VTOL

The P-111 Kingfisher, an example of a VTOL.

A vertical take-off and landing, abbreviated to VTOL, aircraft is a classification of aircraft meaning that take-off and landing vertically without relying on a runway.

History

The VTOL aircraft was first conceived and patented by Serb-American inventor Nikola Tesla in 1928. Further development on the VTOL was put on hold until 1935 when President Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration demanded a new, nimble aircraft with a high payload capacity. This led to the development of the UH-17 Atlas, based on Tesla's blueprints. However, the UH-17 was originally plagued by a number of incidents blamed on poorly-loaded cargoes, but actually caused by the VTOL descending into its own rotor wash; this problem was not properly fixed until 1937.

The success of the UH-17 led to the later development of the U.S. Army U/AV-17 Hawk, and the British Army P-1117 Kingfisher, two successful VTOL transports in use by 1951.

Gallery

Pre-beta concept art by Resistance: Fall of Man mechanical designer John Wu.

Two studies of a large transport VTOL designed during the pre-beta stage but not used in game.

The blueprint of a VTOL, as seen on a viral website for the release of Resistance: Fall of Man.

External Link

• VTOL on Wikipedia.