Designed to work in absence of a runway, it looked as strange as it sounds.
You might have seen some pretty weird things before, but this one will truly take you by surprise. France’s Coléoptère, also called the Beetle plane, was designed entirely differently from other aircraft. It has a circular wing and takes a vertical flight. Nonetheless, the aircraft has some pretty amazing engineering.
The Youtube channel ‘Mustard’ explains this unique aircraft’s tail in the video titled ‘A Plane Without Wings.’ It was designed by an Austrian engineer, Helmut Von Zborowski, and the reason for the vertical flight design was so that it could function even in the absence of a runway.
He installed it with a round wing that circulated the plane’s body to make such a flight possible. Entirely different from the general design where the wings go on each side. Yes, it appeared as weird and unique as it sounds while also looking like a machine from the future.
Its testing stages were full of challenges, given its unique design. It took about nine tries for the aircraft to take a vertical flight for a short span. As you’d be thinking, the plan to work more on the program was canceled upon not reaching the desired engineering required for such takeoffs. However, the story of it is an enjoyable watch. Enjoy!
