damage Tolerance

I love great inventions and this one is a cracker!

What is the great fear of flying?  Landing by accident, well call it crashing if you must.  If a wing were to fall off then we have an issue!  This will soon be a thing of the past!  the Damage Tolerance System can take control and land the plane, on just one wing!

Damage tolerance is an enabling capability for increasing the mission reliability of UAVs operating in hazardous and high-threat environments. The technology provides for real-time autonomous accommodation of damage, followed by an adaptation process that alters the flight control system to compensate for the effects of the damage. During the flight test, Rockwell Collins demonstrated a capability that could be applicable to all military aircraft operating in combat environments and to commercial, business and general aviation for full flight automation and backup.

Click here to see a short clip of it in action.

This is awesome!  Imagine a Airbus 380 full of people landing with just one wing attached or a jet fighter flying to safety with just one wing remaining after a battle.  Just incredible.