With a 1/3-scale sailplane behind it already in the air, the DROID-3 tow plane rotates for takeoff from the dry lakebed, both controlled by their pilots with radio controllers in the background.
ED14-0014-61
With a 1/3-scale sailplane behind it already in the air, the DROID-3 tow plane rotates for takeoff from the dry lakebed, both controlled by their pilots with radio controllers in the background. The flights of the two small unmanned aircraft marked the first time the DROID towed another aircraft into the air and the first autonomous towed flight ever at NASA Dryden. The flights helped validate systems and procedures and reduce risk en route to a full-scale demonstration of the innovative Towed Glider Air-Launch Concept.
Jan. 16, 2014
NASA / Tom Tschida