Explore the Skylancer

Explore the Skylancer. . , What was the Skylancer designed to do? , A Navy Plane , The Douglas Aircraft Company originally manufactured the F5D Skylancer for the United States Navy to be an all-purpose fighter-interceptor based on an aircraft carrier. An arresting hook, located below the afterburner, assisted in landing. The wing tips mechanically folded up for parking. Douglas had built only four Skylancers when the Navy canceled the program. NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), which later became NASA, acquired all four. Two exist today., How do you slow down in the air? , Speed Brakes, Speed brakes slow the aircraft by increasing drag, the aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft's motion., During the abort launch procedure Neil Armstrong created, the pilot engaged the speed brakes to slow the plane to simulate emergency power. The speed brakes are located on the top and bottom of each wing near the fuselage., How do you steer? , Maneuver with the delta wing , The delta wing configuration forms a triangular shape intended to reduce drag and increase lift. Both the F5D Skylancer and the Dyna-Soar X-20 have the delta wing configuration. NASA chose the Skylancer for the abort launch procedure, because it had a similar lift to drag ratio as the Dyna-Soar X-20 spaceplane., Pilots steer delta-winged aircraft with the elevons and rudder. The F5D's electronic and hydraulic elevons control pitch and roll. The hydraulic rudder controls yaw.