Editing Grumman X-29 (section)

==Operational history==
The first X-29 took its maiden flight on 14 December 1984 from [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards AFB]] piloted by Grumman's Chief Test Pilot Chuck Sewell.<ref name=AIS_X-Planes/> The X-29 was the third forward-swept wing jet-powered aircraft design to fly; the other two were the German [[Junkers Ju 287]] (1944) and the [[Hamburger Flugzeugbau HFB 320 Hansa Jet|HFB-320 Hansa Jet]] (1964).{{sfn|Green|1970|pp=493–496}}  On 13 December 1985, an X-29 became the first forward-swept wing aircraft to fly at [[supersonic speed]] in level flight.

[[File:Grumman X-29A USAF.jpg|thumb|Grumman X-29A at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]]]
[[File:Grumman X-29.jpg|thumb|Grumman X-29 at [[Edwards Air Force Base]]]]

The X-29 began a NASA test program four months after its first flight. The X-29 proved reliable, and by August 1986 was flying research missions of over three hours involving multiple flights. The first X-29 was not equipped with a spin recovery parachute, as flight tests were planned to avoid maneuvers that could result in [[Departure resistance|departure from controlled flight]], such as a spin. The second X-29 was given such a parachute and was involved in high angle-of-attack testing.  X-29 number two was maneuverable up to an [[angle of attack]] of about 25 degrees with a maximum angle of 67° reached in a momentary pitch-up maneuver.{{sfn|Webster|Purifoy|1991}}{{sfn|Winchester|2005|p=261}}

The two X-29 aircraft flew a total of 242 times from 1984 to 1991.{{sfn|Donald|1997|p=483}}{{sfn|Winchester|2005|p=262}}  The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center reported that the X-29 demonstrated a number of new technologies and techniques, and new uses of existing technologies, including the use of "[[aeroelastic tailoring]] to control structural divergence", aircraft control and handling during extreme instability, three-surface longitudinal control, a "double-hinged trailing-edge flaperon at supersonic speeds", effective high angle of attack control, vortex control, and demonstration of military utility.<ref name=NASA_factsheet/>