Quote:
Originally posted by TheDollyLlama
I'm also wondering how a plane without vertical stabilizers could yaw. [/b]
|
Actually, most aileron designs *cause* "adverse yaw". Good designs minimize it, but one of the main functions of the rudder (not the vert stab, whose job is adding yaw *stability*) is to *cancel* adverse yaw. Rudder is to vertical stabilizer as aileron is to wing, and elevator is to horizontal stab, in conventional empennage (tail).
This puppy, being fly-by-wire, *computes* what has to be done control-surface-wise to accomplish any particular attitude change.
In the photo you can see that one control surface on the port wing is lifted a bunch, and the corresponding one on the starboard side is up too, but by what looks like not as much. The flight control system is using them asymetrically. On a conventional aircraft one aileron goes up, the other must go down and you get a roll force, along with some unintended yaw because the down aileron makes more drag than the up aileron does
This thing can nose up/down by using the surfces together, roll by using them against each other, and yaw by adjusting the differential. And if the top and bottom surfacses are independant (looks like they are), they can eve be used as speed brakes.
Sweet.
Also apparently some "air jet" like stuff is being done:
"The tailless design of the X-36 greatly enhances the stealth characteristics of the airplane and promises to provide greater agility than current fighter aircraft have. The design also reduces weight and drag and explores new flight control technologies, such as split ailerons and thrust vectoring."