The Bell XV-3, also called the Bell 200, was an American tiltrotor research aircraft that Bell Helicopter built for a joint United States Air Force and Army program exploring convertiplane technology. A single engine in the fuselage drove two-blade rotors on the wingtips through driveshafts, and the rotors tilted 90 degrees so that the aircraft could take off and land like a helicopter and cruise like an aeroplane. Two aircraft were ordered in October 1953 and the type first flew on 11 August 1955. The first prototype, with three-blade rotors, crashed from flutter two months after its first flight, but the second prototype made 110 transitions from helicopter to airplane mode between December 1958 and July 1962. A wind tunnel accident in May 1966 ended the program, and its data fed the Bell XV-15 and later the V-22 Osprey.
Facts
Engine Class Top Speed (km/h) EnginePratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder air-cooled radial 1 Comparison
Body StyleAircraft (no road body style) 1 Connections
Of Make
Source Bell XV-3 (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Bell XV-3 (Wikipedia)
Lead, first flight
The XV-3 was first flown on 11 August 1955.
Specifications, empty weight
Empty weight: 1,907 lb (865 kg)
Specifications, maximum speed
Maximum speed: 184 mph (296 km/h, 160 kn)
Design and development, contract
In October 1953, Bell Helicopter was awarded a development contract to produce two aircraft for testing purposes.
Specifications, powerplant
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 450 hp (340 kW)
Lead, aircraft description
The Bell XV-3 (Bell 200) is an American tiltrotor aircraft
Surviving aircraft
The remaining prototype survived to the 21st century when it was restored by Bell
Lead, builder
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.
Lead, country
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.
In Group: Vertical Takeoff and Landing Research Aircraft, Lead, role of the aircraft
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.
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