Hiller X-18
| Hiller X-18 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Experimental V / STOL - transport aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 20, 1959 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests ended in 1961 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Hiller X -18 was a flipper - convertible aircraft to test the Kippflügelbauweise and uncovering the advantages and disadvantages of a V / STOL - aircraft .
It was the first heavy transport aircraft of this design with at least theoretical VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) properties; as the intended test series only have surface slopes up to max. 50 °, the X-18 only has to demonstrate STOL (short-distance take-off) capabilities and a few pure hovering flights. A transition (transition from hovering to level flight ) is not documented.
history
In February 1957 the Hiller Aircraft Corporation received an order from the United States Air Force to build ten test aircraft in tilt-wing design. The engineers used existing components: The fuselage of the Chase YC-122 served as the basis, the drive components were no longer required parts from the discontinued “ rear starter ” program of the United States Navy . The counter-rotating (coaxial) three-blade propellers came from the experimental aircraft Lockheed XFV-1 and Convair XFY-1 "Pogo" , while the Allison turbines used on the X-18 were originally intended to be used on the XFV-1. A Westinghouse J34 jet engine was responsible for the pitch control , which generated a variable thrust jet with an extended outlet nozzle in the rear fuselage section.
Thanks to this “modular system”, the first flight of the X-18 took place on November 20, 1959, but it was a pure level flight as a fixed-wing aircraft. Exactly 20 test flights were carried out; an engine failure on the twentieth flight in July 1961, together with the disappointing test results, resulted in the immediate termination of the X-18 program. Little is known about the whereabouts of the only specimen; likely it was scrapped at Edwards Air Force Base . The other nine planned machines were never built.
However, the X-18 had gained some insights that flowed directly into a very promising concept, namely the Ling-Temco-Vought XC-142 .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Construction year | 1959 |
| Manufacturer | Hiller Aircraft Corporation |
| span | 14.63 m |
| length | 19.20 m |
| height | 7.49 m |
| Takeoff weight | 14,970 kg |
| crew | 2 |
| Top speed | 402 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 10,759 m |
| Range | not specified |
| Engines | 2 Allison T40-A-14 propeller turbines , each with 4,362 kW (5,932 hp) 1 Westinghouse J34 - jet engine with 1,542 kp relapsing |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Description on history.nasa.gov p. 25. (PDF; 1.2 MB) Retrieved on February 11, 2013 .