The Boeing YC-14, being first flown in 1976, was an impressive aeronautical achievement. This aircraft signaled many firsts in aircraft design, the most prominent being the use of upper-surface blowing (which turned the jet engine flow downward), combined with boundary-layer control, to allow flight at amazingly low airspeeds. The YC-14 program management consistently embraced new technologies, such as the use of "fly-by-light" flight controls and use of digital airframe design-technologies that would later become mainstream for Boeing. Although this book is about a specific airplane type, it is just as much about the YC-14 design team that created a multiorganizational culture, unafraid to "draw outside the lines," to create a dramatically capable airplane. To place the reader in the pilot's seat, Boeing and Air Force test pilots provide their reflections of the handling and performance of the YC-14. Equally intriguing, the challenges of designing a new airplane from start to finish are explored in detail.

About the Author
John Wimpress, Boeing aerodynamicist and airplane designer, was involved with the design of most of Boeing's jet airplanes from the Air Force B-47 to the commercial 757. John was director of engineering on the US Air Force YC-14 STOL transport. He lives in Des Moines, Washington.


Book Information
ISBN 9780764366536
Author John K. Wimpress
Format Hardback
Page Count 128
Imprint Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd
Weight(grams) 517g