Editing Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig (section)

{{Short description|1950s British experimental VTOL aircraft}}
{{Redirect|Flying bedstead|the NASA lunar landing training simulator|Lunar Landing Research Vehicle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name=Thrust Measuring Rig
| image=File:Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig science museum.jpg
| caption=On display in the [[Science Museum, London]]
| type=Experimental vertical take-off
| national_origin=United Kingdom
| manufacturer=[[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]]
| designer=
| first_flight=3 August 1954 (free)
| introduction=
| retired=
| status=
| primary_user=
| number_built=2
| developed_from=
| variants=
}}

The '''Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig''' (TMR) was a pioneering vertical take-off and landing ([[VTOL]]) aircraft developed by [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] in the 1950s. It has the distinction of being "the first jet-lift aircraft to fly anywhere in the world".<ref name = "ill 2" />

The design of the TMR is unique. It was powered by a pair of [[Rolls-Royce Nene|Nene]] [[turbojet]] engines, which were mounted back-to-back horizontally within a steel framework; in turn, this framework was raised upon four legs fitted with castors for wheels. The TMR lacked any lifting surfaces, such as [[wing]]s; instead, lift was generated purely by the thrust being directed downwards. Due to its unconventional appearance, it was [[nickname]]d the '''Flying Bedstead'''.<ref name = "ill 2">Illingworth 1961, p. 2.</ref>

The TMR had been envisioned specifically for conducting research, specifically to explore the potential applications of then-newly developed [[jet propulsion]] towards carrying out vertical flights. First flying in August 1954, extensive studies were conducted during a series of test flights into how stabilisation could be performed during the aircraft's hover. It contributed to a greater understanding of the level of power and appropriate manners of stabilisation involved in a VTOL aircraft, as well as proving the feasibility of the concept in general.<ref name = "ill 2 3">Illingworth 1961, pp. 2-3.</ref>