Ohio History
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| Tilt-Rotor Aircraft |
Next, we got to see the world's first 'helicopter plane'! Yes, this aircraft combined all the good points of a helicopter and an airplane. It could take off vertically and hover like a helicopter, while traveling at the high speeds of a plane (up to 184 mph!). It used propellers for vertical lift to take off, then turned the propellers forward once in the air to provide thrust. I think that this is why it's called a tilt-rotor aircraft. The first-ever tilt-rotor flight took place in 1958. However, after this, the plane was put on display in a museum, and the project was dropped. We never found out why . . . I guess they just missed the runway too much.
2 comments:
Interesting story!
That is amazing that an airplane could take off like a helicopter.
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