Beschreibung:

Mixed material on wood base, [Wesco Models], mid-1950s, wingspan 7 1/2 inches, fuselage 7 1/4 inches, 6 3/4 inches tall, base is blank.
The Bell XV-3 was an experimental convertiplane developed by McDonnell Aircraft for a joint research program between the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army to explore technologies for a vehicle that could take off and land like a helicopter but fly at faster airspeeds. The XV-3 featured an engine mounted inside the fuselage with driveshafts transferring the power to two three-bladed rotor assemblies that could rotate 90 degrees from vertical to horizontal in order to achieve the convertiplane goal. The present model, probably made by Wesco Models for Bell, includes rotors that both spin freely and rotate 90 degrees.