Short SC 1 VTOL aircraft

Short SC 1 VTOL aircraft XG900, 1957.
UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 04: The Short SC 1 was the first British fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. It was designed as a test aircraft for the Rolls-Royce RB 108 vertical lift turbojet. The SC 1 did achieve vertical take-off and transition from vertical to horizontal flight in testing, but was regarded as a somewhat ungainly machine. Two SC 1s were built, but one crashed in 1963, killing the pilot. It was subsequently repaired and they both continued flying until 1967. They were rendered obsolete by the Hawker Siddeley P 1127, the single-engined precursor of the Harrier jump jet, which proved that carrying four extra engines purely for take-off and landing, as was the case with the SC 1, was unnecessary. (

Rolls-Royce VTOL Test Bed, XJ 314, (Flying Bedstead), 1954.
UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 10: The Thrust Measuring Rig (TMR) or 'Flying Bedstead' was used to test the principles of jet powered vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL). It was stabilised with small thrusters. Most of the 'flights' were tethered. Two were built, both suffered minor accidents but the lessons learned allowed progression to the Short SC1 and eventually the Harrier jump jet.

This Day in Aviation History
April 2nd, 1957
First flight of the Short SC.1.
The Short SC.1 was the first British fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The SC.1 was designed to study the problems with VTOL flight and the transition to and from forward flight.
The SC.1 was designed to meet a Ministry of Supply (MoS) request for tender (ER.143T) for a vertical take-off research aircraft issued in September 1953. The design was accepted by the ministry and a contract was placed for two aircraft (XG900 and XG905) to meet Specification ER.143D dated 15 October 1954.
The SC.1 was a single-seat low wing tailless delta wing aircraft of approximately 8,000 lb all-up weight (max. 7,700 lb for vertical flight). It was powered by four vertically mounted, lightweight Rolls-Royce RB108 lift engines providing a total vertical thrust of 8,600 lb and one RB.108 cruise engine in the rear to provide thrust for forward flight. The lift engines were mounted vertically in side-by-side pairs in a central bay so that their resultant thrust line passed close to the centre of gravity of the aircraft. These pairs of engines could be swivelled about transverse axes; they were therefore able to produce vectored thrust for acceleration/deceleration along the aircraft's longitudinal axis....
Source:
Wikipedia, Short SC.1: http://gstv.us/1UyyurA
YouTube, Short SC. 1 VTOL Experimental Aircraft: http://gstv.us/1UyyvM9
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This photo gives a feel of the relative sizes of the Flying Bedstead and SC1:
The SC1 was a VTOL research aircraft powered by five Rolls-Royce RB.108 turbojets (four for lift, one for propulsion). Two aircraft were built The first SC-1 (XG900) was used until 1971 for VTOL research and is now part of the Science Museum's aircraft collection at South Kensington, London. The second SC-1 (XG905) can be seen at the Flight Experience exhibit at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, Northern Ireland
Dimensions Span, 23ft 6in; length from face of nose to rudder trailing edge, 24ft 5in; length over nose probe, approximately 29ft 10in; height from belly to fin tip, 8ft 2.5in; height to fin tip from ground, 9ft 10in (main gear forwards) or 10ft 8in (gear aft); wheelbase, 8ft 1.5in (gear forwards) or about 9ft (gear aft); track, 11ft 6in; axial distance between pitch jet nozzles, 22ft 7.8in; distance from centreline to roll nozzles, 8ft 9.14in. Areas Wing, gross (apexed), 211.5 sq ft; wing, net, 141.9; elevators (aft of hinge). 14.76; ailerons (aft of hinge), 8.55; fin and rudder, gross, 28.64; fin and rudder, net, 11.63; rudder (aft of hinge), 4.44. Empty weight: 6,260 pounds Loaded weight (CTOL): 8,050 lb with "comprehensive test equipment and instrumentation" Loaded weight (VTOL): 7,700 lb Performance Maximum speed: 246 mph Range: 150 miles Service ceiling: 8,000 ft Rate of climb: 700 ft/min The thrust of the Rolls-Royce RB.108s installed in the aircraft is given as 2,130lb, suggesting that the maximum lift available from the lift engines is 8,5201b. Rolls-Royce Liftjets from RB82 to XJ-99

Good shots!