 While flying, birds change the shape of their wings according to various flight conditions. With today's blanket sophisticated computers and building materials, a plane now exists that changes the shape of its wings during flight, much the way birds do. The plane is NASA's F-111 high-performance jet that has specially adapted wing sections that can change shape or camera along their leading and trailing edges. Variable camber can be best understood through this view of the wing's profile. In flight, the wing's surface can be changed from flap to curve according to the flight mode NASA set, whether it be cruise, high-speed or maneuver. Termed mission-adaptive wing, this technology represents a joint venture between NASA's Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility and the U.S. Air Force. The idea of building a variable camber wing is not a new one. It dates from our beginnings in flight according to the program manager of NASA's mission-adaptive wing, John Smith. The Wright brothers and their Wright flyer also used wing warping that is changing the camber of the outboard tip of the wing to generate roll control. So the idea is not new, it's just that the technology has now developed to the point where it is practical for us to design an aircraft wing to give us that kind of performance. I really expect that we'll see variable camber wings that are designed into most airplanes in another 10 years. One of the first practical applications for a variable cambered wing was found in a plane called the RB Racer, built by the Dayton Wright Airplane Company in 1920. The pilot used a hand crank to manually change the shape of the wing's leading and trailing edge sections. By flattening the surface, the plane gained more efficiency and speed once it had taken off. Building on technology from the early Bell X5, the mission-adaptive wing incorporates variable wing sweep during flight. Studying the combination of wing sweep and shape may provide new insight into aerodynamic efficiency. Initially the plane will be flown manually with the pilot making changes in wing shape. Later research is planned to make use of flight-controlled computers that tie into aircraft sensors on the plane's wings and fuselage and automatically adapt camber to flight conditions. The ultimate goal of the program is to prove the plane's efficiency in different flight modes from high-speed crews to complete maneuverability at lower speeds. From this study, basic knowledge in wing sweep and camber will allow engineers to design faster, higher flying and more maneuverable planes in the future.