This
photo shows the narrowing of the YF-102A fuselage near the wings as dictated
by the Area Rule compared to the fuselage of the YF-102. It enabled the
aircraft to become supersonic.
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Area
Rule
The
Area Rule was discovered by NASA aerodynamicist Richard Whitcomb in 1950.
The rule states that, in order to produce the least amount of drag when
approaching supersonic flight, the cross-sectional area of an aircraft
body should be consistent throughout the aircraft's length. To compensate
for the place on an aircraft where the wings are attached to the fuselage,
the fuselage needs to be made narrower so that the cross-section remains
the same. This is why aircraft that are designed to fly around the speed
of sound have a pinched fuselage where the wings are attached to the body.
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