| VZ-5 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Photo of VZ-5 parked on runway | |
| Role | ExperimentalVTOL aircraft Type of aircraft |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild Aircraft |
| First flight | 18 November 1959; 65 years ago (1959-11-18) |
| Retired | 1962 |
| Primary user | United States Army |
| Number built | 1 |
TheFairchild VZ-5 (orModel M-224-1) was an experimentalVTOL aircraft built in the 1950s. The VZ-5 was designed byFairchild Aircraft for research use by theUnited States Army.
TheVZ-5 prototype was built as part of a series of experimental aircraft designed to study various designs for VTOL aircraft and solve problems related to vertical and short takeoff. The VZ-5 was an all-metal high-wing monoplane with a fixedtricycle undercarriage. The fuselage had an open cockpit for one pilot and a rear-mounted high-tailplane. The unusual aspect of the aircraft was that it had one General Electric turboshaft in the rear fuselage driving four propellers, two each mounted in nacelles on the leading edge of each wing. It also had two small four-bladed tail-rotors mounted above the tailplane for control. The wing had conventional trailing edge flaps and ailerons but it also had a section of the wing that could be deflected to act as a full-span flap. For a vertical takeoff two-thirds of the wing chord acted as a flap in theslipstream of the four propellers.[1]
The VZ-5 was first flown tethered on 18 November 1959 but only had limited testing before the project was abandoned.
Data from[citation needed]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
Media related toFairchild VZ-5 at Wikimedia Commons
