Transverse rotor

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

have two large horizontal

rotor Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering *Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator * Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

assemblies mounted side by side. Single-rotor helicopters (unicopters) need an additional

tail rotor The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. The ...

or tail exhaust to neutralize the

reaction Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure: Physics and chemistry *Chemical reaction *Nuclear reaction *Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law *Chain reaction (disambiguation). Biology and me ...

angular momentum In physics, angular momentum (rarely, moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum. It is an important physical quantity because it is a conserved quantity—the total angular momentum of a closed syst ...

produced by the main rotor. Transverse rotor helicopters, however, use counter-rotating rotors, with each cancelling out the other's torque. Counter-rotating rotor blades also won't collide with and destroy each other if they flex into the other rotor's pathway. In addition, transverse rotor configuration has the advantage of higher

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

with shorter

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

s, since there are two sets working to provide

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

. Also, all of the power from the engines can be used for lift, whereas a single-rotor helicopter must divert part of its engine power to generate tail

thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that syst ...

. Transverse rotor design with rotatable

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

s are known as

tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a trans ...

s while designs where the whole wing rotates are known as

tiltwing A tiltwing aircraft features a wing that is horizontal for conventional forward flight and rotates up for vertical takeoff and landing. It is similar to the tiltrotor design where only the propeller and engine rotate. Tiltwing aircraft are typical ...

List of transverse rotor aircraft

Transverse-mounted helicopters

Bratukhin B-11 The Bratukhin B-11 was a prototype Soviet twin-rotor transport helicopter and the last design of the Bratukhin Bratukhin, or OKB-3, was a Soviet aircraft design bureau created in 1940 from within TsAGI to develop helicopters. Headed by Ivan Pavlo ...

(1948) * Bratukhin G-3 (1946) *

Cierva W.5 The Cierva W.5 was a helicopter developed by the Cierva Autogiro Company in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the ...

(1938) *

Cierva W.11 Air Horse The Cierva W.11 Air Horse was a helicopter developed by the Cierva Autogiro Company in the United Kingdom during the mid-1940s. The largest helicopter in the world at the time of its debut, the Air Horse was unusual for using three Helicopter roto ...

(1948) - a three rotor helicopter *

Firth Helicopter The Firth Helicopter was a British helicopter of the early 1950s. Designed to exploit new outrigger rotor technology, the helicopter was abandoned during construction. Design and development Based on the designs of American engineer Fred Landgra ...

(1952) *

Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache The Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 ''Drache'' () was a helicopter developed by Germany during World War II. A single Bramo 323 radial engine powered two three-bladed rotors mounted on twin booms on either side of the cylindrical fuselage. Although the ...

(1941) *

Focke-Wulf Fw 61 The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 is often considered the first practical, functional helicopter, first flown in 1936. It was also known as the Fa 61, as Focke began a new company—Focke-Achgelis—in 1937. Design and development Professor Henrich Fock ...

(1936) *

Kamov Ka-22 The Kamov Ka-22 ''Vintokryl'' (rotor-wing, or literally, (air)screw-wing) ( Cyrillic:Камов Ка-22 Винтокрыл) ( NATO reporting name: Hoop) was a rotorcraft developed by Kamov for the Soviet Air Force. The experimental transport air ...

(1959) *

Kamov V-100 The V-100 was a projected side-by-side twin-rotor compound helicopter combat aircraft from Kamov. It had a pusher propeller located behind the rear tailplane, rotors mounted on the tips of its wings and two turbines mounted above the central fusel ...

(1980s) - unbuilt project *

Landgraf H-2 The Landgraf H-2 was an American single-seat twin-rotor helicopter designed by Fred Landgraf and built by the Landgraf Helicopter Company of Los Angeles, California. Although awarded a development contract by the United States Army, it was not de ...

(1944) *

McDonnell XHJH Whirlaway The McDonnell XHJH Whirlaway, aka McDonnell Model 65, was a 1940s American experimental transverse-rotor helicopter designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation for the United States Navy and was the largest helicopter at the time, as we ...

(1946) *

Mil Mi-12 The Mil V-12 (NATO reporting name: Homer), given the project number ''Izdeliye 65'' ("Item 65"), is the largest helicopter ever built. The designation "Mi-12" would have been the name for the production helicopter and was not applied to the V-12 ...

(1967) *

Platt-LePage XR-1 The Platt-LePage XR-1, also known by the company designation PL-3,Francillon 1990, p.49. was an early American transverse rotors helicopter, built by the Platt-LePage Aircraft Company of Eddystone, Pennsylvania. The winner of a United States Ar ...

(1941)

Transverse-mounted tiltrotors

AgustaWestland AW609 The AgustaWestland (now Leonardo) AW609, formerly the Bell/Agusta BA609, is a twin-engined tiltrotor VTOL aircraft with a configuration similar to that of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey. It is capable of landing vertically like a helicopter while ...

Bell Eagle Eye The Bell Helicopter Eagle Eye, Model 918, was an American tiltrotor unmanned aerial vehicle that was offered as one of the competitors in the United States Navy's VT-UAV (Vertical Takeoff - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) program. Development The Eagl ...

Bell XV-3 The Bell XV-3 (Bell 200) is an American tiltrotor aircraft developed by Bell Helicopter for a joint research program between the United States Air Force and the United States Army in order to explore convertiplane technologies. The XV-3 featured ...

* Bell XV-15 *

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

Transverse-mounted tiltwings

Canadair CL-84 Dynavert The Canadair CL-84 "Dynavert", designated by the Canadian Forces as the CX-131, was a V/STOL turbine tiltwing monoplane designed and manufactured by Canadair between 1964 and 1972. Only four of these experimental aircraft were built with three ...

List of transverse rotor aircraft

Transverse-mounted helicopters

Transverse-mounted tiltrotors

Transverse-mounted tiltwings

See also