Richard Whitcomb and the Quest for Aerodynamic Efficiency

Much of the history of aircraft design in the postwar era is encapsulated by the remarkable work of NACA-NASA engineer Richard T. Whitcomb. Whitcomb, a transonic and supersonic pioneer, gave to aeronautics the wasp-waisted area ruled transonic airplane, the graceful and highly efficient supercritical wing, and the distinctive wingtip winglet. But he also contributed greatly to the development of advanced wind tunnel design and testing. His life offers insights into the process of aeronautical creativity and the role of the genius figure in advancing flight.

N DECEMBER 21, 1 954, Convair test pilot Richard L. "Dick” Johnson flew the YF-102A Delta Dagger prototype to Mach 1, an achievement that marked the meeting of a challenge that had been facing the American aeronautical community. The Delta Dagger’s contoured fuselage, shaped by a new design concept, the area rule, enabled an efficient transition from subsonic to supersonic via the tran­sonic regime. Seventeen years later, test pilot Thomas C. "Tom” McMurtry made the first flight in the F-8 Supercritical Wing flight research vehi­cle on March 9, 1971. The flying testbed featured a new wing designed to cruise at near-supersonic speeds for improved fuel economy. Another 17 years later, the Boeing Company announced the successful maiden flight of what would be the manufacturer’s best-selling airliner, the 747­400, on April 29, 1988. Incorporated into the design of the jumbo jet were winglets: small vertical surfaces that reduced drag by smoothing turbulent airflow at the wingtips to increase fuel efficiency.[134] All three of these revolutionary innovations originated with one person, Richard T.

"Dick” Whitcomb, an aeronautical engineer working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

A major aeronautical revolution was shaping the direction and use of the airplane during the latter half of the 20th century. The invention of the turbojet engine in Europe and its incorporation into the airplane transformed aviation. The aeronautical community followed a basic premise—to make the airplane fly higher, faster, farther, and cheaper than ever before—as national, military, industrial, and economic fac­tors shaped requirements. As a researcher at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, VA, Dick Whitcomb was part of this movement, which was central to the missions of both the NACA and NASA.[135] His three fundamental contributions, the area rule fuselage, the supercritical wing, and the winglet, each in their own aerodynamic ways offered an increase in speed and performance without an increase in power. Whitcomb was highly individualistic, visionary, creative, and practical, and his personality, engineering style, and the working environ­ment nurtured at Langley facilitated his quest for aerodynamic efficiency.