Odd Airplanes

Some worked, some failed.

Blériot III

The Blériot III was

an early French airplane built by Louis Blériot and

Gabriel Voisin. Gabriel Voisin.

It had two large elliptical wings.

It did not fly successfully.

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Givaudan

If elliptical wings didn’t work, why

not circular wings?

The front wing was movable for control. movable for control. The rear wing was

fixed in place.

Probably never flew successfully.


Bleriot V

Maybe if we make

it look like a bird.

Nope. Nope.

Crashed on the

second attempt to

fly.


Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano

An Italian nine-wing flying boat prototype of a Trans-Atlantic

airliner.

Big Dreams.

On the first test flight it crashed.

The wrecked airplane was salvaged….but

burned later in a fire.

Talk about bad luck.


Jerome-de

Bothezat Flying Octopus

A U.S. Army quadrotor helicopter.

Six-bladed rotors allowed the craft to fly

but it was very but it was very complex and difficult

to control.

Imagine that.

The Army canceled the program in 1924.


Miles Libellula

Named after the dragonfly, the Miles M.35 and M.39 Libellula were

designed for aircraft carriers without the need

for folding wings.

The M.35 was a fighter and the M.39 a bomber.

They used a canard wing for additional lift.

Prototypes were built but neither plane went into

production.


HafnerRotabuggy

Never seen a flying jeep?

The Hafner Rotabuggywas a British design; combine a Willys Jeep combine a Willys Jeep

and a rotor kite.

The Rotabuggyachieved a flight

speed of 70 mph but was cancelled in favor of gliders that could

carry a vehicle.


Bachem Ba 349 Natter (Viper)

A Pilot’s Dream.

Rocket powered

disposable fighter.

Bolt on solid fuel rockets

for a vertical takeoff.for a vertical takeoff.

Wooden wings - no flaps.

1. Fire unguided rockets

at enemy bombers.

2. Set the autopilot to

crash into an enemy

bomber.

3. Bail out; get a new

plane for next mission.

Curtiss-Wright XP-55

Ascender

The U.S. Army Air Corps asked for

unconventional and got the XP-55.

Advanced features included a canard

wing, rear mounted

Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender 1943The U.S. Army Air Corps asked for unconventional designs and got the XP-55 prototype.

included a canard wing, rear mounted

engine and swept back wings.

The performance was inferior to conventional

fighter aircraft.

Looked great on the drawing board.


Lockheed XFV

An experimental vertical takeoff

fighter for protecting naval

convoys. convoys.

32 test flights proved it to be slow

and hard to fly.

Cancelled in 1955.


The Wright

Brothers to the

F-22

139 pages.

200 pictures.

More odd planes.

Aviation history in

pictures.


Documents

Odd Airplanes