Welcome to Vertipedia!
Vertipedia is a product of the Vertical Flight Society. With data on 863 aircraft, 620 historical milestones, 480 people, and 395 organizations, Vertipedia is your "one-stop shop" for all things vertical lift.
On April 8 in the history of vertical flight:
1931 - First recorded world altitude record for an autogyro set (Pitcairn PCA-2)
Featured aircraft
Our latest featured aircraft for April is the Cierva W.11 Air Horse .
The aircraft was designed to provide viable heavy load lifting capability for commercial operations. It employed 3 main rotors all rotating in the same direction. Torque offset was provided by thrust components from the 3 rotors through built-in shaft tilt. The aircraft had a semi-monoquoque structure, a single engine, and a long-stroke undercarriage (5ft) to cope with high rates of descent. A description of the aircraft and its characteristics can be found in the following references,
Source: "The Cierva W-11 Air Horse", J. Gordon Leishman, VERTIFLITE Spring 2003, Page 52
Source: "Discussing the Helicopter", FLIGHT Staff, FLIGHT, December 2nd 1948, Pages 665-668
Vertipedia Notes
Vertipedia notes are brief descriptions of how and why Vertipedia works the way it does. Check back often for the latest note, or view the complete list.
Data accuracy and completeness
Similar to most databases, Vertipedia will never be complete. The data available represents a 'snap-shot' in time. Users should always consider other resources, particularly high quality references (e.g. books, archival material, etc.) if they want to ensure the highest accuracy. Vertipedia provides a good starting point for such research but the VFS can never state, categorically, that the data for a particular subject is the most accurate or complete.
Explore Vertipedia
Vertipedia makes it easy for you to find a range of information on vertical flight, including:
- Targeted searches of documents provided by the Vertical Flight Society, as well as public sources from across the internet
- Important milestones that have helped shape the history of vertical flight
- People who have played a role in vertical flight
- Vertical flight aircraft, such as helicopters, tilt rotors and tilt wings, jet-lift VTOL, and more.
