797 that could come out of the program looks like it would knock the Airbus 380 out of the park.

I see there was a WAB discussion on this a while ago: The Top Secret Boeing 797

Thanks in advance,

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glyn

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GAU-8

"Muhahahaha! All you need is passenger acceptance of being deprived of windows. I'm afraid it will take more than that to derail the Airbus A380 program."

Reminds me of sitting in an advanced aerodynamics course years ago. The instructor, (an aeronautical engineer) was whining about "human factors." He pointed out how fuselage shapes of transonic and supersonic aircraft caused unnecessarily heavy drag due to its shape having "to accommodate windshields for the pilots to see out." He explained how an aircraft could be designed to be far more efficient at high speed by reshaping the front end and supplying the pilots with TV screens to see with. The class, (all pilots) stared blankly at the engineer with a combination of contempt and pity.

glyn

highsea

NASA and McDonnell-Douglas tried to do the same thing back in the Gemini and Apollo days with the space capsules. The astronauts wouldn't have a thing to do with it, and demanded a porthole to see out from.

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My baby called me up. She said- Why don't you ever take me out? Pick me up in your brand new car....You shake the short change from the old fruit jar...

Jimmy

God help anyone who sits in an outboard seat during a bank.

scorefour

Boeing insists that BWB is being developed as a military platform only. The 797 version would have to wait many years.

Some of the hurdles that would have to be overcome are pressurization of a non-cylindrical passenger compartment, something that's evidently quite difficult, and extreme motion changes for passengers sitting at either side of the aircraft. A minor turn will produce a substantial change in elevation for those at the edges.

I've heard that there might be several tubes within the aircraft to solve the pressurization issue. The problem there is that you don't use the space efficiently. I've also read that Boeing has made progress on learning how to pressurize a non-cylindrical space. The problem is that equal pressure doesn't just happen in a non-cylindrical compartment. They're having to learn how to make it so.

NASA has apparently done studies on the effects of sudden motion changes and found that passengers could theoretically withstand more than they would experience with BWB. Still, it's an issue.

I personally can't wait for the day that BWB does make it into civilian aerospace. Neither can the airlines, which is why one airline offered $1 billion to aid in development.

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