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Author Topic: Boeing 797 - Blended Wing Airliner?  (Read 1048 times)
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Chuck Baker
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« on: November 11, 2007, 01:11:09 PM »

Thanks to Bob Beck for sending this my way...
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The basic design is from the 1940's. Technology is from the 1990's. To keep up the interest in this monster, airlines will have to come up with new terminal gates to process boarding, and baggage handling capabilities that won't take as long as the flight! No mention of the gross weight (that might cause a little problem on some taxiways and ramps).

BOEING 797 vs.  Airbus A380

Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape the Air travel industry for the next 100 years. The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA LangleyResearch Center. The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the 747's 211 feet, and is designed to fit within the newly created terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide.

The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked up 159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers. Boeing decide to kill its 747X stretched super jumbo in 2003 after little interest was shown by airline companies, but has continued to develop the ultimate Airbus crusher 797 for years at its Phantom Works research facility in Long Beach, Calif.

The Airbus A380 has been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated $13 billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge advantage now that Airbus has committed to the older style tubular aircraft for decades to come.

There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbus's $13 billion dollar investment look pretty shaky.

High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, It reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the air frame which adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach 0.88 or 654 mph (+-1046km/h) cruising speed another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380's 570 mph (912 km/h).

The exact date for introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy.


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ILv2Xlr8
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« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2007, 08:18:55 AM »

Unfortunately, the 797 story is not true and is a popular email hoax.  The pictures are photo-shopped...

The true story is that Boeing Phantom Works is working on a prototype for military application in cooperation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, and will soon will begin ground testing of its X-48B Blended Wing Body concept in preparation for flight testing early next year.

The X-48B ground and flight testing will take place at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where two high-fidelity 21-foot wingspan prototypes have been delivered.
www.boeing.com

Although I heard that Shiek Musthava Hazsheetmydroors has placed an order for a $28bn 797...



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« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 08:25:10 AM by ILv2Xlr8 » Logged
Chuck Baker
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« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2007, 09:21:26 PM »

Thanks for setting things straight!  Smiley

I'll let my source know that it's a hoax.

Chuck
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ILv2Xlr8
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« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2007, 12:44:26 PM »

I was incorrect in the fact that the prototype has already flown as I got some more pictures of it's first flight sent to me:


* X-48B-flight2.jpg (81.49 KB, 1024x956 - viewed 67 times.)

* X-48B-flight3.jpg (89.05 KB, 1024x994 - viewed 69 times.)
« Last Edit: December 01, 2007, 12:46:35 PM by ILv2Xlr8 » Logged
ILv2Xlr8
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« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2007, 12:45:42 PM »

And some more pictures from it's first flight:


* X-48B-flight4.jpg (48.33 KB, 518x768 - viewed 72 times.)

* X-48B-flight5.jpg (82.4 KB, 1024x994 - viewed 77 times.)

* X-48B-flight.jpg (98.19 KB, 1024x938 - viewed 81 times.)
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Chuck Baker
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« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2007, 08:57:56 AM »

Sam Golden sent me the following additional info:
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X-48B BWB demonstrator preps for new phase of flight testing: (9/18/2007)
 
The X-48B Blended Wing Body subscale demonstrator banks over desert scrub at Edwards Air Force Base in California last month¸ during the aircraft’s fifth test flight.

Boeing’s X-48B Blended Wing Body research aircraft is being readied for a new phase of flight testing following the successful completion of six flights at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

Further flight tests, designed to gather more data on the low-speed characteristics of the BWB design, are scheduled to begin in October after four weeks of planned maintenance and modification.

"Our first six flights focused on validating prior research on the aerodynamic performance and controllability of the BWB concept, including comparisons with data gathered during wind-tunnel testing," said Bob Liebeck, Phantom Works BWB program manager. "We look forward to expanding the envelope when flights resume."

The X-48B flight test research is a collaborative effort of Phantom Works, IDS, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The 21-foot (6.4-meter) wingspan, 500-pound (230-kilogram), remotely piloted aircraft is designed to demonstrate the viability of the BWB concept.

After completion of the first six flights in July and August, the X-48B team began a four-week maintenance and modification period during which removable leading edges with extended slats are being replaced with slatless leading edges in order to mimic a slats-retracted configuration. The change requires a software update to the flight-control software. In addition, the team is removing and inspecting all of the aircraft’s flight-control actuators for maintenance purposes.

NASA and the Air Force are interested in the potential benefits of the aircraft -- including volume for carrying capacity, efficient aerodynamics for reduced fuel burn, and reductions in noise. IDS Advanced Systems is closely monitoring the research based on the BWB's potential as a flexible, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft.
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