The advent of the sophisticated mechanical bird that allowed people to make the Earth a global village deemed the top inventions of mankind. Each time we plan a trip abroad, we must thank the pioneers of aviation and their unparalleled accomplishments! The aviation sector is defined also by the constant challenge: a challenge to push boundaries, challenge to find new ideas, challenge to do what has never been done before. And of course, within the challenging context, there were designs that defied all norms of flight regularity, the authors end up with these.
Convair V2 Sea Dart
A fighter jet that can land at sea gives something more above the military use, despite the fact that it adds new data to the vocational rehabilitation of the pilot. This fighter was an experimental American vessel of 1951, only one of the original seaplane era, which, however, was soon abandoned after the fatal crash. However, it remains memorable as the first, and so far the only, seaplane that ever broke the sound barrier.
Goodyear Inflatoplane
When a tire brand attempts to invade the territory of aviation, the strangest thing is guaranteed! It was in 1959 when Goodyear responded to market needs for comfortable airplanes in a remarkable way. The whole project was entirely made of rubber, unless of course the engine and the necessary cables. The inflatable plane fit entirely in a box of one meter and swelled with common bicycle pump in less than 15 minutes! The flying machine was indeed an aerodynamic success as plowing the shadows with ease and comfort. The Goodyear certainly faced difficulties to convince the army to buy it.
NASA A1 Pivot-Wing
Here we talk about the aircraft that made the model weirdness going the other levels. Designed in the early 80s, the wings could be rotated at any direction, going so far as to become parallel with the shaft! The idea behind the unorthodox construction was to improve the aerodynamics and the odd tray yield surprisingly good in the air, although the results were not persuaded by managers to drop it on the market.
Vought V-173
Constructed in 1942 as a prototype aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing, the fighter puts end to shatter the opposing jets from the runway of the aircraft carrier that carried it to the heart of the war. With the justified nickname “Flying Pancake”, the Vought V-173 was unlike anything that the Air Force had seen! However, both the limited demand and tragedy sealed the fate of.
SR 71 Blackbird
Before the era of satellites, spying was hardly done and unexpected. The SR 71 Blackbird set out to change that, especially designed for such missions, with unprecedented speed, stamina and physical ability to touch the edge of Earth’s atmosphere! Frightening in appearance, almost eerie, diabolical vessel had equally diabolical performance. Gripping speeds greater than 3,000 miles/second, the friction in the atmosphere was such that made it turn a reddish color, adding more in the devilish look. Even after landing the pilot had to wait at least a half an hour before attempting to get out of the cockpit because of the extreme heat.
By Nicole P.
