Monday, July 05, 2010

Tilt Wing was the way to go. XC-142A...another blast from the past.



And a vid showing it undergoing testing with NASA is here.

3 comments :

  1. It was a great aircraft, an actual flying one, and all that without current computer tech, just 'real' piloting.
    And with 32 pax, it carried more than the current 24 aboard MV-22.

    It had a flaw, but I forgot what it was.
    Why was it cancelled again?

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  2. it never ceases to amaze me that quite often the solutions to todays problems have been figured out by the pioneers of aeronautical engineering decades ago, its just that the technology or materials of the day were not advanced enough.

    I have been looking at the ARES Light Tank with 75mm super high velocity cannon, again a very interesting but not quite achievable with the technology of the day.

    Found another video of the XC142

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buh7_xLG4ZE

    It looks incredible

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  3. As I understand it the V-22 can load 32 troops as well, 24 is the number of seats you can accomodate in the cargo bay.
    I am a little unsure about the numbers, but at wilkipedia the mtow of 142 is about 41500 lbs, but the V-22 have a mtow of 60500 lbs(not sure if the numbers are VTO or STO), this for roughly the same installed horsepower. I guess V-22 can thank the bigger prop-disks for that. XC-142 cruises faster, probably because of the smaller propellers. Win some, loose some.
    The big advantage for the XC142 is the tilt wing, in my humble theoretical world this is better than just tilting the nacelles.

    Best Regards
    /RAF

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