Mary Sandy

Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

(Phone: 202/453-2754) April 23, 1990

Don Haley
Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
(Phone: 805/258-8381)

RELEASE: 90-59

NASA F-16XL AIRCRAFT LAMINAR FLOW STUDIES SET TO BEGIN

Flight testing of the first experimental wing surface

designed to improve laminar (smooth) airflow at supersonic speeds
will begin this month at NASA's Ames-Dryden Flight Research
Facility, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The flights with a specially-modified F-16XL aircraft are

part of an effort to improve high-speed performance by reducing
aerodynamic drag. Current aircraft designs, both subsonic and
supersonic, have turbulent airflow over a major portion of their
wings. This turbulence decreases performance and reduces fuel
efficiency. Good laminar flow occurs when the turbulent layers
of air flowing over an aircraft wing in flight are minimized.

A thin experimental wing section containing an active

suction system has been placed on the upper surface of the
F-16XL's wing. Designed by Rockwell International, North
American Aircraft, El Segundo, Calif., the "glove," as it's
commonly called, is intended to siphon-off a portion of the layer
of turbulent surface air through millions of tiny laser-cut holes
in the experimental section's titanium skin and provide a greater
area of smooth airflow over that section of the wing.

Researchers expect the instrumentation monitoring airflow

over the experimental wing section to produce data that will
validate computer codes and aid in the design of future
high-speed civil transports and high-performance military
aircraft.

The F-16XL is on loan to NASA from the U.S. Air Force. It

is capable of flying more than 1,200 mph -- twice the speed of
sound. The aircraft's delta-wing design and sustained supersonic
capability make it an excellent testbed for the laminar flow
studies.

- more -
-2 -

The glove covers about 40 percent of the upper surface of

the F-l6XL's left wing and about 50 percent of the wing's leading
edge. A layer of foam, up to 2 inches thick in some places and
covered with fiberglass, is used as a fairing to blend the glove
with the aircraft's original upper wing surface.

NASA research pilot Steve Ishmael will make about 20 flights

over the next 3 months to evaluate the laminar flow wing section
at supersonic speeds.

According to Louis L. Steers, manager of the F-16XL project

at Ames-Dryden, NASA also plans subsequent laminar flow studies.
In this second phase, the aircraft's wing will be modified with a
different type of experimental wing surface designed by NASA's
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. Initial flights in the
second phase will be without a suction system. Later, a suction
system will be added to the leading edge and other wing surfaces.

The first phase of the F-16XL laminar flow research project

is being carried out under a cooperative agreement between NASA
and Rockwell International,

- end -

TO: MDS/PRA Group

1615 L Street, N.W. - Suite 100
Washington, D.C. 20036

DATE & TIME: TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1990

ORDERED BY: Edward Campion

NASA Headquarters/LMD
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20546 PHONE: 202/453-8400

PROJECT TITLE: Release No: 90-59

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MAIL DATE: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1990

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