The Ryan VZ-3 Vertiplane, also known by the company designation Ryan Model 92 was an American experimental vertical/short take-off (VSTOL) aircraft built by the Ryan Aeronautical Company for the United States Army.
The VZ-3 was a simple proof-of-concept experimental aircraft using blown flaps to achieve a short or near vertical take-off.
It was a high-wing monoplane powered by an Avco Lycoming T53 turboshaft engine located inside the fuselage driving two large-diameter propellers mounted, one on each wing.
It had a T-tail and originally a tailwheel fixed landing gear.
It had wide-span double retractable trailing-edge flaps, these were extended into the propeller slipstream for take-off.
To enable control while in the hover it had a universally jointed jet-deflection nozzle at the rear of the aircraft. It was later modified with a nose-wheel landing gear.
The VZ-3 could make a near-vertical take-off within 30 ft (9m) at a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) and the aircraft could be put into the hover up to a height of 3,700 ft (1,100 m).
