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Aircraft Quiz #57       
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  Aircraft Quiz #57 
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Doug Robertson



Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 1751
Location: Southern California

PostPosted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:35 pm    Post subject: Aircraft Quiz #57 Reply with quote

Once upon a time there was a twin-engined fixed-midwing T-tail aircraft that could take off and land conventionally OR vertically that made several hundred flights.

1a. Manufacturer?, 1b. Nomenclature?, 1C. Engines' type-nomenclature?

2. Who was the aircraft's customer?

3a. Date of first conventional flight?, 2b. Date of first vertical takeoff, hovering and vertical landing flight?

4. How many test flights did it make before it was modified in its landing gear for further test flights?

5. Where is a late example of this aircraft on display at the present time?

6. Bonus Brownie points for the antecedent VTOL aircraft Make and Nomenclature that pioneered the specific lift design elements of the quiz aircraft.

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PP ASEL
Link to my photos- http://airport-data.com/photographers/Doug+Robertson:84/

   
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SunvisorFlyer



Joined: 06 Oct 2014
Posts: 101
Location: U.S.A.

PostPosted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I suppose it would be unfair to post an answer the same afternoon that the you put up the quiz Doug.

I'll wait to see if someone else wants to take a crack at this.

   
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Doug Robertson



Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 1751
Location: Southern California

PostPosted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not at all Unfair! That might set a new record for correct answers, however measured in hours time after posting. Ken Wang, the site Founder answered one correctly very quickly, for example.

The longer a quiz has been unanswered/untried, the more likely it is to disappear from the Home Page here and languish semi-unseen. With World time differences, early same-day views discount participation tries from other continents, etc. As I write this it is about 2300 in London, for example.

I welcome your answers-have at it if you wish.

_________________
PP ASEL
Link to my photos- http://airport-data.com/photographers/Doug+Robertson:84/

   
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SunvisorFlyer



Joined: 06 Oct 2014
Posts: 101
Location: U.S.A.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alright Doug, here's my guess:

1a. Ryan Aeronautical
1b. Ryan XV-5 Vertifan
1c. 2x J85 turbojets

2. The U.S. Army

3a. First flight was on May 25, 1964.
3b. First hovering flight was June ??, 1964

4. I know both prototypes crashed and that the XV-5B was rebuilt in 1968, but I do not know the extent of testing between those dates.

5. Fort Rucker Aviation Museum

6. Is it the X-13 Vertijet?

   
Author Message
Doug Robertson



Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 1751
Location: Southern California

PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My congratulations to SunvsorFlyer who nailed the quiz! No bonus points however.

The US Army awarded a contract to Ryan to develop and design a V/TOL jet-powered aircraft in the 1960s for battlefield surveillance. One objective was to prove the "fan-in-wing" VTOL concept. The subsequent Ryan VZ-11RY of 1961 was redesignated to XV-5 in 1962. The XV-5 Vertifan used LIFT-FANS in each delta WING driven by the powered gas thrust of two turbojet engines, and a smaller LIFT-FAN was in the aircraft's nose. Louvered vanes deflected lift below the wings for vectored thrust fore & aft also for yaw control. In conventional flight hinged-covers were shut in the wings' upper airfoil. The smaller nose fan was for pitch control. Turbojet engines' power determined the rpm of the fans. Roll control was by differential vane thrust actuation in the two wings. Aircraft was sub-sonic in forward flight.

My answers:

1a. Ryan Aeronautical Company. 1b. XV-5 VERTIFAN. 1c. Turbojets-two General Electric J85-GE-5s of 2,650 lbft thrust each.

2. US Army Aviation, Fort Rucker, Alabama.

3a. May 25, 1964. 3b. First VTOL, hover & vertical landing flight July 1964. (First transition flight, not asked, was November 5, 1965).

4. 338 flights were made by the Army's test program until March 1967. The surviving VX-5 that same month was provided to NASA at Ames Research Center who modified the tri-gear's main gear to be outboard of the wing lift-fans rather than inboard of them, for better ground stability and braking. This denoted VX-5B version. NASA continued V/STOL testing until 1974.

5. Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, Alabama.

6. Bonus. The original basic "fan-in-wing" thrust concept VTOL aircraft was the AVRO VZ-9 of 1959.

Ryan XV-5 specs

Crew: One
Powerplant: Two General Electric J85-GE-5 turbojet engines, 2,650 lbft thrust each
Wingspan: 29'10"
Length: 44'6"
Height: 14'9"
Weight loaded: 12,302 lb
Max Speed: 498 mph
Max Altitude: 40,028 ft

As an aside, I made two trips to Fort Rucker on business in the mid-late 1970s when in Flight Test Division of the Pacific Missile Test Center and did a side-tour of their aviation museum then. Great Southern hospitality!

_________________
PP ASEL
Link to my photos- http://airport-data.com/photographers/Doug+Robertson:84/


Last edited by Doug Robertson on Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

   
Author Message
SunvisorFlyer



Joined: 06 Oct 2014
Posts: 101
Location: U.S.A.

PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, the avrocar!
It slipped my mind that the "fan-in-wing" concept could apply to aircraft with mix wing-bodies. (or flying saucers for that matter)

There seemed to be a lot of interest during that time for VTOL aircraft, although not many ever made it past the prototyping stage.

I suppose every decade or so the researchers/engineers focus on something different. (supersonic flight/VTOL/stealth, etc.)

Keep them coming Doug!

   
Author Message
Doug Robertson



Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 1751
Location: Southern California

PostPosted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you! I purposely did not want to mention the "fan-in-wing" VTOL concept or system, figuring that would immediately narrow the search. You may have noticed I have gotten away from conventional production aircraft for a while just to bewilder the readers. Maybe time to take a yet different turn?

I will keep this up as the quizzes seem to garner varied interest and lots of views. As friend Timothy once remarked-I usually have a quirk just to throw off the readers. Getting harder to dream these up without giving too many clues! Timothy now busy building his Experimental class STOL bird.

_________________
PP ASEL
Link to my photos- http://airport-data.com/photographers/Doug+Robertson:84/

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