NASA 810 F-8 Supercritical Wing Testbed

NASA 810 was the F-8 research airframe, Navy Bureau Number 141353, fitted with an experimental supercritical wing. The wing delayed and weakened transonic shock waves to reduce drag. Tom McMurtry flew its first supercritical-wing research flight on March 9, 1971, and it first flew supersonically in that configuration on May 26. Testing compared full-scale pressure and drag measurements with wind-tunnel predictions; later fuselage fairings proved less beneficial than expected. Its wing span grew from 35 feet 2 inches to 43 feet 1 inch. The final flight of the research configuration was on May 23, 1973.