It was 1903 when the very first successful flight in history occurred. It was thanks to the relentless efforts of Orville and Wilbur Wright that the self-propelled little aircraft took flight. It was piloted by Orville and stayed in the air for 12-seconds and managed to cover 120-feet.This is a look at some planes that you’ll be wondering, “how on earth was that even airborne?”
9 – McDonnell XF-85 Goblin…
This cute little guy was developed shortly after the WW2 by the USAF due to the lack of range offered by fighter escorts of the era. The idea was for the little bomber to be launched from a larger bomber, with the lucky pilot hopping in and being released at altitude when the need arises. As you can imagine, the little imp was no match for proper fighters, and if he didn’t get shot to pieces, docking was somewhat tricky. Anyone surprised?
8 – DomiCopter…
The only reason this is on the list is because when on earth did you ever think you would see a flying pizza? It was 2013 when we were introduced to the Domicopter, a type of drone that was able to deliver Dominoes pizza. This was done in the UK, and it’s most certainly not happening in the US anytime soon, as the use of domestic drones is prohibited.
7 – Stipa Caproni…
The Stipa Caproni. Looks ridiculous doesn’t it? Designed by an Italian, Luigi Stipa, the aircraft has some method to its madness. The propeller in the hollow tubular fuselage forms a venture effect, making the propulsion by the prop more efficient. Test pilots were amazed at the stability, citing it as too stable, meaning maneuverability was compromised. It also proved to have the shortest take-off and landing ability of any aircraft at the time. Overall the cons evened out the pros, which is why we don’t see them buzzing around today. Hats off for creativity though.
6 – Curtiss-Wright VZ-7…
This is truly an out-of-this-world aircraft which is often called the “flying jeep”. As you can see, it’s a pretty dangerous thing to fly and although it was rather easy, never quite met Army standards. Not surprising. It was created in 1958 and featured four propellers attached on either side of the fuselage. It performed tasks quite easily but it’s believed one of the reasons it didn’t make the cut was the fact that the pilot was very exposed, making him a super easy target.
5 – The H-Z 1 Aerocycle…
You look at this craft and you can sort of guess why it didn’t work out. The HZ-1 Aerocycle was designed by de Lackner Helicopters and they hoped it would become the standard investigation craft for the US Army. Think about the poor pilot… if he loses balance and falls, he falls straight into the propellers or he’s a seriously easy target.
One of the advantages of this chopper was that inexperienced pilots could be taught how to fly it within 20-minutes. The prototype took its first rocky flight on the 22nd of November 1954 and after a few too many crashes, they binned the idea completely.
4 – Bartini Beriev VVA-14…
At first glance you’ll think this aircraft has been in a horrific accident, but that’s how the plane is supposed to look! It’s mean and beefy and you’d feel safe going up against the enemy in this machine. It’s a vertical take-off amphibious aircraft and it was built by the Russians to ascertain whether aircraft could be compatible in water and in the air. It was built in the 1970’s and in order for this beast to work, it needed 12 engines to be installed. A smaller prototype flew on September 4, 1972. It’s not clear whether the bigger plane ever made it off the ground, but the prototype clocked over 100-hours of flight. The original aircraft is now at the Russian Federation Central Air Force Museum, in pieces!
3 – B377PG ‘Pregnant Guppy…
When you’ve got to transport something that’s pretty awkward in shape, size and weight, then this is the answer for you. The B377PG was built to assist NASA in transporting some of the components of the Apollo moon missions. The craft took flight for the first time on September 19, 1962. Calculations were made after the craft had transported all the awkwardly shaped cargo, and thanks to the guppy, they had saved 3-weeks transport time had they gone with barge, and $16 per mile! The guppy was sold and broken up in 1979.
2 – Mil V-12…
Only two prototypes of this unusual looking chopper were built by the Russians during the late 60’s and although the first flight was a disaster, subsequent flights went well. The design won several awards including the Sikorsky Prize given by the American Helicopter Society for outstanding achievements in helicopter technology. Sadly, by the time the chopper was ready to go to production, cheaper and better alternatives were already available.
Source: YouTube