The XV-15 tilt rotor aircraft Tuesday took its place in what could be called "aviation's hall of fame," when NASA and the U.S. Army transferred the vehicle to the National Air and Space Museum's new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

"The XV-15 was one of NASA's most successful research aircraft and is a prime example of the cutting-edge aerospace research NASA is known for," said Dr. Victor Lebacqz, Acting Associate Administrator for NASA's Office of Aerospace Technology. "The transfer of the XV-15 to the National Air and Space Museum continues a NASA tradition of returning aerospace achievements to the American public," he said.

Tilt rotors are a unique type of aircraft that possess the take-off, hover and landing capabilities of a conventional helicopter with the range and speed of a turboprop aircraft. Tilt rotor flight research began in the 1950s with the Bell XV-3 convertiplane.

Using lessons learned from the XV-3, NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., in partnership with the U.S. Army, developed design specifications for a new aircraft to demonstrate the viability of the tilt rotor concept. After extensive ground, wind tunnel and simulator tests at Ames, the first of two XV-15s, built by Bell Helicopter Textron, took its maiden flight on May 3, 1977. This image was taken in 1980.

Credit: NASA/Dryden