 The frontiers of flight have been extended through the years about a program aimed at inspiring highly experimental designs for the planes of tomorrow. This plane is the latest of the X series of aircraft called the X-29. At first glance, the plane seems ordinary until your perspective changes. The 30-degree forward swept ramps set far back in the plane's fuselage make it appear to be flying in the wrong direction. Through the use of the X-29 as a test vehicle, engineers will be able to explore the forward swept wings' unique mixture of speed, agility, and slow flying qualities. They will also explore the interaction of the wings with the forward canards and rear strike flaps. In this design, all control surfaces are linked together by computer. Walter Cephic, NASA's program manager for the X-29. All three of these surfaces are tied into a digital computer, and their deflection or movement during flight is optimized by the flight control computers. When the pilot makes a stick input to the airplane, these three surfaces all react simultaneously to give the optimum response of the airplane to minimize drag and maximize performance. The forward swept wing concept was first explored during World War II when the Germans built a test bomber with 15-degree forward swept wings. The bomber had a limitation which is inherent to all forward swept wings. It is called structural divergence and is illustrated here. As soon as higher speeds are realized, the wing tips experience tremendous twisting loads which flex the wings and can literally tear them off. The X-29's wing is crisscrossed with 750 composite tapes of such material as carbon, Kevlar, and glass. The materials are woven in a way to counteract the twisting forces encountered by the wing at transonic and subsonic speeds. The ultimate goal for those involved in the program is to prove the benefits of the forward swept wing to confirm the X-29's airworthiness and when these goals are accomplished, to make sure the results are transferred to government and industry. What we learn in this program will help build the next generation of fighter and commercial aircraft.