When we speak of airplanes usually, a generalized image of an airplane pops up in our head, right? However, you would be surprised to know that a lot of designers tinkered with a number of airplane designs during the last one hundred years and some of them are just unbelievable. Here’s a list of some of the most peculiar aircrafts that flew. Let us know what you think of them in the comments section below.
8. McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
This was developed during the Second World War. The aircraft was capable of carrying a single pilot and had to be deployed from a bomber, such as B-26. The project was cancelled later on though, owing to the restrictions imposed on developers and poor performance of the aircraft.
7. LLRV
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle was capable of taking off and landing on its own while also being able to hover over a fixed point. The aircraft could reach altitudes of 1220 meters and could fly horizontally. The prototype was proven to be a success and led to the development of LLTV (Lunar Landing Training Vehicle) that was used by Apollo program.
6. VZ-9 Avrocar
This aircraft was built during the start of Cold War by Canadian manufacturers and it was part of a secret project of USA Military. The project was aborted in 1961 due to its instability and issues with propulsion.
5. Lockheed XFV
This amazing aircraft was active only during 1954 and was created in North America. It was designed to provide protection to convoys, but it was discontinued due to its low speed.
4. Bartini Beriev VVA-14
This was created back in the 70’s by Soviets. It was an amphibious aircraft capable of taking off vertically. It was designed so that it could take off from water while also maintaining high speeds at high altitudes over larger distances. It was designed primarily for the destruction of Polaris missile submarines from the United States Navy.
3. Snecma Flying “Coléoptère” (C-450)
Coléoptère means “beetle” in French. The aircraft was created by the French company SNECMA as an experiment. It sported annular wings along with turbo-propulsion. It could seat one person and was capable of taking off and landing vertically. The project proved to be unstable and dangerous.
2. Vought V-173
This was named ‘Flying Pancake’ and was basically a test aircraft developed as an experiment for United States Navy back in 1942. The idea was to opt for an ‘all-wing’ design thus increasing the internal area and using the body as a lifting surface.
1. Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano
This was an Italian flying boat that came with 9 wings and a seating capacity for 100. It used 8 engines for takeoff and managed to climb an altitude of 18 meters only when it broke down and crashed. Although the designer promised to rebuild and fly it again, the prototype was burned down to ashes, mysteriously, that night.