Bell XV-15 Tiltrotor – Photos & Videos

The Bell XV-15 is an American tiltrotor VTOL aircraft. It was the second successful experimental tiltrotor aircraft and the first to demonstrate the concept’s high speed performance relative to conventional helicopters.

Source: Bell XV-15 Tiltrotor on Wikipedia

The Bell XV-15 was an experimental aircraft that demonstrated the feasibility and performance of tiltrotor technology. A tiltrotor is a type of aircraft that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, but can also tilt its rotors forward to fly like an airplane. The Bell XV-15 was developed by Bell Helicopter Textron in collaboration with NASA and the US Army in the 1970s and 1980s. It was the second successful tiltrotor aircraft after the Bell XV-3, and the first to achieve high-speed flight exceeding 550 km/h. The Bell XV-15 had two turboshaft engines mounted on rotating nacelles at the wingtips, which drove three-bladed propellers that could function as rotors or propellers.
The engines were connected by a driveshaft that allowed power transfer in case of engine failure. The aircraft had a fixed wing and a conventional tail with a horizontal stabilizer and a vertical fin. The pilot controlled the aircraft using a cyclic stick, a collective lever, and pedals, similar to a helicopter. The Bell XV-15 made its first flight on May 3, 1977, and completed its flight test program in 2003. During its 26 years of service, it performed over 200 hours of flight and demonstrated various capabilities such as hover, transition, cruise, autorotation, and crosswind landing. It also participated in several public demonstrations and air shows, attracting interest from both military and civilian customers. The Bell XV-15 paved the way for the development of the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft that entered service with the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force in the 2000s. The Bell XV-15 also inspired other tiltrotor projects such as the AgustaWestland AW609 and the Bell V-280 Valor.