This Day in Aviation History

December 14th 1984
First flight of the Grumman X-29.

The Grumman X-29 was an American experimental aircraft that tested a forward-swept wing, canard control surfaces, and other novel aircraft technologies. The aerodynamic instability of the airframe required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control. Composite materials were used to control the aeroelastic divergent twisting experienced by forward-swept wings, also reducing the weight. Developed by Grumman, the X-29 first flew in 1984; two X-29s were flight tested over the next decade….

Source:
Wikipedia, Grumman X-29:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_X-29

YouTube, X-29 (FSW) Forward Swept Wings Aircraft:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRNONLZ9URQ

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