Technical Paper
The Tilt Wing Advantage - For High Speed VSTOL Aircraft
1992-10-01
921911
By the early 21st century, high speed VSTOL aircraft will be operating in Air Transportation Systems around the world moving people and cargo to and from thousands of public use vertiports and stolports. Of even greater significance is the fact that high speed VSTOL aircraft will be playing a major role in reducing traffic congestion on the ground and in the air at busy hub airports. For many years world wide attention has been drawn to the United States' effort to develop the military V-22 Osprey. More than two billion dollars have been expended on this tilt rotor program. The advantages of a tilt wing over a tilt rotor, however, are beginning to surface in both the United States and abroad. The tilt wing, it turns out, is more efficient, more cost effective, safer and an easier aircraft to operate. Tilt wing development began in the mid 1950's. Successful demonstrator aircraft were the Boeing Vertol 76 VZ-2, the Hiller X-18, the LTV/Hiller/Ryan XC-142A and the Canadair CL-84.
