Bell XV-3

The Bell XV -3 (factory designation Model 200) is one of the tilt-rotor VTOL aircraft change. These aircraft take off vertically with upward facing rotors like a helicopter. For receiving the horizontal flight, the rotors are then pivoted through 90 ° forwards. The transition from hover to horizontal flight is called a transition. The XV- 3 uses as driving a radial engine, which is housed between the wings in the fuselage and drives the propeller via remote waves.

History

The XV- 3 was developed jointly by Bell and the United States Army. On August 23, 1955, the first of two prototypes made ​​its maiden flight; However, even as a helicopter with three-blade rotor. In the later experiments the transition from hover to level flight should be tested. On October 25, 1956 brandishing a test pilot Dick Stansbury, the rotors at 17 ° to the front, whereupon such strong vibrations shook the machine, that he fainted and lost control. Due to the crash landing Stansbury was slightly injured and the XV -3 destroyed.

In the second experimental model then the world's first transition was carried out on December 18, 1958 and reached the following level flight almost 200 km / h. They sat now on a two-blade rotor to stiffened wings, yet the engineers never got the instability under control. The second prototype completed 125 hours of flight time and 110 full transitions to more than 250 flights, up to a wind tunnel test in November 1968 both rotors due to vibration and technical defects tore. Then, the XV- 3 program was discontinued.

Successor

Based on the experience with the XV -3, a company called Bell in the late sixties, a new experimental aircraft with the name " Model 300 " and together with NASA, the "Model 301 ", which completed the first hover on 3 May 1977. Due to the interest of the U.S. Army, the model was designated the XV- 15th An automatic flight control and stabilization system stability problems that the XV -3 still had in level flight at the then tests could be solved. 1989 was the direct result of " XV- 15" trials Premiere: Together with Boeing Bell had the V-22 " Osprey " was developed, which is now in the service of the United States Marine Corps.

Specifications

  • Length: 9.23 m
  • Wingspan: 9.54 m
  • Height: 4.11 m
  • Rotor diameter: 10.06 m
  • Take off weight: 2179 kg
  • Empty weight: 1634 kg
  • Maximum speed: 291 km / h
  • Service ceiling: 3660 m
  • Hover Height: 2256 m (with ground effect )
  • Range: 410 km
  • Drive: Pratt & Whitney R -985 - AN3 radial engine with 336 kW
Bell Helicopter Tiltrotor Testpilot Bell XV-15 Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Ground effect (aircraft) Bell 30 Bell 47 Bell 205 Bell 214 Bell 214ST Bell 222 Bell 407 Bell 427 Bell 429 Bell 430 Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Bell 525 Relentless Bell OH-58 Kiowa Bell-Boeing Quad TiltRotor Bell V-280 Valor Bell P-59 Airacomet Bell P-63 Kingcobra Bell YFM-1 Airacuda Bell X-1 Bell X-2 Bell X-5 Bell X-9 Shrike Bell X-14 Bell X-16 Bell X-22 Bell XP-77 Bell XP-83 McDonnell XV-1
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