[♪♪] [female narrator] Look ahead--decades ahead.
Imagine the future of flight.
Will it be like it is today? Not likely.
Not with dwindling supplies of fossil fuels.
That's why Boeing and NASA have partnered to create an experimental aircraft
that could change the course of aviation.
It's called the Blended Wing Body, or sometimes the BWB.
The program is led by Bob Liebeck,
developer of the most efficient wing design ever created.
NASA started the BWB
[Bob Liebeck - Chief Scientist and Manager, Blended Wing Body Project]
when they asked us, "Could we do a different kind of airplane?"
And we came up with the BWB.
[narrator] The Blended Wing Body is a cross between a conventional subsonic airplane
and a flying wing.
An awe-inspiring manta ray shape, the wings and body are a single blended unit.
Everything works together to provide lift.
Since there is no conventional tail, the biggest challenge was with flight controls.
But Bob and his team came up with a number of advancements
that provide a high degree of flight stability and control.
[Liebeck] Engineers provide solutions to problems.
Right now, the fuel crisis, whether it's the pollution or the price of gasoline,
we'd like to use less fuel.
Engineers are going to solve that.
The success of the BWB program is due to this group of 12 or so very gifted engineers.
Without them, it wouldn't have worked.
[narrator] The team came up with a sleek, aerodynamic design.
The BWB could have lower drag and greater lift than conventional airplanes.
It could also offer greater range along with larger payload capacity.
More than anything, the BWB demonstrates that a new type of aircraft
may help the world of aviation become dramatically more fuel efficient.
[Liebeck] Fuel burn compared to a conventional subsonic transport
is 20% or more less.
And with the engines above the fuselage or above the center body,
noise is shielded, and it's estimated that the BWB is 50 decibels quieter
around an airport than a conventional transport.
This could enable 24/7 operation of a BWB.
[narrator] The Blended Wing Body is more than an idea;
it's an experimental aircraft in active test today.
[Liebeck] The first flight of the airplane, taking off, is still the proudest thing I can ever think of.
Something that you helped create taking off out of Edwards Air Force Base
with all its history--it doesn't get any better.
[♪♪]
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