Ryan XV-8

This article is about the US utility aircraft developed in the 1960's. For the ground attack VTOL aircraft, see AV-8 Harrier.

XV-8 "Fleep"
XV-8 "Fleep" tested in the Full Scale Tunnel at Langley, 1962
General information
Type	Experimental STOL aerial utility vehicle
Manufacturer	Ryan Aeronautical Company
Number built	1
History
First flight	1961

The Ryan XV-8 Flexible Wing Aerial Utility Vehicle (nicknamed Fleep, short for "Flying Jeep") was an improved version of the Flex-Wing. Both aircraft were built by Ryan Aeronautical Company in collaboration with NASA for the United States Air Force and the United States Army and tested in 1961 as a STOL patrol, reconnaissance, and light utility aircraft to transport people or freight when a more specialized aircraft is not required or available.

Design and development

The Fleep began as the Flex-Wing. The Flex-Wing had four-wheel landing gear, a smaller nose section behind which the pilot sat, and a single vertical tail/rudder.

The Fleep had tricycle landing gear, a larger nose section and a V tail/rudder. The wing was a fabric delta-shaped Rogallo wing with a foldable frame; the wing was attached to a pod-like cockpit on a four-wheeled cargo platform. It was tested with two tail configurations — vertical fin and V-tail. The aircraft wing could be folded into a relatively small package for transport.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Length: 10 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
• Wingspan: 33 ft 5 in (10.18 m)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental IO-360-A , 210 hp (157 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h, 56 kn)
• Range: 120 mi (193 km, 100 nmi)

See also

• Francis Rogallo's airfoil
• John W. Dickenson
• History of hang gliding
• Ultralight trike aircraft

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• NASA Paresev

References

• FLEXIBLE WINGS AT WORK

External links

• Popular Mechanics article by Ryan test pilot Lou Everett