Oddball, Experimental, or One-off

[rgmwa]

I also contributed at the time to support a unique project. While I didn't expect it to end in tragedy, I don't think anyone should feel bad about trying to make it a successful project.

[red750]

The Boeing Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s. The company provided $67 million of funding for the project; it was a low-cost program compared to many other programs of similar scale. It developed technology and materials which would later be used on Boeing's X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle. As an internal project, this aircraft was not given an X-plane designation. There are no public plans to make this a production aircraft. It is characterized as a technology demonstrator.

 

  

 

[Marty_d]

Hope they got naming permission from Paramount... (Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek).

[IBob]

Reminds me of something I squashed just before lights out in the bedroom last night.....(

[spenaroo]

the weight balance just looks like it shouldn't fly with those wings so far back.

always thought it was a cool plane, but little information on it.
 

same with Have Blue
built with leftover tooling from the C5, landing gear from an F5, engines from a T2 and fly by wire system from an F16
too bad both were lost in crashes

[Area-51]

Why has nobody ever built an experimental military aircraft called "Cockroach"??? They fly very well, survive almost any scenario, and have terrific ground handling qualities 😕

[spacesailor]

Birds eat them , & giants ' stomp ' them .

spacesailor

[onetrack]

3 hours ago, Area-51 said:

Why has nobody ever built an experimental military aircraft called "Cockroach"??? They fly very well, survive almost any scenario, and have terrific ground handling qualities 😕

Because you couldn't show it in public, it would be attacked, sprayed, crushed, and destroyed, the instant any human eye sighted it!! And besides, it would provoke instant revulsion!

[red750]

The Garrett STAMP (Small Tactical Aerial Mobility Platform) was a two-person aircraft prototype made by a division of AiResearch Manufacturing Co. of Phoenix, Arizona, for the United States Marine Corps STAMP program, in the early 1970s. The prototype took off and manoeuvred by means of a ducted fan, much like the Harrier. Unlike the Harrier it had no wings and had to depend on the fan's thrust for lift at all times. This gave it an expected range of 30 miles at a speed of 75 mph. The power came from a Garrett TSE-231 turbine normally used to power helicopters. The turbine gave 1050 pounds of thrust by running at 6000 rpm. Two persons sat in a closed cockpit adapted from an OH-6 helicopter. Number built    1

 

[red750]

C-47 Glider.

 

[Area-51]

54 minutes ago, red750 said:

The Garrett STAMP (Small Tactical Aerial Mobility Platform) was a two-person aircraft prototype made by a division of AiResearch Manufacturing Co. of Phoenix, Arizona, for the United States Marine Corps STAMP program, in the early 1970s. The prototype took off and manoeuvred by means of a ducted fan, much like the Harrier. Unlike the Harrier it had no wings and had to depend on the fan's thrust for lift at all times. This gave it an expected range of 30 miles at a speed of 75 mph. The power came from a Garrett TSE-231 turbine normally used to power helicopters. The turbine gave 1050 pounds of thrust by running at 6000 rpm. Two persons sat in a closed cockpit adapted from an OH-6 helicopter. Number built    1

 

They are wearing very nice flight suits!!

[spacesailor]

I saw a doco , on a " Manta- Ray " lighter than air . That flew by ' flapping it's wings .

( indoors only  ).

spacesailor

[facthunter]

You have my attention. Tell me more.  Nev

[spacesailor]

FESTO air Ray robot dirigible. 

Was one.

spacesailor

 

[red750]

The Payen Pa 49 Katy was a small experimental French turbojet powered tailless aircraft, designed by Nicolas Roland Payen, and first flown in 1954. It was the first French aircraft of this kind and the smallest jet aircraft of its day.

 

The all-wood Katy was a tailless aircraft, having no separate horizontal stabiliser. The wing leading edge was swept at about 55° but, unlike the classic delta with its straight trailing edge, the Katy's was swept at about 30° with each trailing edge carrying full span control surfaces, elevators inboard and ailerons outboard.

 

At its root, the wing merged gently into the fuselage with small air intakes for the 1.47 kN (330 lbf) Turbomeca Palas engine built into the leading edge. The cockpit was placed just aft of the intakes and the long straight-edged fin, swept at about 75° and initially as wide as the cockpit, began immediately behind it, narrowing to a slightly swept trailing edge carrying a full depth rudder. Images recorded before the first flight show the Katy with a low bicycle undercarriage with wing tip skids, but, by the time of the flight itself, this was replaced by a fixed, un-faired tricycle undercarriage.

