Prandtl Flying Wing Testing by NASA

Article at:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstron...ng_design.html

Ray

On Wednesday, March 23, 2016 at 2:49:13 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Article at:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstron...ng_design.html

Ray

Thanks Ray,

It's been fascinating to watch Al Bowers work his way through this and see how he's inspiring a new generation of engineers by involving them directly with the work while they're students. The idea of vortex shedding inboard of the tips is pretty cool. As I understand it the bell shaped lift distribution is what Prandtl arrived at when he solved for the greatest lift relative to the structural weight rather than relative to a fixed span (elliptical distribution). The technical publication that's mentioned is worth tracking down and reading.

Cheers,
Craig

I must be missing some key element regarding this flying wing. What is new about this? Sweep and twist give flying wings their stability. I get it. Are they saying the tip vortices are decreased on "this" flying wing, or all flying wings?