The Mississippi XAZ-1 Marvelette (or MA18-B Marvelette) was an American research aircraft of the 1960s. A converted

Anderson Greenwood AG-14 The Anderson Greenwood AG-14 is a two-seat utility aircraft developed in the United States shortly after World War II. It is an all-metal, shoulder-wing monoplane of pod-and-boom configuration, equipped with a pusher propeller, side-by-side seat ...

light single-engined pusher aircraft, it provided the

test-bed A testbed (also spelled test bed) is a platform for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable testing of scientific theories, computational tools, and new technologies. The term is used across many disciplines to describe experimental rese ...

, or test platform, on which to test the boundary layer control system and ducted propeller installation of the planned XV-11 Marvel

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...

research aircraft. One aircraft was converted to XAZ-1 configuration; although underpowered, it provided valuable test data over a year-long flight program. Following the conclusion of test flying, the aircraft was used for ground testing before being scrapped.

Development and design

The Department of Aerophysics at the

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

had been involved in a programme of research into boundary layer control on behalf of the

Office of Naval Research The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...

and the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

since 1950, carrying out trials on a modified Schweizer TG-3 glider, a Piper L-21 and a

Cessna O-1 The Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog is a liaison and observation aircraft. It was the first all-metal fixed-wing aircraft ordered for and by the United States Army following the Army Air Forces' separation from it in 1947. The Bird Dog had a lengthy ...

.Heyman 1990, p.49 As a result of these studies, the US Army awarded the Department a contract to develop a new STOL research aircraft: the XV-11 MARVEL ("Mississippi Aerophysics Research Vehicle, Extended Latitude").History: XV-11A Marvel
". Department of Aerospace Engineering, ''

''. Retrieved 31 December 2009. The new aircraft was to feature a novel form of wing warping to deflect the wing trailing edges to vary the wing's

camber Camber may refer to a variety of curvatures and angles: * Camber angle, the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle * Camber beam, an upward curvature of a joist to compensate for load deflection due in buildings * Camber thrust in bike technology * ...

instead of conventional flaps, while the wings were to be built of

glassfibre Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

in order to ensure that the wing was as smooth as possible. In order to test these features, it was decided to build a smaller and less powerful test-bed.Heyman 1990, pp. 49–50. The aircraft chosen as the basis for the testbed was the

, a single-engined, twin-boom pusher light aircraft that had been built in small numbers in the late 1940s and early 1960s. The type was already familiar to Mississippi State University, as it had used one to test ducted propellers. Initially, a simple conversion, to be designated MA-18, was planned, but it was later decided to make the test bed more closely resemble the final full-scale aircraft, with the resultant changes causing re-designation to MA-18A. It was later named "Marvelette", and received the military

serial number A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it. Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...

62-12147 and the US Army designation XAZ-1.Heyman 1990, p.50.Matt, Paul R.
Anderson Greenwood AG-14 and the MARVEL program
. Retrieved 31 December 2009. The Marvelette was a high-winged monoplane with an aluminium monocoque rear fuselage and a glassfibre nose. The twin tailbooms of the AG-14 were replaced by the propeller duct, which incorporated movable segments of its trailing edge to replace the

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

and

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

and a non-retractable

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ge ...

was fitted. The new wing was made of glassfibre and incorporated the camber-changing mechanism and perforations to allow suction for boundary layer control.

Operational history

After making its maiden flight on 16 November 1962, the Marvelette was used in an extensive test program to evaluate the aircraft and its novel features. The aircraft retained the original

Continental C-90 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admin ...

engine of the AG-14, which powered the boundary control system as well as providing the propulsion for the aircraft. As the Marvellette was heavier than the original AG-14, the engine proved to be underpowered for its task. Nevertheless, the test successfully evaluated the novel features planned for the Marvel. The full-sized aircraft had a modified camber-changing mechanism and more conventional tail control surfaces. The Marvelette completed 25 test flights, with the last flight in March 1964, and was subsequently the platform for Marvel development ground tests before being dismantled.Heyman 1990, pp. 50–51.

Specifications (XAZ-1)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Heyman, Jos. "The Mississippi Marvel". '' Air Enthusiast'', Forty-one, Midsummer 1990. Bromley, UK: Tri-Service Press. ISSN 0143-5450. pp. 49–53. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66''. London:Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1965. {{US Army airplanes Ducted fan-powered aircraft XAZ-1 1960s United States experimental aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1962 Shoulder-wing aircraft

Development and design

Operational history

Specifications (XAZ-1)

See also

References