Forum Experts: Is this a real airplane?

[Grumpyguy]

If so, what the heck is it?

[shadow]

No, it is not.

It is a mockup for a Popular Science article from the 90s.

[shadow]

Linky: http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/boeing797.asp

[richorlin]

/yes it is, sort of:

http://www.news.com/2300-11397_3-6207999-1.html

Boeing's new experimental X-48B

However, the picture you linked to is not real.

[wurm]

I think it was spotted in Texas recently.

[birdmanjeff]

The X-48B is a UAV for test purposes very cool but very small compared to a full scale version. This bird is a long way from being a real airplane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Edw-2...8-01-8.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/boeingbwb/2252305

by the way if you like flying wings this guy (Alexander Lippisch) was one of the fathers of the design of flying wings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Lippisch

along with Jack Northrop the two desighners had a HUGE impact on the design of aircraft in this century.

http://www.warbirdforum.com/northrop.htm

[JoeH]

On a side note, is snopes.com getting bad with the pop-up ads lately? Got stuck after opening that link. Found a recent changeout for my PC at work and the associated reinstalls left me with some extra entries on the browzer's pop-up allowed list.

[ztirffritz]

I have a co-worker who had a screensaver that was the model of that plane in a windtunnel. It was very cool.

[Acer]

Notice the second one in the back? Different colors, but same wings and engine.

I think the guy who photoshopped it over-reached at that point.

Less is more in a good hoax 'shop....or Popular Mechanics mock-up or wherever it started.

[Craig]

What city's skyline is that? It's not in the US.


Craig