vertical takeoff

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As the latest entrant into the rapidly-expanding space tourism field, EADS will face some stiff competition. Launch the gallery ["View Photos" at left] to see just how many companies worldwide will be vying for your space-tourist dollar

U.S. troops are pinned down in a crowded city center. Several are wounded and need immediate evacuation. There are miles of labyrinthine roads and thousands of enemy gunmen between them and the nearest base. The threat from rocket-propelled grenades has grounded the big helicopters.

Boeing and others are working on the canard rotor/wing VTOL concept. The rotor spins for vertical takeoff, then converts to a fixed wing for forward flight, ideal for the air taxi systems predicted to launch in the 21st century. To render photo-quality illustrations of aviation concepts for this issue, we turned to The Embassy, a video-effects firm. Here's how visions of the future are engineered.