From wingless jets to helicopters you can wear on your feet, here are 11 of the most
bizarre looking airplanes that actually existed!
11. The Pregnant Guppy
There was no way that this thing could fly. “Unreal” exclaimed the surprised control
room, as this colossal airplane managed to lift off the ground. Pregnant Guppy had a
very abnormal built compared to a Boeing. This airplane was so massive that if a Boeing
stood near it would look like a tiny David next to Goliath. Right over the aircraft’s
cockpit, a bulbous addition was made spanning over the plane’s body – as if a blue whale
had got wings. An upper fuselage of 6 meters in diameter
was added, giving the aircraft a “triple-bubble” appearance. The purpose of this extra bulge
was to create extra space for accommodating large cargo in the aircraft. The entire rear
section was detachable. In 1963, the Pregnant Guppy started doing cargo flights for NASA
in the 1960’s. As the space program increased, it was clear that the Pregnant Guppy couldn’t
carry everything, which led to the creation of the Super Guppy! The Pregnant Guppy was
taken out of service in 1979.
10. Hybrid Airship P-791
Despite what it looks like, this isn’t a hot-air balloon! It’s an inflated airplane
designed for low flying missions. Lockheed Martin, the company behind its creation, has
combined the features from an airship with that of an airplane to form the Hybrid Airship.
It gains its high speed from the propellers like an airplane and can stay afloat maintaining
its altitude for about two weeks as if it were a balloon. It was first designed as part
of the US Army’s Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) but lost to Northrop Grumman’s
HAV-3 design. It was modified for civil use and aircraft production and in the past has
either been made for science, public utility or driven solely to show off for extra money.
However, this aircraft has a unique way of reaching out to the public. The company with
this airship aims to reach the isolated locations on the globe where infrastructure is non-existent
or to help the underprivileged. The incentive, in addition to being noble, can potentially
be quite useful in disaster-prone areas where disaster response and relief might take awhile
to reach the masses.
9. NASA AD-1
Often in science, you’d find areas where robust analysis and mathematical techniques
fall short to help solve a complex engineering problem. Aerodynamics a few decades ago was
a daunting engineering field that was a huge challenge for engineers. Topics such as the
dynamics of pointy objects splitting through the air and airplane configuration was a subject
of great interest and uncertainty. The variables involved were too many, the complexity left
engineers with only one path- Make a customized aircraft and study it. The scientists at NASA
in pursuit of technological development, initiated an experimental program in 1979. This high
risk project developed the AD-1 aircraft (Ames-Dryden 1). The AD-1 was an unusually strange looking
airplane with a spike on its front tip. It was long and narrow and weighed 2,145 pounds.
Studies on the behavior of this aircraft for varying design conditions led to many important
research findings. The aircraft was flown 79 times and it was established through this
experiment that an aircraft wing could be hinged up to 60 degrees. The airplanes with
wings fixed at higher angles were unstable during flight.
AD-1 today serves as a documented case study in engineering classes and is often used by
many authors as an experimental benchmark for explaining some complex topics in flight.
8. Alexander Lippisch's Aerodyne
This oddly shaped aircraft continues to baffle the aeronautical community who wonder how
this bizarre creation managed to get off the ground!! The Aerodyne looks like it is missing
parts, and looks like the complete opposite of what we expect from something that is supposed
to fly! Around the time of World Wars, there was enormous demand for aircraft and governments
were willing to invest whatever it took. Engineers and designers were constantly churning out
new designs which lead to some strange-looking and creative aircraft!
The Aerodyne was one of the many inventions of German Aircraft designer Alexander Lippisch
who made many groundbreaking contributions to his field. He helped develop the science
behind flying wings, delta wings and rocket-powered interceptors!
Similar to a helicopter, this wingless rotor-powered machine concept was designed to take off and
land only vertically. The revolutionary nature of its design meant it could be steered and
flown either by hovering or moving forward. This design, despite of how unusual it was,
did manage to fly before the Western German government lost interest in the project in
1972. However, many of Lippsich’s Aerodyne principles were applied to a plane that is
still in operation today: the Harrier Jump Jet.
And now for a flying princess!! But first be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already!!
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7. Saunders-Roe Princess
Imagine what it would have been like watching a large-sized ferry flying up in the skies.
The Saunders-Roe Princess was exactly that, a seaborne plane with a boat-like shape and
an all-metal body. It was developed as a larger and more luxurious model of flying boats.
It could carry up to 100 passengers and was meant to serve the transatlantic route between
the UK and New York. This seaplane spanned similar to a modern-day Air Bus. The plane
with its double decked luxury cabins was intended primarily for first class passengers.Between
1952 and 1954, the first prototype princess made 47 test flights.
This sea princess, however, could not convince its airline investors to make it a commercial
hit. It's only financial backer, the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), realizing
that the Princess would soon become obsolete, stopped its funding immediately. The Princess
program was eventually canceled by the UK government for its inadequate support confining
its only two prototypes to just museum showpieces.
6. Nemeth Parasol
This airplane is another example of a very strange aircraft that actually flew! The Nemeth
Parasol, was considered by many to be inspired by UFO’s. Designed by inventor Steven Nemeth,
the prototype was built by university students at Miami University. It had a circular wing
design and an elongated fuselage that assisted it in shorter takeoffs and landings. Two ailerons
were added to help the plane land at slower speeds.
