In 1930 a man named George Lehberger created the concept of a helicopter that can move faster than any other. This was because it had two different sides of propellers that when started up, the propellers speed up which pulls the aircraft up. Once it gets to its designated height, the pilot is able to tilt the wings at an angle at which it would be propelled forward while staying at the same height. This is much like the airplane but more practical because an airplane needs a certain amount of run way in order to launch off or to land. However, the Tiltrotor flies straight up and then out without the need for much more room then the aircraft is itself. With this much space being saved and common functions that could be put to use. George Lehberger however never put his ideas into action and never was able to get funded in order to do so.Platt and LePage pattented the very first Tiltrotor PL-16 in 1942. This was able to fly and they made only one of them before being shut down for lack of money.
Funding was a common problem on things that are out of the box because people don't believe that it will work as written up which is a huge problem for the inventors themselves. This was a common difficulty among many and the Tiltrotor at its finest was finally able to take flight in mass production in 1968.
Interesting take on the innovation that took place in the "golden age of aviation". Nowadays tilt rotors like these are used in the military (the V-22 Osprey). Interestingly, this aircraft was first flown nearly 50 years later, in 1989. I'm curious as to whether there are any connections between the development of aircraft and the political situation of the United States at the time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post. With the inventions of the plane and innovations of other flying contraptions, it truly seems like the 1920s to 1930s was a time where aviation innovation took off. This was a very interesting machine because as you said it set the basis for the helicopter, a vehicle which would end up much more famous than this one. Today, though, tiltrotors are often used in the military.
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