Sadleir VTOL Aircraft VX-3 Vertical Lift Research Vehicle (& other Sadleir VTOL designs)
RAAF Association of WA Aviation Heritage Museum, Bull Creek
HISTORY & PHOTOS
HISTORY (© 2010 David Eyre):
Sadleir VTOL Aircraft Co Pty Ltd of Winthrop, WA, was formed in 1990 to develop fast VTOL aircraft technology developed from 1986 onwards by inventor and company founder Kim Sadleir.
Kim Sadleir filed patents for his design for a VTOL aircraft using a large fan embedded horizontally in the centre of the delta wing/fuselage, thrusting air through s-shaped ducts at the sides to create vertical lift. The underwing ducts had rotating vanes which Sadleir's drawings indicated would be connected to a "joy stick". In forward flight, upper and lower doors would close to provide a conventional aerofoil shape. Forward propulsion was to provided by another ducted fan or jet engine at the rear.
Sadleir foresaw vehicles with top speeds exceeding Mach 1, and gross weights reaching 50 tons.
Development involved construction of six models and three-full scale test rigs. The VX-3 was the largest of the test rigs, built to prove the vertical lifting concept. It was powered by 1,300 cc turbo-charged motorcycle engine and weighed 330 kg (729 lb); it rose 3.50 m in August 1992 within a steel frame (as it had no pitch and roll controls).
The VX-3 was preserved at the RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum, Bull Creek, WA in 2007, but scrapped in 2010.
LEFT & BELOW: Sadleir VTOL Aircraft VX-3 Vertical Lift Research Vehicle at the RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum, Bull Creek, on 5 August 2007. (Photos © David Eyre)
Tests of a half-scale radio-controlled model were underway in 1995.
The business strategy was to offer collaborative development with other companies and to licence the technology to industry. However, aerodynamicists and aeronautical engineers were sceptical of the concept. Sadleir did produce video footage of tethered trials of a small model of the lifting device, which demonstrated that the aircraft's thrust exceeded its weight.
Sadleir P-25T, which was to have a capacity of 80 people. Seen here compared to Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey:
© 2010 David Eyre
