Jacques van Oene
July 28th 05, 03:11 PM
Elvia Thompson
Headquarters, Washington July 28, 2005
(Phone: 920/426-1810)
Kathy Barnstorff
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
(Phone: 757/344-8511)
RELEASE: 05-206
NASA RESEARCH HELPS DEVELOP NEW LIGHT JET AIRCRAFT
NASA has contributed to the development of a new class of aircraft
called Very Light Jets (VLJs). Some of the new jets are making debut public
flights at AirVenture 2005, the Experimental Aircraft Association's fly-in
at Oshkosh, Wisc.
Honda R&D Americas, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., tested new designs at the
National Transonic Facility (NTF) at NASA's Langley Research Center in
Hampton, Va. The tests provided data for engineers designing the
experimental HondaJet. It's an experimental VLJ that's scheduled to debut at
the air show today.
Honda used the unique capabilities of the NTF to assess aspects of
high-speed performance prior to flight tests. "It was a win-win situation
for both of us," said NTE manager Allen Kilgore. "They got good data, and we
got the chance to demonstrate the new high-pressure air capability of our
wind tunnel."
NASA also worked with Eclipse Aviation to develop aluminum structures for
their jet, the Eclipse 500. A pioneer in VLJ development, the Eclipse 500 is
making its first public flight demonstrations at Oshkosh.
VLJs and thousands of air travelers may benefit from NASA research into a
Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). Last month, the SATS
public-private partnership, which includes NASA, the Federal Aviation
Administration and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility,
demonstrated technologies and operating capabilities that will allow
advanced small planes to fly safely and reliably into small community
airports.
The demonstration, at the Danville Regional Airport, Danville, Va. was the
culmination of a five-year project led by a research team based at Langley.
It may have marked the start of a more personalized form of point-to-point
air travel.
SATS technologies and operating capabilities enhance pilot situational
awareness; provides pilots notification about potentially hazardous terrain,
weather; and information about how to fit into the air traffic flow. SATS
technologies may allow higher volume operations at airports that don't have
control towers or terminal radar. Pilots will be able to land safely in low
visibility at minimally equipped airports. SATS aircraft could eventually
integrate seamlessly into the complex national airspace
The SATS project is part of the Airspace Systems Program of NASA's
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The Directorate is advancing
NASA's long tradition of aviation research and developing technologies to
make planes and airspace safer, quieter and more efficient.
The NTF wind tunnel was used to test Honda's 1/9th scale full-span VLJ
model. The model's size allowed duplication of full-scale flight conditions.
The NTF wind tunnel provided critical and essential tests to accurately
assess the aerodynamic characteristics of the HondaJet's unusual
configuration.
The NTF is a pressurized, cryogenic wind tunnel able to duplicate
characteristics of full-scale transport configurations on sub-scale wind
tunnel models. The cryogenic mode uses liquid nitrogen gas to cool the
tunnel structure.
For information about NASA's SATS project on the Web, visit:
http://sats.nasa.gov
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home.index/html
-end-
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
Headquarters, Washington July 28, 2005
(Phone: 920/426-1810)
Kathy Barnstorff
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
(Phone: 757/344-8511)
RELEASE: 05-206
NASA RESEARCH HELPS DEVELOP NEW LIGHT JET AIRCRAFT
NASA has contributed to the development of a new class of aircraft
called Very Light Jets (VLJs). Some of the new jets are making debut public
flights at AirVenture 2005, the Experimental Aircraft Association's fly-in
at Oshkosh, Wisc.
Honda R&D Americas, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., tested new designs at the
National Transonic Facility (NTF) at NASA's Langley Research Center in
Hampton, Va. The tests provided data for engineers designing the
experimental HondaJet. It's an experimental VLJ that's scheduled to debut at
the air show today.
Honda used the unique capabilities of the NTF to assess aspects of
high-speed performance prior to flight tests. "It was a win-win situation
for both of us," said NTE manager Allen Kilgore. "They got good data, and we
got the chance to demonstrate the new high-pressure air capability of our
wind tunnel."
NASA also worked with Eclipse Aviation to develop aluminum structures for
their jet, the Eclipse 500. A pioneer in VLJ development, the Eclipse 500 is
making its first public flight demonstrations at Oshkosh.
VLJs and thousands of air travelers may benefit from NASA research into a
Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). Last month, the SATS
public-private partnership, which includes NASA, the Federal Aviation
Administration and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility,
demonstrated technologies and operating capabilities that will allow
advanced small planes to fly safely and reliably into small community
airports.
The demonstration, at the Danville Regional Airport, Danville, Va. was the
culmination of a five-year project led by a research team based at Langley.
It may have marked the start of a more personalized form of point-to-point
air travel.
SATS technologies and operating capabilities enhance pilot situational
awareness; provides pilots notification about potentially hazardous terrain,
weather; and information about how to fit into the air traffic flow. SATS
technologies may allow higher volume operations at airports that don't have
control towers or terminal radar. Pilots will be able to land safely in low
visibility at minimally equipped airports. SATS aircraft could eventually
integrate seamlessly into the complex national airspace
The SATS project is part of the Airspace Systems Program of NASA's
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The Directorate is advancing
NASA's long tradition of aviation research and developing technologies to
make planes and airspace safer, quieter and more efficient.
The NTF wind tunnel was used to test Honda's 1/9th scale full-span VLJ
model. The model's size allowed duplication of full-scale flight conditions.
The NTF wind tunnel provided critical and essential tests to accurately
assess the aerodynamic characteristics of the HondaJet's unusual
configuration.
The NTF is a pressurized, cryogenic wind tunnel able to duplicate
characteristics of full-scale transport configurations on sub-scale wind
tunnel models. The cryogenic mode uses liquid nitrogen gas to cool the
tunnel structure.
For information about NASA's SATS project on the Web, visit:
http://sats.nasa.gov
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home.index/html
-end-
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info