Dynamically Scaled Wonder

摘要

Stepping into a small hangar on the edge of the NASA Dryden site, the author was surprised at the ordinary appearance of the building. So, what's so special about a plain-looking hangar? Well, nothing much, except this one housed a truly remarkable aircraft, the X-48B, a 5001b (227kg) l/12th scale composite, remotely piloted vehicle manufactured in the UK for Boeing by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. And this elegant-looking technological innovation will explore,rnpush and define the riskiest limits of blended wing bodied (BWB) flight.rnThe construction of it is not representative of any classic way of building an aircraft. In fact, much of the technology came in part from Formula 1 racing. It even uses parts from mountain bikes.