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By the late 1940s, Bell Aircraft began the convertiplane concept, which a fixed-wing airplane could take off like a helicopter with the large prop-rotors that mounted on each wing tip, and then tilt its rotors horizontal for level flight. In 1950, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army announced the convertiplane competition. Bell submitted their Model 200 and was awarded a contact in 1951. Two prototypes were ordered, it was designated XV-3 and XH-33. The first XV-3 made its first hover flight as a helicopter in 1955, but crashed 2 months later. Bell found a flutter problem with the original three-bladed rotors. The second XV-3 was replaced with 2-bladed rotors and other detail changes. It made its first flight in 1958, and became the first aircraft in history to fully tilt its rotors from vertical to horizontal while in flight. The second XV-3 made over 250 flights before it was damaged in a wind tunnel test in 1965.

Type:

Purpose:

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Length:

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Engine:

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Experimental VTOL aircraft

To develop under convertiplane program by U.S. Army and U.S.A.F.

25ft.

30ft.3in.

13ft.6in.

1x Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 piston

180 mph

1

None

The Bell XV-3 is suitable to group with the following collection series.

U.S. helicopter 1946 ~ present

Firestone XH-9 (XR-9)

Kellett XH-10 (XR-10)

Rotorcraft XH-11 (XR-11) Dragonfly

Bell YH-12

Bell H-13 Sioux

Bell XH-15

Piaseki YH-16 Transporter

Hughes XH-17 Flying Crane

Sikorsky YH-18

Sikorsky H-19A Chickasaw

McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry

Piasecki H-21 Work Horse

Kaman OH-22 (K-225)

Hiller OH-23 Raven

Seibel YH-24 Skyhawk

Piasecki H-25 Army Mule

American XH-26 Jet Jeep

Piasecki XH-27 (YH-16A)

Hughes XH-28

McDonnell XH-29 (XH-20A)

McCulloch YH-30

Doman YH-31

Hiller YH-32 Hornet

Bell XH-33 (XV-3) Convertiplane

Sikorsky CH-34A Choctaw

McDonnell XH-35 (XV-1) Convertiplane

Sikorsky XH-36 (XV-2)

Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave

U.S.A.F./Sikorsky H-38 Short Tail

Sikorsky YH-39

Bell YH-40 (UH-1) Iroquois

Cessna YH-41 Seneca

Hughes XH-42 (TH-55A) Osage

Kaman HH-43A Huskie

U.S.A.F. H-44 Big Tom project

U.S.A.F. XH-45 Step Child project

Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight

Boeing CH-47 Chinook

H-48 (Missile site)

Boeing-Vertol CH-49 (CH-46B) Sea Knight

Gyrodyne QH-50

Lockheed XH-51A Compound

Sikorsky HH-52 Sea Guard

Sikorsky CH-53C Jolly Green Giant

Sikorsky CH-54 Skycrane

Hughes TH-55 Osage

Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne

Bell TH-57 Sea Ranger

Bell OH-58 Kiowa

Sikorsky XH-59A

Sikorsky H-60 Night Hawk

Boeing-Vertol YUH-61

Boeing-Vertol XCH-62 HLH

Bell YAH-63

McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache

Aerospatiale HH-65A Dolphin

Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche

Bell TH-67 Creek

Agusta MH-68A Stingray

McDonnell-Douglas MH-90 Enforcer

U.S. V/STOL experimental aircarft

McDonnell XV-1 (XH-35) Convertiplane

Sikorsky XV-2 (XH-36)

Bell XV-3 (XH-33) Convertiplane

Lockheed XV-4A Hummingbird

Ryan XV-5A Vertifan

Hawker Siddeley XV-6A Kestrel

De Havilland CV-7 Buffalo

McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8A Harrier

Hughes XV-9A Hot Cycle

Rockwell International OV-10A Bronco

M.S.U. XV-11 Marvel

Rockwell International XFV-12

Bell XV-14A (redesignated to XV-15A)

Bell XV-15A Tiltrotor

McDonnell Douglas/Hawker Siddeley XV-16 Super Harrier

DeHavilland UV-18A Twin Otter

NavAir V-19A (cancelled)

Pilatus UV-20A Chiricahua

U.S. Navy's PV-21 Patrol Airship concept (cancelled)

Bell V-22 Osprey

Skytrader UV-23A

Post war U.S. experimental aircraft