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

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.[1][2][3][4][5]

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

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

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