Bell X-5 – Photos et vidéos

Lla Bell X-5 a été le premier avion capable de changer le balayage de ses ailes en vol. Il a été inspiré par la conception non testée en temps de guerre P.1101 de la société allemande Messerschmitt. Contrairement à la conception allemande, qui ne pouvait avoir que son angle de balayage d’aile ajusté au sol, les ingénieurs de Bell ont conçu un système de moteurs électriques pour ajuster le balayage en vol.

Source: Bell X-5 sur Wikipedia

The Bell X-5 was an experimental aircraft that pioneered the concept of variable-sweep wings. It was based on the German Messerschmitt P.1101 design, which was captured by the US forces at the end of World War II. Unlike the P.1101, which could only adjust its wing sweep on the ground, the X-5 had a mechanism that allowed the pilot to change the wing angle in flight, from 20 to 60 degrees. This gave the X-5 the ability to adapt to different speed regimes and flight conditions.
The X-5 was built by Bell Aircraft Corporation and first flew in June 1951. Two prototypes were produced and tested by the US Air Force and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). The X-5 demonstrated the benefits of variable geometry for high-performance aircraft, but also revealed some serious stability and control problems, especially at high sweep angles. In October 1953, one of the X-5s crashed during a spin test, killing the pilot. The other X-5 continued to fly until 1958, when it was retired and donated to the National Air and Space Museum.