Flight tests of a hovering jet-lift aircraft (rolls-royce flying bedstead)

Abstract

This report describes the flight tests made at the Royal Aircraft Establishment on the Rolls-Royce Flying Bedstead to investigate the stability and control problems of a hovering jet-lift aircraft. Tests made with varying amounts of artificial stabilisation (including a few without stabilisation) showed that some artificial stabilisation was necessary in pitch and roll for operation in other than very favourable weather conditions. Yaw stabilisation was not essential for hovering flight. The main difficulty in flying the Flying Bedstead with artificial stabilisation was the height control, because of the slow response of the engines to throttle movements. Tentative conclusions are also drawn about the control power required by a hovering jet-lift aircraft, the desirable amount of artificial stabilisation, and suitable forms for the autostabiliser control equation.