Dates

Event

Constructed as a XV-3-BF.
Ordered as XH-33 but redesignated under new Convertiplane type prior to completion of construction.

1955

Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army with s/n 54-0148.

Although marked as an Army aircraft, the XV-3 was jointly tested by the Army and the Air Force. Information obtained from testing was used in the development of the XV-15.

From 18 July 1957 to October 1957

Tested in the wind tunnel at the NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory.

21 January 1958

First flight.
Flight testing began at Bell Aircrafts facility.

6 May 1958

Aircraft suffered instance of rotor instability occurred when the pylons were advanced to 40-degrees forward pylon angle, and the aircraft was then grounded. (Wikipedia).

October 1958

Tested [by Bell] in the wind tunnel at the NACA Ames Aeronautical Laboratory. As a result of the wind tunnel testing, the rotor diameter was reduced, wing structure was increased and strengthened, and the rotor controls were stiffened. (Wikipedia).

From 12 December 1958 to 24 April 1959

Flight testing resumed at the Bell Aircraft Facility.

18 December 1958

First aircraft in history to fully tilt its rotors from the vertical to the horizontal while in flight.

Circa 1959

Photographer: National Museum of the USAF

April 1959

Transported by ground. Delivered to Edwards AFB, CA.

From 14 May 1959 to July 1959

Flight evaluations by USAF pilots.

From 12 August 1959 to 9 June 1965

Returned to NASA Ames facility for test flights by NASA pilots. Used for boundary layer control, STOL and V/STOL research.

8 August 1961

First flight by Army pilot.

Photographer: NASA

1962

Taken on Strength/Charge with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration with s/n 54-0148.

14 June 1966

Testing completed after a wingtip failure caused both rotors to fail, resulting in severe damage of the XV-3 and damage to the wind tunnel. The XV-3 had accomplished a total of 250 flights, accumulated 125 flight hours, and completed 110 full conversions. (Wikipedia).

Circa November 1966

Transported by ground. Delivered to Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
Placed in outside storage.

23 September 1974

Photographer: eLaReF

4 August 1976

Transferred to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center (MASDC) with inventory number HW0001.

By 1984

To U. S Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, AL.

From 1984 to December 1986

Repaired.
Repaired with Army support and the leadership of former Bell XV-3 engineer Claude Leibensberger.

December 1986

Assigned to U. S Army Aviation Museum, Fort Rucker, AL for storage.
Aircraft was disassembled and place in indoor storage.

22 January 2004

Transported by ground.
To Bell Helicopter Textron facility at Arlington, Texas.

From 2005 to 2007

Restored.
Restored to museum display condition by current and retired Bell engineers.

2007

To National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright Field, Dayton, OH.
View the Location Dossier

June 2007

Placed on display.

6 May 2008

Photographer: Glenn Chatfield

14 May 2010

Photographer: Glenn Chatfield
Notes: Now located in the Museum annex on the east side of Wright Field

12 August 2023

Photographer: Austin Newman

Photographer: Bell Aircraft Official Photo