Above: Floyd Carlson (right) and Joe Mashman (left) are shown in the third Bell Model 30, known as Ship 3. Photo: Courtesy of the collection of Todd Carlson
Carlson relocated to Fort Worth to continue his duties as chief test pilot. On August 11, 1955, Carlson made the maiden flight in the XV-3 converti- plane. The XV-3 was an experimental tilt-rotor aircraft that was a predecessor to today’s V-22 Osprey. The first flight in the XV-3 only consisted of hovering and Floyd Carlson did not try to con- vert from helicopter to airplane mode (Brown, D., 1995). However, this flight was a major breakthrough for tilt- rotor technology. In February of 1956, Floyd Carlson had the opportunity to return to his hometown of Jamestown, NY. The purpose of the visit was to fly
ROTORCRAFTPROFESSIONAL
In the background is the B-29 that was used to carry the Bell X-1 to altitude.
another Jamestown native, Lucille Ball, and her husband, Desi Arnaz, into the small town in Western New York for the world premiere of their movie, “Forever Darling.” They had been so impressed with their helicopter ride they traveled to Fort Worth later that month where they vistied with Carlson, his wife, Evelyn and their children. The purpose of the trip was for Lucy and Desi to meet with Bell executive regarding their production company, Desilu Productions, creating a televi- sion series called “Whirly-Birds.” Despite the occasional publicity flight, Carlson continued as one of
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Bell’s main test pilots. On October 20, 1956, he made the first hovering flight in the XH-40 which would be the start of the UH-1 Iroquois series. Also known as the Model 204, or simply the Huey, this helicopter was the first of arguably the most successful helicopter line in history. In addition to being the first flight of one of the most famous helicopters in history, this flight had additional significance for Carlson and all of the Bell employees. Upon com- pleting the maiden flight of the Huey, Floyd Carlson was informed that Larry Bell had passed away earlier in the day. Carlson made the first flight in every
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