Today I have something quite amazing for you to check out. It’s about a
flying machine that is a cross between a helicopter and a plane! An
European helicopter company- Agusta Westland- came up with this idea of
tilt rotor technology and has demonstrated it quite perfectly via
vehicle known as Project Zero. The Project Zero isn’t just a concept
folks it has been operational since June, 2011. However, since these
flights took place at Agusta Westland’s Cascina Costa facility in Italy,
they are a sort of secret. So, what is so special about this vehicle is that it takes off like a helicopter and then its rotors can be made to change
direction by turning perpendicular and the helicopter converts to a
plane. One may question if Project Zero is comparable to any helicopter
or a plane, well, it’s the best combination of both.Project Zero is electronically powered and therefore is not loud.
There
are no hydraulics or transmission in Project Zero. The electric
generator is a reversed electric motor and rotors can recharge the
batteries without being connected to the grid. There is no performance
data available so far; Agusta hasn’t released any! However, the company
did mention that they might be installing a diesel powered engine; the
straightforward result of which is the extension in range. One will be
able to cover larger distances using this diesel powered engine. For
those of you who wish to use Project Zero just as a helicopter, they can
remove the wing-tips and use Project Zero in its helicopter mode.
Frankly speaking, this tilt rotor technology reminds us of the cartoons
from old days. One is actually surprised how far we’ve come from seeing
such things in only cartoons and to actually using them.
Agusta
Westland is very hopeful about the success of this project
that they’ve undertaken. One can’t deny that Project Zero looks
promising and exciting. Who wouldn’t want to use such a vehicle? The
possibilities are endless; you can save yourself from the trouble of
finding a runway to land or take off. One could land on a hill, even
during a windy day. We are hoping that the diesel powered engine would
also boost up the speed of Project Zero. In short, Project Zero is a
wonderful project and feasible one too when it comes to practicality.
CEO of the founding company also said that they strongly believe in the tilt rotor
concept as the future of high-speed rotorcraft flight as it offers much
greater speed and range than compound helicopter technology.
