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The Vertol VZ-2 (or Model 76) was a research aircraft built in the United States in 1957 to investigate the
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 ...
approach to
vertical take-off and landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
.


Design and development

The aircraft had a fuselage of tubular framework (originally uncovered) and accommodation for its pilot in a helicopter-like bubble canopy. The T-tail incorporated small
ducted fan In aeronautics, a ducted fan is a thrust-generating mechanical fan or propeller mounted within a cylindrical duct or shroud. Other terms include ducted propeller or shrouded propeller. When used in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) applicatio ...
s to act as thrusters for greater control at low speeds. Ground tests began in April 1957 and on 13 August, the VZ-2 took off for the first time in hover mode only. On 23 July
1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
, the aircraft made its first full transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight. By the time the test program ended in 1965, the VZ-2 had made some 450 flights, including 34 full transitions. The aircraft has been preserved by the
National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
in storage at the
Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility The Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility, also known colloquially as "Silver Hill", is a storage and former conservation and restoration facility of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, located in Suitland, Ma ...
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Specifications


See also


References

* * {{US Army VTOL Z-02, Vertol Tiltwing aircraft
Vertol VZ-2 The Vertol VZ-2 (or Model 76) was a research aircraft built in the United States in 1957 to investigate the tiltwing approach to vertical take-off and landing. Design and development The aircraft had a fuselage of tubular framework (originally ...
NASA aircraft Single-engined twin-prop tractor aircraft Turboshaft-powered aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1957 T-tail aircraft