Absolutely Bizarre Planes That Don’t Look Like They Should Fly
Aerospace engineers have come up with some straight-up insane designs. Sometimes these dreams never make it off the drawing board, but sometimes—some wonderful times—they become real. And when these alien bodies lift off into the firmament, it's like watching a spaceship transporting the human race directly into the future. Check these amazing planes out (click on the image source to read each brief description)
By Sadho Ram — 10 Feb 2013, 07:35 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Proteus (1998)
Proteus, a tandem-wing, twin-engine research aircraft, built by Scaled Composites in 1998.
Image via gawkerassets.comBeriev Be-200 Seaplane (1998)
Beriev Be-200 Seaplane, a Russian multipurpose amphibious aircraft (1998).
Image via gawkerassets.comX-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft (1996 - 1997)
X-36 Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft, a subscale prototype jet built by McDonnell Douglas for NASA (1996 - 1997).
Image via gawkerassets.comX-29 forward swept wing (1984 - 1992)
X-29 forward swept wing jet plane, flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, as a technology demonstrator (1984 - 1992).
Image via gawkerassets.comB377PG (1980)
B377PG - NASA's Super Guppy Turbine cargo plane, first flew in its outsized form in 1980.
Image via gawkerassets.comAmes-Dryden (AD)-1 Oblique Wing (1979 - 1982)
Ames-Dryden (AD)-1 Oblique Wing, a research aircraft designed to investigate the concept of a pivoting wing (1979 - 1982).
Image via gawkerassets.comBartini Beriev VVA-14 (1970)
Bartini Beriev VVA-14, a Soviet vertical take-off amphibious aircraft (1970s)
Image via gawkerassets.comThe VVA-14 was designed by Robert Bartini in answer to a perceived requirement to destroy United States Navy Polaris missile submarines.
Hyper III (1969)
Hyper III, a full scale lifting body remotely piloted vehicle, built at the NASA Flight Research Center in 1969.
Image via gawkerassets.comAlexander Lippisch's Aerodyne (1968)
Alexander Lippisch's Aerodyne, a wingless experimental aircraft. The propulsion was generated by two co-axial shrouded propellers (1968).
Image via gawkerassets.comDornier Do 31 (1967)
Dornier Do 31, a West German experimental VTOL tactical support transport aircraft (1967).
Image via gawkerassets.comHL-10 (1966 - 1970)
HL-10, one of five aircraft built in the Lifting Body Research Program of NASA (1966 - 1970).
Image via gawkerassets.comAvro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar (1959)
Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar, a VTOL disk-shaped aircraft developed as part of a secret U.S. military project (1959)
Image via gawkerassets.comThrough the history of the program, the project was referred to by a number of different names. Avro referred to the efforts as Project Y, with individual vehicles known as Spade and Omega.
Snecma Flying Coleopter (1958)
Snecma Flying Coleoptere (C-450), a French experimental, annular wing aeroplane, propulsed by a turbo-reactor, able to take off and land vertically (1958).
Image via gawkerassets.comDe Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle flying platform (1954)
De Lackner HZ-1 Aerocycle flying platform, designed to carry one soldier to reconnaissance missions (1954).
Image via gawkerassets.comLockheed XFV (1953)
Lockheed XFV, "The Salmon," an experimental tailsitter prototype escort fighter aircraft (1953).
Image via gawkerassets.comDouglas X-3 Stiletto (1953 - 1956)
Douglas X-3 Stiletto, built to investigate the design features necessary for an aircraft to sustain supersonic speeds (1953 - 1956)
Image via gawkerassets.comMartin XB-51 (1949)
Martin XB-51, an American "tri-jet" ground attack aircraft. Note the unorthodox design: one engine at the tail, and two underneath the forward fuselage in pods (1949).
Image via gawkerassets.comMcDonnell XF-85 Goblin (1948)
McDonnell XF-85 Goblin, an American prototype jet fighter, intended to be deployed from the bomb bay of the Convair B-36 (1948).
Image via gawkerassets.comNorthrop XB-35
Northrop XB-35, an experimental flying wing heavy bomber developed for the United States Army Air Forces during and shortly after World War II.
Image via gawkerassets.comNorth American XF-82 (1946)
North American XF-82. Stitch together two P-51 Mustangs, and you get this long-range escort fighter (1946).
Image via gawkerassets.comLibellula (1945)
Libellula, a tandem-winged and twin-engined British experimental plane which gives the pilot an excellent view for landing on aircraft carriers (1945).
Image via gawkerassets.comDouglas XB-42 Mixmaster (1944)
Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster, an experimental bomber aircraft, designed to have a very high top speed (1944).
Image via gawkerassets.comBlohm & Voss BV 141
Blohm & Voss BV 141, a World War II German tactical reconnaissance aircraft, notable for its uncommon structural asymmetry.
Image via gawkerassets.comVought V-173 (1942)
Vought V-173, the "Flying Pancake", an American experimental fighter aircraft for the United States Navy (1942).
Image via gawkerassets.com
Stipa-Caproni (1932)
Stipa-Caproni, an experimental Italian aircraft with a barrel-shaped fuselage (1932).
Image via gawkerassets.com