Oddball, Experimental, or One-off

[red750]

The Rockwell RPRV-870 HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) is an experimental remotely piloted aircraft that was produced for a NASA program to develop technologies for future fighter aircraft. Among the technologies explored were close-coupled canards, fully digital flight control (including propulsion), composite materials (graphite and fiberglass), remote piloting, synthetic vision systems, winglets, and others.

 

Two aircraft were produced by Rockwell International. Their first flights took place in 1979, and testing was completed in 1983.

 

The HiMATs were remotely piloted, as the design team decided that it would be cheaper and safer to not risk a pilot's life during the experiments. This also meant that no ejection seat would have to be fitted. The aircraft was flown by a pilot in a remote cockpit, and control signals up-linked from the flight controls in the remote cockpit on the ground to the aircraft, and aircraft telemetry downlinked to the remote cockpit displays. The remote cockpit could be configured with either nose camera video or with a 3D synthetic vision display called a "visual display". The aircraft were launched from a B-52 Stratofortress at altitude. There was also a TF-104G Starfighter chase plane with a set of backup controls which could take control of the HiMAT in the event that the remote pilot on the ground lost control.

 

Number built    2

 

[Area-51]

 

Da 🥳 Это круто, мы живем, мы мечтаем, мы авиаторы !!! 🥳

[red750]

Translation:    Da 🥳 It's cool, we live, we dream, we are aviators !!!

[red750]

The Hughes XH-17 "Flying Crane" was the first helicopter project for the helicopter division of Hughes Aircraft Company. The XH-17, which had a two-bladed main rotor system with a diameter of 134 feet (41 m), still holds the world record for flying with the largest rotor system. It was capable of flying at a gross weight of more than 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg), but proved too inefficient and cumbersome to be mass-produced beyond the prototype unit.

 

[red750]

The Saab 210 is an approximately 70% scale research prototype for the double-delta configuration of the Saab 35 Draken supersonic fighter. Although never officially named anything but Draken by Saab, it soon became known by its unofficial nickname Lilldraken after the first flight of the prototype of the Saab 35. Wikipedia
Engine type: Turbojet
First flight: 21 January 1952
Top speed: 644 km/h
Manufacturer: Saab AB
Number of seats: 1

Number built: 1

 

[red750]

The North American F-107 is North American Aviation's entry in a United States Air Force tactical fighter-bomber design competition of the 1950s. The F-107 was based on the F-100 Super Sabre, but included many innovations and radical design features, notably the over-fuselage air intakes. The competition was eventually won by the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, and two of the three F-107 prototypes ended their lives as test aircraft. One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and a second at Pima Air and Space Museum.

 

 

[red750]

The Boeing YC-14 is a twin-engine, short take-off and landing (STOL) tactical military transport aircraft. It was Boeing's entrant into the USAF’s Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) competition, which aimed to replace the Lockheed C-130 Hercules as the USAF's standard STOL tactical transport. Although both the YC-14 and the competing McDonnell Douglas YC-15 were successful, neither aircraft entered production.

 

Boeing YC-14

 

 

McDonnell Douglas YC-15

 

[Marty_d]

Vertical fin & HS on both of those resemble the C17 Globemaster.

[red750]

The Bristol XLRQ-1 was a 12-seat amphibious glider of the Bristol Aeronautical Corporation, New Haven, Connecticut (USA), developed for the United States Marine Corps in 1942-43. Only two prototypes were built before the USMC scrapped the idea of glider use in 1943.

 

[red750]

The Yak 110 is the only trimotor aerobatics aircraft in the world, consisting of two Yak 55s joined by a Lear 24 jet engine. Known as "the flying catamaran" because of its unique double fuselage, the aerobatic plane was created in the US by master aircraft builder Dell Coller, pilot Jeff Boerboon and aviation enthusiast Chad Bartee. It has arrived in Australia where its unique double fuselage will be on display at the Pacific Airshow on the Gold Coast.

 

[red750]

The OpenSky M-02/M-02j is a Japanese primary glider/jet-powered motor glider inspired by the Möwe aircraft flown by the protagonist in the Hayao Miyazaki anime Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It is a tail-less design intended to be powered on take off and climb for a duration of 10 minutes, then flown unpowered as a glider. As of June 2006, two aircraft prototypes have been constructed, and one has successfully completed a series of 10 unpowered test flights where it flew 98 meters and achieved an altitude of 4 meters after being tow-launched by a tensed elastic cable. The project is led by artist Kazuhiko Hachiya and design by Satoru Shinohe and manufactured by Aircraft Olympos. The Jet engine installed version, M-02J, had public demonstration flight in June 2016 at Takikawa, Hokkaido.

