X-14/X-14A/X-14B

Specifications

Company- Bell Aircraft
Type- Testbed for Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft and provided concept of thrust vectoring.
Goals- Test VTOL technology.
Primary Testing Facility Research- Moffet Field
Dimensions- Span- 34 ft, 10 in; Length- 25 ft, 0 in; Height: 8 ft, 0 in
Max Speed- 172 MPH
Range- 300 miles
Max Altitude- 20,000 feet
Power Plant- Two Armstrong-Siddeley Viper 8 turbojets
Thrust- 3,500 lbf
Weights- Maximum: 4,269 lbs; Loaded: 3,100 lbs
Payload- N/A
Flights- Unknown
Number of Prototypes Built- 1
Project Tenure- 1957-1981
Project Status- Cancelled

Information

The Bell Aircraft Company constructed the X-14 as an open-cockpit, all-metal monoplane. It was powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbojet engines equipped with thrust deflectors sited at the aircraft's centre of gravity. The engines are stationary during all stages of flight. The transition from vertical to horizontal flight is achieved with a system of movable vanes that control the direction of engine thrust. Top speed is 180 miles per hour and a maximum ceiling of 20,000 feet. The X-14 was designed using existing parts from two Beech aircraft. The wings, ailerons, and landing gear of a Beech Bonanza and the tail sections of a Beech T-34 Mentor airplane.

The X-14 took its first flight on 19 February, 1957 as a vertical takeoff, hover, then vertical landing. The first transition from hover to horizontal flight occurred on 24 May, 1958. In 1959, its Viper engines were replaced with General Electric J85 engines. That year the aircraft was also delivered to the NASA Ames Research Center as the X-14A. It served as a test aircraft with NASA until 1981.

The X-14 project provided a great deal of data on VTOL (Vertical TakeOff and Landing) type aircraft. The X-14A also was used by NASA for research on lunar landing maneuvers. The X-14A aircraft flight control system was similar to the one proposed for the Lunar Module. Neil Armstrong once flew it as a Lunar-landing trainer.

In 1971, the X-14A was fitted with new engines and redesignated the X-14B. The two new powerplants were GE J85-GE-19s. An onboard computer and digital fly-by-wire control system was also installed to enable emulation of landing characteristics of other VTOL aircraft.

The X-14B was used in this test role until it was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident on 29 May, 1981. At the time, there were plans to develop an X-14C with an enclosed cockpit. There were also plans for an X-14T trainer. None of these further versions got beyond the planning stage.

During all of its years of service, the X-14 was flown by over 25 pilots with no serious incidents or injuries. It was the only open cockpit X-plane.

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