The
Williams X-Jet, created by
Williams InternationalWilliams International is a manufacturer of small gas turbine engines based in Walled Lake, Michigan, United States. It produces jet engines for cruise missiles and small jet-powered aircraft.- History :...
, was a small, light-weight Vertical Take Off and Landing (
VTOLVTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft. See also V/STOL. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft that can hover, take off and land vertically as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as tiltrotors...
) system powered by a modified Williams F107
turbofanA turbofan is a type of aircraft gas turbine engine that provides propulsion using a combination of a ducted fan and a jet exhaust nozzle. Part of the airstream from the ducted fan passes through the core, providing oxygen to burn fuel to create power. However, the rest of the air flow bypasses...
aircraft engineAn aircraft engine is a propulsion system for an aircraft. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines. This article is an overview of the basic types of aircraft engines and the design concepts employed in engine development for aircraft.- Engine design...
. This vehicle was nicknamed "The Flying Pulpit". It was designed to be operated by and carry one person and controlled by leaning in the direction of desired travel and adjusting the power. It could move in any direction, accelerate rapidly,
hoverHover can refer to:* Float* Levitation* Hover - nearly stationary flight in a helicopter.* Hovercraft* Hovercar* Ground effect in aircraft* Hover!, a computer game for Microsoft Windows* Hover Chamber Choir, established in 1992 in Armenia...
, and rotate on its axis, staying aloft for up to 45 minutes and traveling at speeds up to 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). It was evaluated by the U.S. Army in the 1980s, and was deemed inferior to the capabilities of
helicopterA helicopter is an aircraft that is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter achieves lift with the...
s and small unmanned aircraft.
Other
VTOLVTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft. See also V/STOL. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft that can hover, take off and land vertically as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as tiltrotors...
systems developed by Williams International included a jet-powered flying belt developed in 1969, which was powered by a Williams WR19 turbofan, and the WASP (Williams Aerial Systems Platform) developed in the 1970s, which was powered by the more powerful WR19-9.
Specifications (X-Jet)
See also