>>I wrote:
>>The Merriam Webster Dictionary (50th anniversary
>>edition) defines an airplane as "a powered heavier-than-air aircraft that
>>has fixed wings from which it derives lift." Of course, by that
>>definition, movable wing airplanes aren't airplanes either...
>
>Ronn Blankenship replied:
>The technical usage is to distinguish "fixed-wing aircraft" from
>"rotary-wing aircraft"= helicopters. Aircraft such as the US F/FB-111,
>F-14, the B-1, the Soviet "Backfire" bomber, etc., are sometimes referred
>to as "swing-wing," but would be considered a subset of "fixed-wing."
Ahem. That's what I meant to say. Really... :-)
Thanks for the correction, Ronn.
Reg Bautista
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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