 

Crew: 1
Capacity: 50 kg (110 lb) (M-02); 80 kg (176 lb) (M-02J)
Length: 2.083 m (6 ft 10 in) (M-02); 2.670 m (8 ft 9.1 in)(M-02J)
Wingspan: 9.636 m (31 ft 7.3 in)
Height: 1.057 m (3 ft 6 in) (M-02); 1.360 m (4 ft 5.5 in)(M-02J)
Wing area: 12.2 m2 (131.3 sq ft)

Empty weight: 50 kg (110 lb) (M-02); 100 kg (220 lb) (M-02J)
Gross weight: 105 kg (231 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 115 kg (254 lb) (M-02); 180 kg (400 lb) (M-02J)

Powerplant: 1 × NIKE :AMT Netherlands (M-02J) , 0.78 kN (176 lbf) thrust

Maximum speed: 70 km/h (43 mph, 38 kn) (M-02); 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn) (M-02J)
Cruise speed: 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph, 32–43 kn) (M-02J)
Stall speed: 36 km/h (22 mph, 19 kn) (M-02); 43 km/h (27 mph; 23 kn) (M-02J)

 

[skippydiesel]

I would have thought a full face helmet would have been essential.

[Marty_d]

Is it just me, or is there something weird about having a jet engine on something with "Max speed: 70km/h"?

[facthunter]

Jet is normally associated with speed. As far as aesthetics , that design has a long way to go. Nev

[Marty_d]

I don't mind the look of it, kind of like riding an albatross.  One without a head maybe.

  

[onetrack]

2 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Is it just me, or is there something weird about having a jet engine on something with "Max speed: 70km/h"?

It's only a little jet. You were thinking of an RB211, perhaps? 

[Marty_d]

I thought jets were more efficient at higher speeds, is all. 

For that design you could put a Rotax under the pilot, have the radiator where the "chest intake" is, then a long prop shaft forward above it to clear the pilot and a pointy yellow spinner at the front.

Then it'd look like he was riding a goose.

[onetrack]

All I can think of, is how tiring it would be after a relatively short period, from holding your head right back from a prone position. I would've thought a chin support would be pretty necessary.

 

Rudder authority looks a bit suss, too.

 

 

[facthunter]

Jets tend to maintain their thrust as the speed increases. The rule of thumb is one Pound of thrust at 100 knots equates to one horsepower. . Nev

[red750]

The Arado Ar E.555 was a proposed jet bomber design that was conceived as part of Nazi Germany’s “Amerika Bomber” (America Bomber) project. The intention was to design an aircraft that was capable of performing a transatlantic flight to bomb targets in the United States before returning to a Luftwaffe base in Germany or occupied Europe.

 

Arado had begun brainstorming designs long a long-range jet bomber before the Amerika Bomber proposal and had developed the short-range Ar 234 bomber in 1943 powered by turbojet engines.

 

The German Air Ministry asked Arado to continue developing this concept into a long-range aircraft. Arado initially sought for their new plane to follow the flying wing concept, in which the cockpit, crew areas, engines and bomb bay were essentially built into one giant wing that would be delta shaped. The E.555’s design drawings continued evolving until they reached a more conventional shape.

 

Despite the potential the various designs showed, the German Air Ministry ordered the project’s termination in December 1944. The project’s timing and limited use as a bomber perhaps represented its main weakness despite its futuristic and innovative ideas.

 

[red750]

Fleetwing Sea Bird, NC16783. One of just six built, this rare seaplane was built with a spot-welded stainless steel structure. This high wing, taildragger amphibian has a unique shine and will stand proud next to its contemporary Grumman Duck seaplane. Powered by the overhead mounted 300hp Jacobs engine this cabin seaplane will seat four.

 

[spenaroo]

there is just something so majestical about seaplanes

[facthunter]

Dressed in drag?  Nev

[spenaroo]

I think its the streamlined look actually.

that era of aerodynamics being about it looking right, more so then tested and crafted in a wind tunnel

[facthunter]

They do suffer from high drag with floats and things hanging off them . The step in the hull and the high thrustline. It's the main reason they are less common  than they used to be. Also the sea is very corrosive being the reason this plane was made of stainless.  Nev