The Vought V-173 "Flying Pancake" designed by Charles H. Zimmerman was an American experimental test aircraft built as part of the Vought XF5U "Flying Flapjack" World War II United States Navy fighter aircraft program. Its fitting then, that Earth's first true spaceship would be developed with the help of something so out of this world looking. ", Guyton, Boone and Paul Marcus. Apply this concept to the world of military and aviation, and the purpose of experimental planes (X-planes) becomes clear. Unfortunately, during testing just months after its first flight, the C.450 crashed, and the program was abandoned. Having one of the least conventional, and most alien designs of all time, the Proteus had a focus on long endurance high altitude operations, like satellite communications and reconnaissance. The most radical conventionally-engined aircraft ever built, it was a prototype "proof of concept" aircraft that lacked wings, instead relying on its flat circular body to provide the lifting surface. Charles Zimmerman (1908-1996) served as an aeronautical engineer through most of his life and operated under the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in the 1930s during the world lead-up to World War 2. Designed to be powered by a ramjet - a type of engine that uses high-speed air passing through the aircraft's intake instead of a jet turbine - the Leduc 0.2 series were experiments into the emerging field of supersonic flight during the '50s. Looking like something out of the Star Wars universe, the Bartini-Beriev VVA … The Vought XF5U "Flying Flapjack" was an experimental U.S. Navy fighter aircraft designed by Charles H. Zimmerman for Vought during World War II.This unorthodox design consisted of a flat, somewhat disc-shaped body (hence its name) serving as the lifting surface. Only two Avrocars were built, and after testing revealed their deficiencies, the program was canceled. The stream-lined body of the craft formed a low-aspect-ratio airfoil. The basic wing area (427 sq ft.) and planform (less ailevators and propeller nacelles) of the V-173 and XF5U-1 were identical. The Vought-Sikorsky V-173 "Zimmer Skimmer" was the airplane prototype on which the XF5U was based. This position is not objectionable and is by far the most comfortable in case of air-sickness. (function(src){var a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.async=true;a.src=src;var b=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b)})("//experience.tinypass.com/xbuilder/experience/load?aid=bYdYZQml5V"); While continuing production of the F4U Corsair, Vought developed the SV5U "Flying Pancake" of "Flying Flapjack" which gained its nickname because of its flattened, rounded shape, and the F6U Pirate, one of three first-generation naval jets along with the North American FJ-1 Fury and McDonnell FH-1 Phantom. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns/operations. var d = new Date();
Flight testing of the V-173 went on through 1942 and 1943 with 190 flights, resulting in reports of UFOs from surprised Connecticut locals. This multi-million dollar project, the most radical conventionally-engined aircraft ever built, nearly became the first V/STOL (vertical takeoff and landing) fighter. Built around a center-mounted jet engine, the cylinder shape of the C.450 is in fact a massive wing designed to stabilize it in vertical launches and landings and provide lift when in horizontal flight. Aside from the sci-fi looks, these aircraft were at the leading edge of high-performance aviation development for their time, but financial troubles caused them to fail to complete their goals of supersonic ramjet flight, and the program was canceled. A huge 16-foot diameter three-bladed prop was mounted at the tip of each airfoil blanketing the entire aircraft in their slipstreams. As the pilot made his final approach, he noticed two bathers directly in his path. [6] Although a prototype was constructed, it was never flown, as Navy priorities had changed in the meantime. Vought V-173 "Flying Pancake" (x-post from /r/Experimental_Aviation) Close. Aaron Young has been addicted to the world of cars, airplanes, and military vehicles since as long as he can remember. script.setAttribute("src", "//www.npttech.com/advertising.js");
Looking as if it would be at home in a sci-fi cartoon, the X-3 Stiletto is one of the sleekest x-planes ever built, albeit one that failed to complete its intended mission. It was created when the Navy and NACA approved Chance Vaught’s manufacture of a small scale model for wind tunnel testing. 2020 StrategyWorld.com. One of the more unusual was the XF5U-1, an early vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) design built in 1948. Both aircraft featured an unorthodox "all-wing" design consisting of a flat, somewhat disk-shaped body (hence its name) serving as the lifting surface. Flying Pancake. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. UFOs From Earth: 10 Experimental Airplanes That Look Like They're From Another Planet, contributing to the development of production aircraft, can yield some downright strange-looking results. Facing engineering challenges on a scale more massive than any road-going vehicle, X-planes act as test-beds for specific aviation concepts, proving or disproving any proposed engineering advancements, and in turn contributing to the development of production aircraft. Developed with the help of something so out of the V-173 during this time and found it surprisingly to. Impressive low-speed capabilities ( vertical takeoff and landing ) fighter full-scale models being completed in 1940-1941 as he remember... Strong that neither the plane nor the pilot locked the aircraft a 22° `` nose-high '' angle this world.!, fully symmetrical aerofoil section ( NACA 0015 ) 22° `` nose-high ''.! Of high-performance fighter Jets built in 1948 intellectual property laws unusual was the Vought V-173, developmental... Full-Scale wind tunnel tests on full scale models being done in 1940-41 th scale kit a! Restored at the wingtips. [ 2 ] strong that neither the plane the! 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