Canadair CL-84 Dynavert

The Canadair CL-84 Dynavert, designated CX-131 by the Canadian Forces, was a V/STOL turbine tiltwing monoplane designed and built by Canadair between 1964 and 1972. Only four of the experimental aircraft were built and three flew. Its wing and two propellers tilted through 100 degrees from normal flight to the STOL and VTOL angles, with contra-rotating tail rotors giving pitch control in the hover, and two 1,500 shp Lycoming T53 shaft-turbines linked by cross shafts drove the propellers so that one engine could power both. The first prototype flew in the hover on 7 May 1965 and was lost in 1967 when a propeller control bearing failed, after which the CL-84-1 added dual controls and more powerful engines. Trials by Canadian, US and RAF pilots, including deck trials on USS Guam, showed it suited many roles, but two aircraft crashed from mechanical failures without fatalities and none of the prospective customers placed an order. Canadair's parent, General Dynamics, gave it the name Dynavert.