This 1986 lecture features by Robert Thomas (R.T). Jones as part of the distinguished lecture series on the foundations of aerospace research development. R.T., inventor of the swept-back wing, basic to all of today's high-speed aircraft, died in August 1999 at the age of 89.
An internationally-acclaimed expert in many fields of science and technology whose research was essential to the development of supersonic flight, Jones is perhaps best known as the inventor of the oblique wing design. This radical design concept pivoted an entire straight wing attached to the fuselage, forming a scissor-like appearance as flight speed increased.
Jones began his research career in 1934 when he joined NASA's predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, at its Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, now called the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.
This recording is from a vhs tape and the quality has deteriorated, but the lecture is well-worth watching.
More on the history and research at NASA Langley Research Center is available at http://crgis.ndc.nasa.gov/historic/larc.
NASA Langley Film #6357