Abstract

NASA’s Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project performs research into tools, technologies, and concepts to enable an expanded, viable design space for subsonic transport aircraft with dramatic improvement in energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. A multi-generational approach is used to address the needs of today but with an emphasis on establishing the technological foundations necessary to enable the capabilities needed in the decades ahead.  In order to stimulate innovation and foster the pursuit of revolutionary aircraft concepts that could enter into service in the 2030-35 timeframe, market permitting, the SFW project has sponsored advanced aircraft concept studies to address NASA’s subsonic goals for this timeframe: noise reduction of 71 dB cumulative relative to Stage 4, landing/take-off nitrogen oxide emission reduction of at least 75% relative the CAEP 6 standard, and a fuel burn reduction of at least 70% relative to current aircraft.  This presentation provides an overview of these recent studies to include projected future scenarios to establish the future context, the advanced aircraft concepts, and enabling technologies with an emphasis on fuel burn.

Biography

Dr. Richard A. Wahls (Rich) is the Project Scientist for the Subsonic Fixed Wing Project in the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program. In this role, Rich serves as the technical authority and is responsible and accountable to the Project leader for the technical integrity of the technical plans. Additionally, he leads the Project processes to compete and integrate innovative, high-risk ideas from academia and industry.

Rich received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University before joining NASA Langley in 1991. He has experience in computational and experimental aerodynamics, and is the author or coauthor of 64 technical publications. His personal research has emphasized high Reynolds number aerodynamics and scale effects utilizing the unique capabilities of the US National Transonic Facility. Rich is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, and has served on its Fluid Dynamics and Applied Aerodynamics Technical Committees.  He has served in multiple NASA project leadership positions in programs such as High Speed Research (HSR) and Vehicle Systems (VSP), and has served since 1997 as the Assistant Head of the Configuration Aerodynamics Branch at NASA Langley.