Unique Aircrafts that You Should Take A Look At

The aircraft you usually see aren’t the only ones that were ever designed. Thousands of prototypes were accepted, built, and even rejected, and most people never even heard of these. IfIt a prototype isn’t feasible enough, the model doesn’t even cross the lab. This is why most people hold the same picture of an aircraft in their minds. However, different types of aircraft have been made throughout human history, and many of them look similar to the planes we see daily, some of them look as if they came straight out of sci-fi fiction. Today, we’re going to take a look at 30 unique aircraft that you should take a look at.

Lockheed XFV-1 Tailsitter

The Lockheed XFV-1 Tailsitter, also known as the “Salmon,” was an experimental prototype that was designed by Lockheed. Its idea sprung from a proposal issued by the U.S navy in 1948.

They proposed a plane that’s capable of vertical landing and takeoff atop conventional ships. However, this project was canceled in 1955 because they realized that the aircraft’s top velocity wasn’t even close to what the other contemporary crafts could pull off.

Vought V-173

This Vought aircraft was developed as a part of an experiment known as the Vought XF5U “The Flapjack Program”, and these were conducted during World War II.

There were multiple aircraft of the same V series, but most were prototypes built of wood and canvas. These were designed by Charles H. Zimmerman, who later received funding from the US Navy. Although one aircraft was made of metal, it never went into a controlled flight and the project was canceled.

McDonnell Douglas X-36

McDonnell Douglas X-36 has been in development for some time. Its first flight was in 1997. It lacked the empennage that you’d see on most aircraft. It was also built to 28% scale of a regular fighter aircraft.

This small aircraft was to be controlled by a pilot on the ground through a virtual cockpit – his sight would’ve been provided by a camera installed aboard the aircraft.

Edgley Optica

The Edgley Optica is a British light aircraft that resembles a dragonfly. It’s got a loiter speed of 130 km/h and a stall speed of 108 km/h. It was designed to be a replacement for helicopters for observational work.

Although it passed flight tests, there were two crash reports of this aircraft. However, no technical fault of the plane was found in either of the reports, so it’s being used even today.