Was the runway at Pax pitching and yawing during that X-31 approach? Runway
31 on the Bonnie Dick sure as hell did the last time I made a carrier
landing!

WDA
Former Fury Flyer

end

"nmg175" wrote in message
. ..
With the computer landing the aircraft, the only thing keeping this thing
from making a hole in the ground is EPF (Extreme Pucker Factor) on the
part of the pilot who's just along for the ride --- and can't
seeanything!. This may be the future of carrier aircraft landings ... you
don't have to fly the "ball" because you can't SEE the ball!!! You can't
even see the ship.... Automatic ejection rounds out the package...



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On April 29 at NAS Patuxent River , Maryland , the unique "Vector", X-31
made the world's first fully automated, 24-degree angle of attack (AoA)
thrust-vectored landing. The high AoA landing marked the final flight in
the Vector's three-year ESTOL (extremely short takeoff and landing)
program. The project was designed to demonstrate the viability of ESTOL
thrust vectoring and was carried out with a collaboration of the U.S.
Navy, Germany 's Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement, the
European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) and Boeing Aerospace.

The 24-degree ESTOL landing also ended the X-31's career. It was first
flown in October 1990 as part of NASA's Enhanced Fighter Maneuverability
Program (EFM) that demonstrated the advantages of "post-stall" maneuvering
using vectored thrust. EFM was continued until 1995, when the X-31 was put
into storage. In 1999, the U.S. and German governments signed a
"memorandum of understanding" to relaunch the Vector under the ESTOL
program.

Though the program's main mission was to prove the feasibility of high
AoA, thrust-vectored landings, the effort yielded other benefits: EADS was
able to test and validate its Flush Air Data System (FADS). Consisting of
12 tiny sensors arranged around the X-31's nose cone, FADS replaces
traditional pitot static-air measurement systems, which can be rendered
ineffective at high AoAs.

The X-31 usually lands at 12 degrees at 175 knots. The automated ESTOL
landing with 24 degrees AoA reduced its landing speed by 31 percent to
121 knots and shortened the rollout from 8,000 to 1,700 feet. Marine Corps
Maj. Cody Allee (one of the program's two test pilots) flew the final
ESTOL landing and described the approach as "almost sedate" in comparison
to a conventional X-31 landing.

The lower approach speeds made possible by ESTOL technology could increase
airframe life, lower wind-over-deck requirements for carrier landings and
result in greater bring-back capabilities for ordnance and fuel. Unmanned
aerial vehicles and the latest generation of manned tactical aircraft
could also benefit from the program's technology, including its GPS-based
Integrity Beacon Landing System and sophisticated flight-control software.

The X-31, perhaps the last of the true "X" airplanes, is now retired and
will likely go to one of Europe's or the U.S. 's many aviation museums.

Click "Play" and hang on..... note the "reverse flare" just prior to
touchdown...


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