Odd Planes

[Frank3]

Post your favorite strange planes actual or contrived

I'll start

The new Golden Egg Transport

[Ian Clark]

Hi Frank, here's a plane for you, the Bugatti P100. The picture is a rendering but the plane exists. Very interesting story: The Bugatti 100p Project - An ambitious project created to build and fly a replica of a magnificent aeroplane

Arguably the most advanced airplane of 1939 in the world, never to fly. There's technology in this plane not seen again for over forty years.

Cool...

[Jim Craik]

Ian,

That was a very, very interesting Plane, I remember reading an article years ago. It had some very unusual features. As I recall the cooling air entered via the V stabalizer then traveled forward through the fusalage, though the radiator and exited in the low pressure area at the rear of the wing root.

Also it had split flaps with both the top and bottom flap part moving separately and automaticly.

It used the speed and power settings to set them.

High power, high speed: it trimed for low lift, low drag

High power, low speed: it trimed for take off lift.

Low speed, low power: the flaps trimed for landing.

High speed, low power: they trimed for air brakes.

Very advanced stuff. Unfortunalty as I recall the War came before it flew and it was destroyed at some point.

It's great that they are making a replica! I will follow this story.

PS, The human mind is very strange, I read this artical over 30 years ago and I can remember these details, yet I can not remember how to spell wite, white wyte whyte....

[Ian Clark]

Hey Jim, Years ago I saw a photo of the plane, thought wow that's wild, then filed it in the way back drawer. Just came across the plane online and found the link to the guys recreating the plane.

It's a daunting project for sure. Just figuring out the genius behind the way it was built, even with the surviving original and many drawings, this is reverse engineering at the very best.

It's especially intriging how they managed to mount 900 hp in a balsa wood plane! Yep, she's not a steel or aluminium monocoque as would be expected. Lot's of technology and an easy read for anyone interested in this Bugatti.

Cheers

[Randy V]

For me - it's the Beechcraft StarShip...

I saw it on a number of occasions and even once demonstrating it's short field Take and Landing abilities... I was impressed and remain so - even though I believe they have destroyed all but a few..

[Ian Anderson]

The flying Submarine
Reid RFS-1

[Ron Earp]

Originally Posted by Frank3

Post your favorite strange planes actual or contrived

I'll start

The new Golden Egg Transport

Smelling a photoshop job on that one....

[The Baron]

Originally Posted by Ron Earp

Smelling a photoshop job on that one....

Ron, all the same, it gave me goose bumps..

[The Baron]

For me, it HAS to be this one.

Is it a plane or a flying boat though?

[GT40GoldParts.com]

Keith,

I believe that was dubbed 'The Caspian Sea Monster ' ?
Wasn't it designed to fly under Nato radars and attack
US carriers ?

[The Baron]

Yes I think it was. It's a monster and it's real. A Russian Ekranoplan developed during the cold war and I do believe there is just one example remaining (and flying/skimming) for Cold War Tourists.

To put the sheer size in perspective, you can just make out the cockpit windows next to the 8 jet engines. Those are missile launchers on it's back.

[Ian Clark]

Another "plane" if you accept hovercraft, the Tupolev AS2, apparently still in production.

[Jim Craik]

Thats quite a prop, I'm guessing the flaps are for reverse pitch. Or even more thrust from one side, dirctional control?

[Jeff Young]

Most of the oddballs I know are military from reading all kinds of WWI, WWII and Jane's stuff as a kid.

Avro Arrow -- Canadian high speed interceptor.
The Boeing Goblin, the parasite fighter that would be carried in B-36
The P-61 Black Widow.
Boulton Paul Defiant -- failed Brit turret fighter.
The Luftwaffe's four engined Amerika bomber that may or may not have flown to just off the New York coast in 1944.
The twin Mustang.

[Jim Craik]

Jeff,

Those were odd plane all right, except the Arrow!

The Arrow was BEAUTIFUL!

[Ian Anderson]

This one?

YouTube - The homemade flying hovercraft

Ian

[Jim Craik]

Ian,

That is cool, I want one!

But mine would have seat belts!

[BenL]

How about the AMC Matador from "The Man with the Golden Gun"?

James Bond multimedia | Flying AMC Matador

[brianstewart]

Or these flying cars....

[Ron Scarboro]

A plane that always captured my imagination was the Dornier Arrow.

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/aircraft...ier-do-335.htm