Could the CL-84 fly backwards?

Short answer

Yes: by raising the wing from the 85° no-wind VTOL setting to 102°, the CL-84 could fly backwards at about 35 mph (56 km/h), or hover with a tailwind of equivalent speed. It was an experimental turbine-powered tilt-wing V/STOL monoplane built by Canadair.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Canadair CL-84-1 Dynavert tail rotor 02

Up to 102° of wing tilt to go backwards

In zero-wind conditions the wing was set at 85° for vertical takeoff, but it could be increased to 102° to allow backward flight at about 35 mph (56 km/h). With that same setting the aircraft could hold a hover against a tailwind of equivalent speed.

A wing that tilted

The CL-84's wing and powerplants could be tilted by hydromechanical means, so that the wing's incidence changed from the normal flight angle to those used for STOL and VTOL operations. In the days following the initial tests, some twenty transitions were performed under varying wind conditions, and STOL experience was gained with the wing tilted between 30 and 40°. In conventional flight it reached a top speed of 321 mph (517 km/h) and a cruising speed of 301 mph (484 km/h).

Four aircraft and no orders

The Canadair CL-84 "Dynavert", designated CX-131 by the Canadian Forces, was a turbine-powered tilt-wing V/STOL monoplane designed and built by Canadair between 1964 and 1972; only four of these experimental aircraft were built, and three went on to flight testing. The prototype, registered CF-VTO-X, made its first hovering flight on 7 May 1965, flown by Canadair's chief pilot, Bill Longhurst. Although the CL-84 proved satisfactory in the experimental and operational trials carried out between 1972 and 1974, none of the potential customers ordered the type.