NASA Begins Flight Testing of Shape-Shifting Wings

NASA's green aviation project, together with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and FlexSys, Inc, is one step closer to demonstrating technology that could make future airliners quieter and more fuel-efficient with the successful flight test of a wing surface that can change shape in flight. The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) is a direct result of 20 years of collaboration between AFRL and FlexSys and the ongoing flight tests will determine if flexible trailing-edge wing flaps can both improve aerodynamic efficiency and reduce airport-area noise generated during takeoffs and landings. In this joint effort, conventional hinged flaps on a modified Gulfstream III business aircraft were replaced with FlexSys’ advanced, shape changing flaps that form continuous bendable and twistable surfaces. The first ACTE flight was successfully completed on November 6 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, and was followed by additional successful flights. The testing will continue over the next several months.

[GAG]

That's very disappointing, a video about the shape shifting wings and it doesn't show them change, at an early point in the video that shows them already changed, but the wonderful shape shifting, the subject of the missing, not there, not in this video...

[RoboTekno]

So where is the footage of the FlexFoil flaps being deployed while in flight?

[wingnutzster]

I swear to God I began testing blended winglets on my high speed model designs back in the early 80's before NASA borrowed the concept from Yacht stabilizing technologies and started testing them for commercial aeronautical applications (there are many hobbyists and aircraft engineers who can attest to that, most of whom dismissed my ideas back then), far more recently I incorporated a flexible 'wing' in my hydrofoil designs and in my LSA jet concept I designed a simple system of flexible control surfaces and leading edge devices effectively morphing the wing but lacked the computing technology knowledge and resources necessary to drive the system and now NASA is testing something similar, I guess what I'm trying to say is I should have put all my energy into getting a job at NASA when I left school, who knows what I would have achieved given their guidance and resources and my lifelong insight or understanding of aerodynamics and aeronautics.

[wingnutzster]

Why the flapless landing at the end and why not show us the system working in flight?

[naoyukisasanami]

Weird to see the engine brake is the most classic one

[rodhill]

NASA produced this video of the early flight testing of our FlexFoil variable geometry control surface. It shows the initial fast taxi and some of the 0° flight testing. Nice interior shots.

[Kanti]

this one is the retro fit one? because i'm seeing flaps still.

[patricialinares]

That's a great, diverse team.  Congratulations on their success!

[Natethesandman]

That music though..
"He then went on to pursue his lifelong passion in aeronautics and met his wife Anna in 2015."

[SsoulBlade]

What is the name of the song used from 0.40?

[kickbutoxy]

No information no nothing

Disappointing

[MrFadjule]

I feel like calling this a "shape shifting wing" is a big exaggeration. The tech on display here is simply a cover for the area between the control surface, and the rest of the wing to reduce drag. Far cry from a wing changing shape.

[JL-cnqi]

Where the fuck did it change?

Nasa is doing clickbait these days, goddamn...