Fantastic planes existing in reality

H4 Hercules

In 1942 the us government needed a large cargo plane, capable of transporting soldiers and equipment across the Atlantic ocean to Europe. A airline tycoon and billionaire Howard Hughes, set out to build this giant. What is most interesting, an army contract has forced the industrialist to work out the design where it won't be metal, a very scarce material during the war. Hughes accepted the challenge, but did not notify the government about the date of delivery of the project: airplane, nicknamed the Spruce Goose by the press, appeared only in 1947.

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Vought XF5U-1

After the attack on pearl Harbor, the Navy needed a plane that could take off and land in confined spaces such as the deck of an aircraft carrier. The result of years of design became the XF5U, the brainchild of Vought. "Flying pancake" had a big problem with balance and forever collapses to one edge. In principle, the entire project could be improved, but by the time the army chose to invest in much more promising jet planes.

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The Bartini VVA 14

VVA 14 was an experimental prototype seaplane, designed in the Soviet Union during the cold war. The designer of this whimsical Italian aircraft aeronautical engineer Robert Bartini worked in conjunction with the Soviet designer by Bergevin, well known for his passion for seaplanes. Model VVA 14 had to be able to take off from land and water (and in the vertical plane), to surf the ocean at high speed and to develop the same in the sky. Long approval of the project ended with the release of the single prototype. The last remaining VVA 14 still stands at the air force Museum in Monino, Moscow.

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K-7

The project of this dinosaur single-handedly developed a former military pilot, Konstantin Kalinin. The design of the aircraft was quite unorthodox, with a small Central part of the fuselage and a giant, thick, Crile. K-7 could carry a crew of 19 people, along with 16 tons of ammunition and 120 paratroopers placed in the giant wings. The first and only prototype made 7 test flights, the last of which ended in horrible accident that cost the lives of two dozen people.

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VZ9 Avrocar

VZ9 was the result of an experiment conducted by Avro Canada in conjunction with the us military. Engineers hoped to stealth aircraft, able to rise to the height of 32 kilometers and move at the same at a speed in excess of Mach 2. It is unclear exactly where miscalculated engineers, but ready to test Avrocar barely mastered a few meters up, and the speed will develop as much as 12 km/h.

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XF-85 Goblin

Goblin remains the smallest jet fighter ever produced. In 1950, the U.S. air force was working on a project carrier McDonell X-85, capable of transporting in the hold that such deadly crumbs. Length XF-85 just did not reach five meters. To compensate for not particularly impressive, it was equipped with four machine guns caliber .50. In the end, the USAF had from the project to be abandoned: the coordination problems, weak motor and limited military force was making a fighter in desperate need of aircraft of a potential enemy.

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Ekranoplan "LUN"-31

Ekranoplan "LUN" was something of a cross between a plane and a ship. Serious firepower, impressive speed, reliable protection — this project could become a very serious enemy and on the water and in the sky. However, the huge size did the winged easy target for fighters. At the end of 1980-ies of the Soviet air force began implementing another wig that the giants have worked together. An end to the ambitious project put the collapse of the Soviet Union. C-31 decommissioned in 1997. Now he is based at the naval base in Kaspiysk.

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