Posted on 03/02/2014 11:33:50 AM PST by DogByte6RER
1970s: “The Flying Pulpit”
The Williams X-Jet, created by Williams International, was a small, one-man, light-weight, Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft powered by a modified Williams F107 turbofan aircraft engine designated WR-19-7 after some minor modifications. The vehicle was nicknamed "The Flying Pulpit", seemingly due to its shape. It was designed to be operated by / carry one person and dirigible by leaning in the direction of desired travel together with the modulation of its input power. It could move in any direction, accelerate rapidly, hover and rotate on its axis, stay aloft for up to 45 minutes and travel at speeds up to 60 miles per hour (~100 km/h). It was evaluated by the U.S. Army in the 1980's, but was deemed inferior to the capabilities of helicopters and small, unmanned aircraft and so the development of the X-Jet was discontinued.
Other VTOL systems developed by Williams International included a jet-powered flying belt, developed in 1969, which was powered by a Williams WR19 turbofan, and X-Jet's predecessor, the WASP I (Williams Aerial Systems Platform) which developed in the 1970's and was powered by the more powerful WR19-9 BRP5 (rated at 670 lbs thurst and a great SFC of just .47lbs/lb/hr).
Source: Wikipedia
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