Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Bell X-22

The Bell X-22 was designed for the Navy to meet their request of a V/STOL prototype aircraft powered by ducted fans. Bell had the know how to due to their helicopters and previous testing with ducted fans. The X-22 first flew in 1966. Two X-22s were built. The testing proved successful at the time, but the program was canceled. The second X-22 flew until 1988 at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory. It is now displayed at Niagara Aerospace Musuem in New York.


Specifications

Powerplant...........................4 x General Electric YT58-GE-8D Turboshafts

Length...................................39 ft 7 in

Height....................................20 ft 8 in

Wing Span.............................39 ft 3 in

Maximum Speed..................255 mph

Maximum Range..................445 miles

Service Ceiling.......................27,800 feet


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a crazy looking airplane! I don't think I have ever even seen one that looks like it. Pretty cool.

Emily H. said...

Have you seen Ironman? What kind of plane are they flying in on their way to Afghanistan?