THE TILT - WING VTOL AIRCRAFT AS A COMMERCIAL AIR TRANSPORT

The need for a short haul commercial air transport capable of vertical take-off and landing and having a high cruising speed has become quite evident in recent years. To achieve these requirements, a special type of aircraft had to be developed and it appears that the aircraft needed is the VTOL.

This paper presents the reasons for selecting the Tilt-Wing VTOL over other types of VTOL's as being competitive in Commercial Air Transportation. A comparative study of the direct operating cost of a comparable helicopter and fixed wing aircraft with the VTOL is presented along with a comparison of block time and block speed.

The operational aspects of the VTOL short haul transport are discussed and the advantages and disadvantages are presented for both commercial and military operations.