GECHENG ZHA..SONICBOOM KILLING CONCEPT DESIGN ENGINEER

[Shultzie]

Very interesting topic on the AVweb site this morning about the amazingly gifted aircraft design engineer GECHENG ZHA who has been doing extensive new R&D projects pertaining to reduction of the DREADED SONIC BOOM in not only commercial aircraft but also on a new business jet that will actually rotate in flight after takeoff...and then after rotation will then allow for supersonic flight...
Check out a few of his links: htth://rt.com/news/nasa-grant-supersonic-plane-254/

www.eng.miami.edu/acfdlab

 Check out this amazing web site of Dr. Zha and tell him that "The Phantom Works "Sketch" sent ya'  

[Tim Wescott]

Well, that's differnt.

If the CG isn't centered in the middle then it'll have some pretty severe roll bias in one mode or another.

If the CG is centered in the middle then in subsonic flight it'll be way unstable (I dunno about supersonic flight stability -- I think it gets better, but I don't know how much).

Somebody is going to have to have some control systems smarts to make the transition from pretty movies to functioning hardware.

[Steve Helmick]

 htth://rt.com/news/nasa-grant-supersonic-plane-254/

The word "grant" gets my hackles up. I've seen companies do R&D using government grant money for no reason, and with no result, other than lining their own pockets. In short, I call "BS"...until Brett chimes in, anyway!  Steve

[Douglas Ames]

What are they going to call it -The Starfish?  ExecuStar Galactica?

With the cockpit being in the wingtip during supersonic flight I'd think they'd hurl their 3 Martini lunches all over the ceiling in turbulence.