Concept Aircraft : Sikorsky XV-2 (XN-36) (1951)

Sikorsky XV-2 (XN-36) (1951)

WWII helped bring to fruition numerous aircraft technologies that had been nascent during the 1930s, including jet engines and helicopters. By 1951, Sikorsky, the world's leading helicopter manufacturer, had fashioned a creative way to fuse the two concepts, the result being jet-powered aircraft with a single-bladed helicopter rotor that could be used for VTOL-style take-offs and landings, then collapsed stowed when the aircraft commenced horizontal flight.

Dubbed the XH-36, the plan was given the green light by a joint U.S. Army/Air Force development team charged with building a VTOL aircraft that could be used for difficult rescue operations. Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Korean War turned Sikorsky's attention and resources to more practical matters, and the XH-36 -- now known as the XV-2 -- remained a study project only until the entire project was cancelled in 1960.

~ source : fantastic plastic ~