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The upper wing surfaces of the Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 test aircraft were covered with accelerometers and other sensors during ground vibration tests at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
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The upper wing surfaces of the Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 test aircraft were covered with accelerometers and other sensors during ground vibration tests at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. An electro-mechanical shaker device (blue cylinder at lower right) generated vibrations into the airframe during the tests, which helped engineers determine if aerodynamically induced vibrations were controlled or suppressed during flight. The tests were the last major ground tests prior to the initiation of research flights. The X-53 designation was bestowed on the project by the USAF/DARPA group at Wright-Patterson AFB after the success of the project.› Read Project DescriptionAugust 22, 2002
NASA Photo / Tom Tschida