A Brief History of Vertical Take-Off and Landing
Military roots and a potential civilian future.
Lockheed Martin
By David Grossman
Jan 12, 2018
Planes that can take off directly into the air without the need for a runway are, theoretically, an absolute dream for the military. Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft require less physical space and infrastructure to get into the air compared to traditional planes. That means more fighters on a single aircraft carrier, or smaller airports in more remote places.
The engineering challenge is mammoth, and people have spent decades trying to figure it out. Youtuber Real Engineering offers a great rundown of VTOL technology's humble beginnings and false starts.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a15072284/video-history-of-vtol/
