X-48C First Flight

Courtesy: NASA Dryden EDWARDS AFB, Calif. - The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time on Aug. 7, 2012, at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert. The aircraft, designed by the Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new X-48C model, which was formerly the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, was modified to evaluate the low-speed stability and control of a low-noise version of a notional, future Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft design. The HWB design stems from concept studies being conducted by NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of future potential aircraft designs 20 years from now. "We are thrilled to get back in the air to start collecting data in this low-noise configuration," said Heather Maliska, X-48C project manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. "Our dedicated team has worked hard to get the X-48C off the ground for this first flight and we are excited to learn about the stability and control characteristics of this low-noise configuration of the Blended Wing Body." Primary changes to the C-model from the B-model, which flew 92 flights at NASA Dryden between 2007 and 2010, were geared to transforming it to an airframe noise-shielding configuration. External modifications included relocating the wingtip winglets inboard next to the engines, effectively turning them into twin tails. The aft deck of the aircraft was also ...
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