A newspaper declared that the airplane was so small that it could land in your backyard
and fit in your garage. The round wing on its top led people to start calling it the
parachute plane or umbrella plane when it was tested in 1934. The round saucer-like
wings were 15 feet long and people also called it the saucer plane.
According to Nemeth, people who had never flown could learn how to control this plane
in half an hour. During testing the plane reached 135 mph and landed at just 25 mph
and could even gently parachute to the ground. It was extremely stable and it is a shame
that there were no further improvements or tests. We should try to bring this one back!!
It would be very convenient to avoid traffic jams and we could finally be living like the
Jetsons!
5. Sikorsky X-Wing
There’s no limit to human imagination. This vehicle was designed by combining the best
features of a helicopter as well as a jet plane. Known as a “heli-plane”, the aircraft
had the ability to take off vertically like a chopper and could maneuver by emulating
an airplane. This combination helped the aircraft achieve great speeds without requiring a large
runway distance. X-wing had the capacity to board two crew members and could attain a
cruise speed of 160 mph. The Navy and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
joined forces for the development of this craft. However, in 1988, the program funding
was canceled due to some design flaws that were serious enough to make the investors
withdraw the project contract. The idea of X-wing was then dropped despite the fact that
the aircraft did fly in the testing phase. It was just a little bit too advanced for
its time! But it should be making a comeback soon, don’t you think?
4. Proteus 281
This eccentric aircraft most certainly deserves to be on the list of most bizarre planes.
The aircraft Proteus is currently in service and is owned by Scaled Composites, a company
that specializes in unconventional aircrafts. This one looks like some kind of insect! Initially
designed by Burt Rutan –Proteus had its maiden flight in the late 1990’s.
Proteus has a very unique design. The aircraft has four super skinny wings, spanned in pairs.
The tail stabilizers were constructed on the rear wings rather than the aircraft’s tail,
which is highly unusual. It is meant for high altitude and can go over 50,000 ft. and stay
there for over 18 hours. The aircraft can even carry a payload of 2000 lbs for shorter
flights. It was initially designed for both manned and unmanned aerial missions. However,
its later use has just been restricted to unmanned missions only, which include telecommunication
transmission, commercial imaging, and aerial photography, etc. which means probably spying
as well! It has a number of world records for altitude and has been used in significant
research projects and missions.
3. Vought V-173
Aircraft Designers can try crazy ideas when it comes to innovation or sometimes out of
necessity. The Vought V-173 was designed by keeping in consideration the needs during
WWII. Known as the “Flying Pancake” or the “Fighting Flapjack” (I mean, what
else are you supposed to call it!) the U.S Navy created it as an experimental aircraft.
The Navy needed aircrafts that could be launched from shorter runways. That’s when the engineers
came up with an idea for the flying flapjack. This easy-to-fly aircraft had a circular shape
like a UFO and propellers placed at its wing tips that enabled it to land and takeoff at
remarkably low speeds. It was powered by a 1600 hp to provide the necessary thrust to
the four-bladed props. Although the project was super practical, it was dropped when the
Navy decided to switch to turbo-jet engines instead.
2. WhiteKnightTwo (WK2)
You might’ve heard of conjoined twins, or conjoined strawberries, but probably never
about a conjoined airplane! The Scaled Composites’ design for White Knight Two, has conjoined
two fuselages to form one airplane. It is designed with a dual body configuration with
a specific attachment area in the center, to carry SpaceShipTwo up to an altitude of
50,000 feet for safe air launch. The aircraft has four engines and one main
wing on top that is entirely made up of carbon composite. The plane is controlled by pilots
from its right cockpit only. The first WhiteKnightTwo has successfully completed its 4 ½ year test
flight program. The aircraft in its 2008’s test flight rose to a maximum altitude of
70,000 ft. Its all–carbon composite body and open architecture design allow for great
versatility in terms of weight and payload volume. It can also operate as a zero-g aircraft
for passenger training or microgravity flights. Virgin Galactic has ordered 2 WK2 vehicles
and WK2 with SpaceShipTwo make up Virgin Galactic’s fleet of suborbital space planes.
Good news is that this aircraft is expected to hit the commercial arena pretty soon! Aviation
enthusiasts are definitely up for a treat.
1. De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle
This one is a downright odd design. During the cold war, the US Army began developing
personal helicopter devices for American infantrymen. The helicopter propellers would be located
under the pilot’s feet, rather than above his head.
More like a primitive version of a monocopter, the aerocycle was a one-man platform designed
to also help soldiers for surveillance missions. This 15-foot aerial vehicle had the capacity
to reach a top speed of 70 mph, making it the fastest flying machine in 1955. There
were four weights attached to its core body to stabilize it. Amazingly, it worked!!
Despite its flight success, the aerocycle could not be brought to production use. The
machine with its single rotor was excessively loud and clumsy. Its noisy presence could
be heard miles away and its open structure was overly exposed, making it vulnerable to
enemy attack. The unusual design made it more at risk to frequent crashes and extremely
challenging to operate. Two decades later, as the technology made progress, the US army
lost interest in aerocycle designs. The project was eventually abandoned and the aerocycle
prototypes were dumped in history museums. Army hoverboards will have to wait.
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