I’ve seen some pictures of this over the years but don’t know much about it:
Arriving at Langley from Edwards Air Force Base, Califorina in 1960, this Vertol VZ-2 (Model 76) underwent almost a year and a half of flight research before going back to the manufacturer for rework. The VZ-2 was used to investigate Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL). NASA photo taken 12/15/1960.
More below:
Vertol VZ-2 in flight
The tail is just the frame in this pic, and the cockpit area looks a bit different.
The second pic is from the Smithsonian page on the VZ-2, which includes a lot more info. They’ve got the aircraft, but it’s not currently on display.
3 Responses to “Vertol VZ-2 Tiltwing”
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I’ve seen an Osprey do a vertical take off, loaded with gear and men. And then come back and do a full speed, 90 degree bank and turn. And it was impressive as hell!
But I still gotta wonder if this whole concept is a solution in search of a problem.
You might visit here: http://www.vstol.org/
Cheers
You have to respect the test pilots from back in the day. It takes some serious balls to fly around in *&#! like that.