TOP-11 Strange flying machines

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The development of aviation has always gone hand in hand not only with physical laws and safety considerations, but also with some creativity. There is no other way to explain how aircraft designers sometimes come up with ideas of aircraft of such a strange appearance that you will not immediately believe that this is not Photoshop.

True, the developers' imagination does not always play into the hands of the future of an airplane or helicopter, but this does not stop them. To your attention 11 of the most non-trivial flying machines.

1. Airlander 10

When society saw this creation of engineering thought, there were simply no questions about the popular name - Airlander 10 was nicknamed "Flying Ass". The aircraft is a hybrid of an airplane, an airship and a helicopter with a length of 92 meters. According to the idea of the developers, it is able to climb to a height of almost 5 kilometers and reach speeds of up to 150 km / h, and the carrying capacity reached 10 tons.

The first test flight of the Airlander 10 passed without problems, but during the second, an incident occurred: the device touched a telegraph pole, began to fall and eventually plowed the ground with its nose. As a result of the collision, the cockpit was destroyed, but there were no casualties among the crew. Considering the fact that the Airlander 10 does not surf the air at every turn, this frankly strange concept has not gained popularity.

2. Aerodyne Dornier E-1

They tried to create vertical take-off and landing drones for a very long time, but not every attempt was successful. This is exactly what happened with the Dornier E-1, developed on the basis of the legacy of the famous German aircraft designer Alexander Lippisch, which can be safely called one of the strangest projects of this type.

Aerodyne was distinguished by inexpressive wings, frankly strange design, and its principle of flight in general was often compared to a cinema hair dryer, which escaped from the owner's hands and began to fly in all directions. Surprisingly, the tests of the aircraft, which took place in 1972, showed very promising results, but just a few months later the project was closed, and only a few photos remained about the strange drone.

3. Stipa-Caproni

This plane was quite rightly called the "Flying Barrel", although it also looks like a hairdryer. Indeed, in fact, the creation of the Italian designer of the thirties of the last century, Luigi Stipa, which was assembled by the Caproni firm, is something like a huge pipe with wings and a propeller.

Development went smoothly, a prototype was built, and the first tests of the aircraft in 1932 were successful. However, this did not give the plane a ticket to life - they did not develop the concept. However, the developments of Luigi Stipa, which he left while working with Stipa-Caproni, were later used by scientists to create new aircraft engines.

4. Vought V-173

The Vought V-173 was the brainchild of American designer Charles Zimmerman, who developed it from Vought during World War II. The vertical take-off and landing aircraft was successfully tested and was planned to be put into service with the US Air Force as a naval fighter. However, Vought did abandon the mass production of this strange aircraft, nicknamed "pancake" or "skimmer", although the remaining prototypes were repeatedly flown from 1942 to 1947.

5. Aerocycle De Lackner HZ-1

Another intrusion of the aforementioned Charles Zimmerman. But this time the goal of development was to create a compact apparatus, or portable aerocycle. Potentially uncomplicated in management, it was supposed to be used for reconnaissance on the "battlefield in a nuclear war."

Testing of the aerocycle began in 1954, but immediately a serious problem arose: it turned out that the De Lackner HZ-1 was much more difficult to fly than expected - it was difficult to handle it even for experienced test pilots. As a result, when the aerocycle suffered several accidents during the tests, they decided to simply curtail the project.

6. Nemeth Parasol

"Umbrella plane" - this is how the first plane on the planet with a perfectly round wing was aptly named. Its creator, Stephen Nemeth, argued that the Parasol had exceptional capabilities - it was able to land even on the smallest landing, and in the event of engine failure, the round wing provided a soft landing, working like a parachute.

In addition, the developers assured that the Nemeth Parasol is so easy to operate that even an inexperienced person in aviation can handle this machine. However, no matter how the unusual plane was advertised, he never received a ticket to life, having taken off only a few times and remained in a single copy.

7. Triple Aircraft Lockheed Martin P-791

In our century, as practice shows, aircraft designers love to collect unusual types of hybrids. One of these can be safely considered the Lockheed Martin P-791 triple airplane, the first tests of which took place in 2006. This aircraft is filled with helium, but it also has a number of aircraft design principles. According to available information, the ockheed Martin P-791 is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of cargo.

It is interesting that its production has not been officially completed with catastrophically low demand: it is known for certain about only one airplane that was sold for $ 480 million, but Lockheed Martin continues to accept orders for their assembly.

8. Coleopter SNECMA C-450

Another vertical take-off vehicle, but strange looking. To fulfill its direct function, unique impact mitigation mechanisms during landing were developed specifically for the C-450. However, this did not add to his luck: during tests on the only prototype built, the first attempt was planned to change the direction of flight from vertical to angular directly in the air.

However, the pilot was unable to cope with the task, moreover, the plane lost control, and the pilot had to eject. The C-450 was destroyed after the fall, and this was the end of the project: there was simply no money to build a new prototype.

9. Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar

During the Cold War, a wide variety of aircraft were developed, but the appearance of one brainchild of Canadian aircraft designers simply surpassed all others. And all because it is strikingly similar to a UFO in the representation that humanity imagines them. It is difficult to say for what purpose the apparatus received just such an appearance, but, perhaps, it should have psychologically disorientated the enemy.

Little is known about this project today: so, according to the idea of the designer of the flying saucer - the Englishman Jack Frost, Avrocar was not supposed to rise high, the pilots were in open cabins, between which a machine gun was installed. At the same time, the design of the device did not prevent the creators from calling it a “flying jeep”. However, this did not help him: after the first flight in 1959, the project existed only 2 years later - and then funding stopped.

10. Asymmetric glider Blohm & Voss BV 141

The Blohm & Voss BV 141 asymmetric glider was one of the brainchildren of the Third Reich during the pre-World War II arms buildup. His assignment was to be aerial reconnaissance. The unusual project was promoted by the personal favor of the German ace Ernst Udet. As a result, the history of the aircraft ended with the release of a small series of several dozen copies.

The following is known about the design of the aircraft: the crew gondola was on the right to increase the field of view. Despite the fact that outwardly the design seems to be unbalanced, the tests refuted all such fears - the car turned out to be a stable and maneuverable machine. It is difficult to say whether Blohm & Voss BV 141 managed to take part in military operations - no documented evidence has survived. The only thing that the Allied forces managed to find during the offensive on Germany were several broken samples.

11. Aero Spacelines

Due to its non-trivial appearance, Aero Spacelines was quickly dubbed Pregnant Guppy, which means "Pregnant Guppy" in English. However, this unusual aircraft was actually used and performed scheduled flights for seventeen years - from 1962 to 1979. And this despite the fact that it was assembled in a single copy based on the Boeing-377.

It was used not by anyone, but by NASA units, when it was required to transport oversized cargo, in particular, various parts of rockets and other very large items needed in aerospace activities. Today, Pregnant Guppy does not fly any more, but over time, new models of the same series with similar names - Super Guppy and Airbus Beluga - have appeared - they are just taking off into the sky now.