 

First flight    22 January 1954;  Retired    1958;  Number built    1.

 

[red750]

The Columbia XJL is a large single-engined amphibious aircraft designed by Grumman Aircraft but built by the Columbia Aircraft Corp. It was intended to replace the Grumman J2F Duck but the type did not reach production status. Only 3 examples were built.

 

The Grumman J2F Duck biplane amphibian had successfully served the United States Navy (USN) in quantity from late 1934 onwards. The final 330 examples were built in 1941/42 under sub-contract by the Columbia Aircraft Corp, retaining the J2F-6 designation.

 

At the end of World War II, Grumman completed a major re-design of the aircraft for the USN as a Wright R-1820-56 powered monoplane amphibian. The new design was turned over to the Columbia Aircraft Corporation for development and construction so that Grumman could focus on the production of fighter aircraft for the USN.

 

The aircraft strongly resembles the J2F Duck, except for its monoplane layout, and has been referred to as a "single-winged Duck". It is, however, a completely new design.

 

[Marty_d]

Interesting design.  Wonder why they put the maingear on the wings instead of in that slab sided lower fuse.

[facthunter]

Because that area is strong and there's not much alteration from the original gear  structure. The HULL is still really a float.  Nev

[spenaroo]

sorry, but I still find the shoe such an ugly design

[facthunter]

You're NOT wrong  (put your name here) Nev

[red750]

The Caproni Ca.90 was a prototype Italian heavy bomber designed and built by Caproni. When it first flew in 1929, it was the largest land-based aircraft in the world.

 

A six-engined inverted sesquiplane, (lower wing longer than the upper wing), the Caproni Ca.90 was designed as a heavy bomber and first flew in 1929. It had two tandem pairs of 1,000 hp (746 kW) Isotta Fraschini Asso 1000 W-18 piston engines mounted above the lower wing, each pair driving a four-bladed pusher and a two-bladed tractor propeller. Another pair of engines was mounted above the fuselage. Only one Ca.90 was built.

Length: 26.95 m (88 ft 5 in)
Upper wingspan: 34.90 m (114 ft 6 in)
Lower wingspan: 46.60 m (152 ft 11 in)
Height: 10.80 m (35 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 496.60 m2 (5,345.4 sq ft)
Empty weight: 15,000 kg (33,069 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 30,000 kg (66,139 lb)

 

 

[red750]

Victa R-101 Gyroplane  

 

 In addition to its develoment of the Airtourer, Victa Consolidated Industries also wanted to produce a light, all-metal rotary-wing aircraft hopefully for both civilian and military use.  The prototype of this venture had its first flight in May 1962.  It featured a tricycle undercarriage, twin-fin tail unit and a two-blade main rotor with a pusher propeller driven by a 180hp Lycoming engine. 

 

Greg Banfield's shot (below) was taken in the Bankstown hangar in February 1965.  The autogyro was designed by John Blackler and known variously as the R-101 and Project 67.   When the company abandoned aviation work in 1966 due to financial constraints, development of the Gyroplane ceased.

 

AESL in New Zealand, who took over Airtourer production, elected not to go ahead with furthering the cause of this promisingly little craft. It is now preserved at the Camden Museum of Aviation in New South Wales.

 

 

Above text and image from edcoatescollection.com

[Area-51]

13 hours ago, red750 said:

Victa R-101 Gyroplane  

 

 In addition to its develoment of the Airtourer, Victa Consolidated Industries also wanted to produce a light, all-metal rotary-wing aircraft hopefully for both civilian and military use.  The prototype of this venture had its first flight in May 1962.  It featured a tricycle undercarriage, twin-fin tail unit and a two-blade main rotor with a pusher propeller driven by a 180hp Lycoming engine. 

 

Greg Banfield's shot (below) was taken in the Bankstown hangar in February 1965.  The autogyro was designed by John Blackler and known variously as the R-101 and Project 67.   When the company abandoned aviation work in 1966 due to financial constraints, development of the Gyroplane ceased.

 

AESL in New Zealand, who took over Airtourer production, elected not to go ahead with furthering the cause of this promisingly little craft. It is now preserved at the Camden Museum of Aviation in New South Wales.

 

 

Above text and image from edcoatescollection.com

See, this proves that lawnmowers can fly!!! 😬

[Marty_d]

Of course they can! Haven't you heard of the Flymo?

 

[facthunter]

IT actually didn't fly.  It  had an old hubcap lower shape with blades that when you tilted it ran one way or the other.(LR and RL in contact with the surface).. It worked best if it was downhill from the operator.  Nev