science

Scaled Composites ATTT

Scaled Composites ATTT is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Scaled Composites ATTT rather than just read about it. In short: The Scaled Composites Model 133-4.62 ATTT, or Advanced Technology Tactical Transport is a technology demonstration aircraft built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites in 1986 under contract to DARPA. Design and development In the mid-1980s, the American government agency DARPA, developed a concept for a tandem wing STOL transport, intended to act as a technology demonstrator and to meet a requirement for a long-range h…

Key takeaways

Scaled Composites ATTT belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Scaled Composites ATTT to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Scaled Composites ATTT from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Scaled Composites Model 133-4.62 ATTT, or Advanced Technology Tactical Transport is a technology demonstration aircraft built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites in 1986 under contract to DARPA.

Design and development In the mid-1980s, the American government agency DARPA, developed a concept for a tandem wing STOL transport, intended to act as a technology demonstrator and to meet a requirement for a long-range high-speed transport for US special forces, intended to fill the gap between helicopters and larger transport aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules. In 1986, DARPA placed a contract with Scaled Composites, a company set up by Burt Rutan and owned by Beechcraft to build prototypes for advanced aircraft, for a 62% scale proof-of-concept demonstrator for the concept, called the Advanced Technology Tactical Transport (shortened to ATTT or AT3). The ATTT had high-aspect ratio tandem wings, joined by long nacelles which carried the aircraft's tractor configuration turboprop engines, large fuel tanks, and the main undercarriage units for the aircraft's retractable tricycle landing gear. As first built, it had a conventional, cruciform tail. A novel arrangement of eight fast acting fowler flaps was fitted, inboard and outboard of the engines on each of the wings. These would be extended rearwards in a low-drag configuration prior to commencing the take-off run then quickly lowered to increase lift at the point of take-off. The aircraft was of composite construction, mainly glassfibre and carbon fibre. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135 turboprops. The ATTT demonstrator made its maiden flight on December 29, 1987 from Mojave Airport, base of Scaled Composites. It completed its initial test program of 51 test flights, with a total of 112 flying hours, on November 8, 1988. It was then rebuilt with a revised tail, with a twin-boom configuration replacing the original single cruciform tail unit, with the fuselage shortened and a rear-loading ramp fitted. The revised layout improved handling, lowering minimum single-engine safety speed (which was previously significantly higher than the stall speed). A further 13 test flights were flown to evaluate the revised layout. The aircraft has been de-registered and is currently in storage at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum at Edwards Air Force Base.

Specifications (Final configuration) Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1990–91General characteristics Length: 44 ft 10 in (13.67 m) Wingspan: 53 ft 2 in (16.21 m) Foreplane span: 37 ft 8 in (11.48 m) Height: 14 ft 1 in (4.29 m) Wing area: 179.4 sq ft (16.67 m2) Foreplane area: 118.08 sq ft (10.97 m2) Max takeoff weight: 11,500 lb (5,216 kg) (max flown) Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprop, 750 shp (560 kW) each Performance

Maximum speed: 200 mph (310 km/h, 170 kn) Minimum control speed: 72 mph (117 km/h, 63 kn)

References

"AT3 Testing Ends". Flight International. Vol. 136, no. 4172. July 8, 1989. p. 16. Retrieved June 4, 2019. "Beech flies advanced transport demonstrator". Flight International. Vol. 133, no. 4098. January 30, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved June 4, 2019. Lambert, Mark, ed. (1990). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1990–91. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Defence Data. ISBN 0-7106-0908-6. North, David M. (October 13, 1986). "DARPA Developing Tactical Transport For Special Operations Forces". Aviation Week & Space Technology. pp. 28–29. Retrieved June 4, 2019. "Scaled Composites Rolls Out Modified ATTT for DARPA Tests". Aviation Week & Space Technology. April 17, 1989. p. 30. Retrieved June 4, 2019. Scott, William (January 18, 1988). "Scaled Composites Tests Low-Altitude, Long-Range Capability of ATTT Aircraft". Aviation Week & Space Technology. p. 26. Retrieved June 4, 2019. Scott, William B. (September 4, 1989). "AT3 Demonstrates Feasibility Of Cargo STOL With Long Range". Aviation Week & Space Technology. pp. 38–40, 45, 48–49. Retrieved June 4, 2019.

External links

Model 133 at Scaled Composites' website Archived 2006-07-09 at the Wayback Machine Aerofiles information Goleta Air and Space Museum information and images

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Scaled Composites ATTT

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Scaled Composites ATTT claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Scaled Composites ATTT before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Scaled Composites ATTT ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Scaled Composites ATTT

In research: Scaled Composites ATTT appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Scaled Composites ATTT in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Scaled Composites ATTT is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1980s United States experimental aircraft, Aircraft first flown in 1987, High-wing aircraft, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Scaled Composites ATTT outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Scaled Composites ATTT in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Scaled Composites ATTT means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Scaled Composites ATTT out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Scaled Composites ATTT in simple terms?

The Scaled Composites Model 133-4.62 ATTT, or Advanced Technology Tactical Transport is a technology demonstration aircraft built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites in 1986 under contract to DARPA. Design and development In the mid-1980s, the American government agency DARPA, developed a concept for…

Why does Scaled Composites ATTT matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Scaled Composites ATTT?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Scaled Composites ATTT.