XC-142A PROGRESS REPORT

XC-142A PROGRESS REPORT

DVD Content

This DVD contains the actual, uncut 16mm film of Progress Report #5, which was the very first flights of the XC-142A, a tilt-wing cargo prototype.

-Very cool footage-

The contract was signed in early 1962 with first flight specified for July 1964.

Built by an industrial team of LTV, Ryan and Hiller, the XC-142A was powered by four T-64 turboshaft engines built by General Electric and driving four 15.5-foot Hamilton Standard fiberglass propellers. The US Air Force was the developing agency for the Department of Defense, with the joint sponsorship of the Navy and Army.

The XC-142A was the largest and fastest VTOL transport airplane flying at that time. It achieved more than 400 miles per hour at cruise altitude during flight testing. The payload was carried in a cargo compartment that was 30 feet long, 7.5 feet wide and 7 feet high. Two pilots and one crewman/load master made up the flight crew. To accommodate adverse winds, the wing tilted upward more than 90 degrees which allowed the airplane to fly backward at 20 knots. By banking left or right, the airplane could fly sideways at 40 knots. The four T64 turboprop engines propelled four conventional airscrews and a horizontally mounted three-blade variable-pitch tail rotor through a system of cross-shafting and gear trains, making it possible to maintain flight on any two engines in an emergency. The wing was able to rotate through an angle of 100 degrees, giving the XC-142A the ability to hover in a tail wind. During VTOL flight, roll control was achieved by means of differential collective propeller pitch, yaw control by means of ailerons working in the propeller slipstream, and pitch control by means of the variable-pitch tail rotor. During transition, a mechanical mixing linkage integrated the VTOL control system with conventional ailerons and tail control surfaces in correct proportions as a function of the wing tilt angle. In normal cruising flight, control was achieved by conventional control surfaces, with the tail rotor locked. A dual four-function stabilizer system ensured stability during IFR flight, hovering, and transition.

The flight of the XC-142A was successfully completed on 29 September 1964. The first XC-142A (No. 2) was delivered to the test team in July 1965. During the XC-142A program, a total of 420 hours were flown in 488 flights. The five XC-142A's were flown by 39 different military and civilian pilots.

About 12 minutes running time.

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General Notes and Ordering Information

Add $4.75 shipping per order. Payment can be made via Paypal talachan@verizon.net or send a check/money order/cash to:
Gary Schreffler
15707 Ambiance Drive
North Potomac, MD 20878

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Produced by GRS Videos (TM). GRS Videos is dedicated to the preservation of Naval Aviation film footage. This passion began when the son of a recently deceased Korean War veteran told me how he had thrown away all of those "old 8mm films of planes flying off of a ship". Yes, I cried. Our heritage MUST be preserved. As a veteran of Naval Aviation, I have a strong interest in ensuring that our stories are not forgotten. If you have footage (16mm, 8mm, VHS, Super 8, Beta, or Digital) contact me at PLAT_Collector@verizon.net. I will also gladly trade any footage I have for new footage (any format). So, if I have Naval Aviation footage you want, and you have something I do not have, contact me and I am confident we can work something out. I am always looking for new PLAT mishaps and home movies/video of carrier operations and life on carriers. All proceeds go into obtaining and preserving more Naval Aviation footage. Gary R. Schreffler served on USS Midway (with HS-12) from 1984-1991.