A Museum Tour Through Aviation History

Flight Enters the Computer Age (Gallery 213)

In addition to the two aircraft discussed below, the Flight Enters the Computer Age gallery contains a large number of displays and hands-on exhibits explaining the development of computers used in aviation and also explaining how computers are used in the design and development of aircraft.

HiMAT Remotely Piloted Vehicle
(1978)

[Museum photo not available]

The HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) remotely piloted vehicle was used extensively to test new aircraft designs and technologies that would make combat aircraft more maneuverable. However, because some of these maneuvers would put undue stress on a human pilot, the HiMAT aircraft was piloted by remote control. The results of these tests have been used to develop a host of remotely piloted military aircraft that are being used today for aerial reconnaisance and even for isolated ground attack missions. Some aircraft designers speculate that in the future military fighters will also be remotely piloted, thus reducing the exposure of pilots to enemy fire.

Grumman X-29
(1984)

The Grumman X-29 was a research aircraft developed to demonstrate the use of composite materials and the idea of a forward-swept wing. The X-29 flight program started in December 1984 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Because of the forward-swept wing, the X-29 was extremely unstable and would not have been flyable if not for a series of sophisticated flight control computers on-board. Off-setting the inherent instability of the X-29 was its very high level of maneuverability with a human pilot aboard.

The final gallery in the National Air and Space Museum devoted to aviation (as opposed to space) exhibits is actually the Museum's South Lobby. Here are aircraft related to what I will call The Last Aviation Records.

| Home | Intro | Ventures | Sea | Air | Space | SciFi | Racing | Movies | Art | Travel | Exit |

| Intro | Aerobatic Teams | Blue Angels | Thunderbirds | National Air & Space Museum | Aviation History |

Last Updated: January 1, 2003