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The High Speed, Low Drag Northrop X-21

The prototype's wing lift was artificially boosted by an extensive pattern of razor-thin slots in the upper wing surface to reduce drag.
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The Quiet Little Life of NASA’s QSRA

NASA's Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft was designed to navigate inner-city airports in dense population centers.
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Dayton Wright’s Race To Build a Time Machine

When the RB-1 was constructed to compete in the 1920 Gordon Bennett trophy race in France, it utilized features unheard of in that ...
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How NASA’s Unconventional Bell X-14 Almost Landed in the Scrapyard

The X-plane explored VTOL technologies and was used by NASA astronauts to refine their moon-landing skills.
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Boeing Bird of Prey Shrouded in Secrecy Still

Named after a Klingon spacecraft from Star Trek and given the designation “YF-118G”, the jet incorporated dramatic design inside and out.
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The Rise and Stall of the Piper PA-47 PiperJet Program

The airframe configuration of the single-engine Piper PA-47 PiperJet presented a unique set of engineering challenges.
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The Short Run of the Burns BA-42

Despite an aerodynamic cleanliness of its airframe, the light piston twin suffered in a crowded market in the 1970s.
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Bede XBD-2: Experimental Prototype for Unique Technologies

The clean-sheet aircraft design sought to improve aerodynamics by incorporating its twin engines in the aft fuselage.
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The Clandestine Legacy of the Helio Twin Courier

Designed during an era of twin fever, the expeditionary H-500 blended rotary-wing utility and fixed-wing speed.
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The Four-Engined Cessna and Its Corporate Mission

The predecessor to the Fanjet 500, the Cessna 620, never made it to market, but it proved a point.
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