Curtiss-Wright VZ-7
| Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Experimental aircraft - VTOL aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1958? |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Curtiss-Wright VZ-7 was an experimental VTOL aircraft made by the American manufacturer Curtiss-Wright Corporation in the 1950s. Due to its construction as a quadrocopter , the aircraft can also be assigned to the helicopters . Like the VZ-6 and VZ-8 , the VZ-7 was developed as part of the Flying Jeep competition.
history
In the mid-1950s, the US Army investigated the potential uses of VTOL devices that could take over the tasks of helicopters in combat zones, but should be easier and cheaper to manufacture. Among the most interesting of these alternative aircraft were a number of light aircraft that the Army believed should combine the versatility and manageability of a jeep with the ability to fly over dangerous or difficult terrain. The plan envisaged a simple, robust and easy-to-use vehicle that could both hover and move forward at a sufficient speed at a low altitude. Specifically, the transport of a payload of 450 kg at a cruising altitude of 1.5 to 3.6 m (5 to 12 ft) was required for flights over several hours.
The request from the US Army prompted a number of companies to submit proposals. In early 1957, Chrysler Corporation , Curtiss-Wright and Piasecki each received a contract to develop prototypes.
In 1957, Curtiss-Wright received an order from the US Army for the development and initial testing of two prototypes, which were eventually designated as VZ-7AP (see also the designation system for aircraft used by the US Army from 1956 to 1962 ). The machine was designed by the company's Santa Barbara Division, which previously belonged to Studebaker-Packard as Aerophysics Development Corporation . The delivery of the two vehicles with the Army / USAF serial numbers 58-5508 and 5509 took place in mid-1958.
Like the VZ-6, the VZ-7 also had an extremely simple structure, which essentially consisted of a central rectangular box frame, on which two two-blade propellers driven by long-distance shafts were attached to each side. Seen in plan, the four propellers sat at the corners of a square. This design is known today as a quadrocopter. On the central frame was the pilot's seat, the flight control, the tanks for fuel and lubricants and the 425 WPS engine, a Turboméca Artouste IIB shaft turbine .
The propellers initially each had a protective device around them in the form of a tube, but this was removed during the flight test. The control system was designed very simply. Ascent and descent took place via the collective pitch control of the propeller blades, which was operated via a normal control stick. This also allowed changes of direction through differential changes in the collective pitch. The control around the vertical axis took place via pedals, whereby movable guide plates arranged in the exhaust gas flow of the engine could be adjusted.
Both VZ-7s showed good results in the factory tests as well as in the evaluation by the Army. Handling was easy and a stable hover was possible. However, the Army's requirements for altitude and speed could not be met, which ultimately led to both machines being returned to the manufacturer in mid-1960.
The VZ-7 with the serial number 58-5508 is now in the United States Army Aviation Museum in Fort Rucker , but is not currently (2015) on display there.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1, an observer seat was possible as an option |
| Hull length | 5.18 m |
| Wingspan (over the propellers) | 4.87 m |
| Height (to the top of the pilot's seat) | 2.83 m |
| Propeller diameter | 1.98 m |
| Empty mass | 771 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 952 kg |
| Marching speed | 40 km / h |
| Top speed | 51 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 60 m |
| Engines | 1 × Turboméca Artouste IIB shaft turbine with 425 WPS (373 kW) |
See also
literature
- Stephen Harding: Flying Jeeps - The US Army's Search for the Ultimate 'Vehicle' . In: AIR Enthusiast No. 73, January / February 1998, pp. 10-12
- Leonard Bridgman (ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft - 1959-60 , Sampson Low, Marston & Company Ltd., London, 1959, pp. 282 f.
Web links
- VZ-7 on aviastar.org (accessed July 23, 2015)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Photo of the VZ-7 in the US Army Aviation Museum (accessed July 23, 2015)