vtol.co.ukVTOL Aircraft - The History
VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft are aircraft that can achieve a vertical lift off without needing to use a runway or airstrip. These aircraft have fixed wings - some aircraft may also be able to take off in other ways whilst others can only use VTOL modes.
The history of VTOL aircraft goes back to the scientist Nikola Tesla who invented the ‘Flivver’ in the 1920s. Research continued within the industry through to the Second World War where the Germans tried and failed to create their own VTOL plane (the Heinkel Lerche). The aim here was to produce a plane that could also take off like a helicopter.
In the 1950s Rolls Royce in the UK created a Thrust Measuring Rig which led to the first VTOL aircraft in the country (the Short SC.1). However this engine combined both vertical lift and horizontal life engines - the first VOTL engine that used purely vertical lift was the Bristol Siddeley Pegasus. This engine ended up being part of the VTOL aircraft the Hawker Siddeley Harrier.
The Harriers are perhaps the best known VTOL aircraft (also known as ‘jump jets’). They use a directional jet thrust whilst other developments in VTOL technology have seen the use of a tilt rotor system. This system gives an aircraft the vertical lift together with the speed and range of a turbo-prop aircraft.