Flying bedstead
Encyclopedia
The Flying Bedstead was a nickname
given to two completely different experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft
, both receiving the nickname because each comprised a skeletal
platform raised on four legs that resembled a bedstead.
These aircraft were the Rolls-Royce
Thrust Measuring Rig
(TMR), and the later LLRV (Lunar Landing Research Vehicle) developed as part of the Apollo program. Both aircraft relied on jet lift
(engine thrust
directed downwards) rather than aerofoil
surfaces, such as wing
s or rotor
s, as a means of providing lift
.
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig
which flew in 1953 at Hucknall
aerodrome, Nottinghamshire
, United Kingdom
, which was developed to research the use of direct lift through the use of engine power alone, along with the associated methods of controlling the aircraft, with a view to use in further VTOL aircraft such as the later Hawker P.1127
and Short SC.1
.
A pub close to the aerodrome in Hucknall is named The Flying Bedstead and its pub sign is a painting of the Thrust Measuring Rig.
In 1957, Test Pilot Air Commodore Larsen failed to check the fuel tank levels with a dipstick
, resulting in a fatal accident.
) and LLTV (Lunar Landing Training Vehicle) developed by the United States
in the 1960s as part of the Apollo program and intended for studying piloting techniques for use by the astronauts destined for the moon landings in the Apollo Lunar Module
. During one of his flights in an LLRV, X-15
pilot and future Apollo 11
commander Neil Armstrong
had to eject when the control system of the Flying Bedstead failed and the vehicle crashed. Two of the LLTVs also crashed due to similar control-system failures. Despite these incidents, the vehicles were praised as excellent trainers for the actual lunar landings.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
given to two completely different experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
, both receiving the nickname because each comprised a skeletal
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
platform raised on four legs that resembled a bedstead.
These aircraft were the Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
Thrust Measuring Rig
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig
The Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig was a pioneering vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed by Rolls-Royce in the 1950s. The TMR used two Nene turbojet engines mounted back-to-back horizontally within a steel framework, raised upon four legs with castors for wheels...
(TMR), and the later LLRV (Lunar Landing Research Vehicle) developed as part of the Apollo program. Both aircraft relied on jet lift
Lift jet
A lift jet is a jet engine angled to provide an aircraft with aerostatic lift instead of thrust...
(engine thrust
Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's second and third laws. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction on that system....
directed downwards) rather than aerofoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
surfaces, such as wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s or rotor
Helicopter rotor
A helicopter main rotor or rotor system is a type of fan that is used to generate both the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and thrust which counteracts aerodynamic drag in forward flight...
s, as a means of providing lift
Lift (force)
A fluid flowing past the surface of a body exerts a surface force on it. Lift is the component of this force that is perpendicular to the oncoming flow direction. It contrasts with the drag force, which is the component of the surface force parallel to the flow direction...
.
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig 1953
The first Flying Bedstead was the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig
Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig
The Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig was a pioneering vertical take-off and landing aircraft developed by Rolls-Royce in the 1950s. The TMR used two Nene turbojet engines mounted back-to-back horizontally within a steel framework, raised upon four legs with castors for wheels...
which flew in 1953 at Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
aerodrome, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which was developed to research the use of direct lift through the use of engine power alone, along with the associated methods of controlling the aircraft, with a view to use in further VTOL aircraft such as the later Hawker P.1127
Hawker P.1127
The Hawker P.1127 and the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel FGA.1 were the experimental and development aircraft that led to the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first vertical and/or short take-off and landing jet fighter-bomber...
and Short SC.1
Short SC.1
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Barnes, C.H. with revisions by Derek N. James. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989 . ISBN 0-85177-819-4.*Illingworth J. K. B. and Chinn H.W. . London: HMSO, 1969. Retrieved: 11 December 2007....
.
A pub close to the aerodrome in Hucknall is named The Flying Bedstead and its pub sign is a painting of the Thrust Measuring Rig.
In 1957, Test Pilot Air Commodore Larsen failed to check the fuel tank levels with a dipstick
Dipstick
A dipstick is one of several measurement devices.Some dipsticks are dipped into a liquid to perform a chemical test or to provide a measure of quantity of the liquid....
, resulting in a fatal accident.
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle 1960s
The second aircraft known as the Flying Bedstead was the LLRV (Lunar Landing Research VehicleLunar Landing Research Vehicle
The Bell Aerosystems Lunar Landing Research Vehicle was an Apollo Project era program to build a simulator for the Moon landings. The LLRVs, humorously referred to as "flying bedsteads", were used by the FRC, now known as the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards Air Force Base,...
) and LLTV (Lunar Landing Training Vehicle) developed by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1960s as part of the Apollo program and intended for studying piloting techniques for use by the astronauts destined for the moon landings in the Apollo Lunar Module
Apollo Lunar Module
The Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
. During one of his flights in an LLRV, X-15
North American X-15
The North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft/spaceplane was part of the X-series of experimental aircraft, initiated with the Bell X-1, that were made for the USAAF/USAF, NACA/NASA, and the USN. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the early 1960s, reaching the edge of outer space and...
pilot and future Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
commander Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
had to eject when the control system of the Flying Bedstead failed and the vehicle crashed. Two of the LLTVs also crashed due to similar control-system failures. Despite these incidents, the vehicles were praised as excellent trainers for the actual lunar landings.