The Bell X-22 Aircraft.

Imagine an aircraft that could take off and land like a helicopter but fly as fast as an airplane. The Bell X-22 VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) made its first hovering flight in March 1966. It can take off like a helicopter, turn the rotating propellers around and then go forward like a plane.

The first prototype was lost in a hard landing after only three hours of flying time due to a hydraulic failure in August 1966. The fuselage broke in half. While the aircraft was lost, neither pilot was injured. All test duties were then transferred to the second example.

The second prototype made its first flight in January 1967 and performed hundreds of complete transitions. It reached a maximum speed in forward flight of only 507km/h instead of 525km/h planned. And the range was about 700 kilometers. On 30 July 1968, Bell X-22 set a record by hovering at an altitude of over 2440 meters.

The Bell X-22 model continued successful flights into the 1980s, even though the original program was canceled. The machine accrued about 200 hours in the air.

The Bell X-22 was retired in 1984 after completing over 500 flights. It is currently on display at the Niagara Aerospace Museum in New York.

The data collected during the X-22 program provided vital information used in the design of the V-22 Osprey. The Osprey serves the US military well into our days.