VTOL Aircraft Tiltplane Creator John Lawrence Pursuing Grant for Wind Tunnel Testing

Currently looking forward to receiving a $500,000 grant to begin wind tunnel testing at a prestigious university, John Lawrence is ready to put his invention to the test.
 
After more than 10 years of design and analysis, Mr. Lawrence is confident of the practicality of his concept and is ready to realize his lifelong dream of bringing his concept to market. Having had the concept analyzed by the respected helicopter engineering consultant, Ray Prouty, Mr. Lawrence has been able to evaluate his design and come up with several scenarios where the Tiltplane would be useful.
 
With the plane’s ability to fly unmanned, it could be used for Coast Guard search missions, for parcel deliveries, or to serve as armed escorts for V-22’s. In addition, the Tiltplane, with its vertical take-off and landing capabilities, can be used in any application where a helicopter is used, including transporting people. But, unlike helicopters, Tiltplanes can easily have top speeds as high as 400 Knots!
 
“I’m an inventor,” said Mr. Lawrence in a recent interview. Mr. Lawrence went on to add, “I find it very interesting to create something that has never been thought of before.”
 
The Tiltplane dual-rotor VTOL aircraft, designed by Mr. Lawrence, is a tail-sitter which takes off with a vertically oriented fuselage, but as the plane reaches a higher speed, it gradually tilts over to horizontal flight. To land, the process is reversed. The plane slows, then pulls its nose up and flies nose-high continuing to slow further until it arrives over its landing place in a vertical hovering orientation.
 
The major breakthrough in this new flight concept is directly related to the craft’s highly streamlined shape and the fact that the area of the rotor blades area will be less than the area of the wings and the control surfaces of conventional aircraft. The long spirals made by the rotor blade tips when it is cruising result in the speed of the rotor blade tips being only about 20% greater than the speed of the aircraft itself, so the craft is expected to be very efficient when cruising.
 
Having recently presented his idea at Lockheed Martin, Mr. Lawrence stated, “This new concept was very well received"
 
John Lawrence has an undergraduate degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from Webb Institute in Glen Cove, NY. To get more information about the Tiltplane, please visit http://www.tiltplane.com.

Contact Information

John Lawrence

Owner

Lawrence Engineering

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