The nice thing about an inflatable airplane, is that it is nearly impossible to damage it, even when traditionally built aircraft might be totaled from a hard landing.
I always liked this concept and I never understood why no one picked it up and produced it for general aviation! And yes, after war the US was capable of developing and realizing new ideas. Today that spirit is totally broken!
I spent more than 3 decades with a massive amount of passion for this project, but sadly, all to no avail! And when it comes to flying cars, why not just use inflatable wings and tail section?
@ that is a true pity, particular with nowadays technology it could be an awesome thing to have. Perhaps taking a trip to China could make a difference!😉 If we soon see inflatable drones on the night skies of New Jersey, we will have undeniable proof they read our conversation,eh⁉️ Cheers and the very best wishes, from 🇨🇦
All innovation comes at a cost. If airplanes had never been invented until right now, they would probably never gain any approval from the government. But if there is any chance at all that VTOL’s for people will ever be approved, this should be a walk in the park. What’s going to happen these things start falling out of the sky? A catapult launched vehicle won’t do that.
Actually, rigidity wasn’t an issue, it was as stout as a whitewater raft, and nearly as tough. I think that a downed airman, struggling to mix the two components adequately and then get it inside of the envelope before it began to solidify would have been difficult, I’ve used that stuff many, many times, and it doesn’t take long before it hardens. Different temperatures would further exacerbate the problem.
As I understand it, the plane did have some operational and reliability issues. Would have been a reasonable escape vehicle, but helicopter rescue was a more viable option by the time the plane could have been manufactured. The plane was never suitable for domestic use under any circumstances.
In the late 1970’s, I managed to get in touch with the project engineer at Good Year. He was one of these really old guys that they probably kept around out of kindness. When I tried to get any information out of him, he was incredibly tight-lipped, because even then, some 2+ decades later, he was still bitter about the way the [project ended. He said all the negative issues were related to this being so new, and like anything of such nature, it takes time to “work out the bugs”.The Army and Good Year dropped the project before it was fully developed. I still think they would make fabulous accessories for yachts!
The project engineer that I spoke to about this in the mid-1970’s, would heartily agree with you, he was adamant that it should have been commercialized!
That's pretty cool. I didn't know the army had done this.
I think I'll stick with my aluminum framed airplane though.
The nice thing about an inflatable airplane, is that it is nearly impossible to damage it, even when traditionally built aircraft might be totaled from a hard landing.
I always liked this concept and I never understood why no one picked it up and produced it for general aviation!
And yes, after war the US was capable of developing and realizing new ideas. Today that spirit is totally broken!
I spent more than 3 decades with a massive amount of passion for this project, but sadly, all to no avail! And when it comes to flying cars, why not just use inflatable wings and tail section?
@ that is a true pity, particular with nowadays technology it could be an awesome thing to have. Perhaps taking a trip to China could make a difference!😉 If we soon see inflatable drones on the night skies of New Jersey, we will have undeniable proof they read our conversation,eh⁉️ Cheers and the very best wishes, from 🇨🇦
@@TheFlamingBrain703 Because with wings and tail, it is no longer a car.
Now I know where the inflatable paddle board gets its roots. Love the ending. 👍👍👍
Imagine for a moment, flexible radar absorbing skin and electric power.
it is kind of cool but also a bit scary.
the powered paraglider is sort of related to this. The wing is inflated by the moving air rather than by a compressor.
*Can you imagine the headache of getting this through the various regulators TODAY? That's a big problem with innovation, some desk cluck says no.*
All innovation comes at a cost. If airplanes had never been invented until right now, they would probably never gain any approval from the government. But if there is any chance at all that VTOL’s for people will ever be approved, this should be a walk in the park. What’s going to happen these things start falling out of the sky? A catapult launched vehicle won’t do that.
Instead of inflating it with co2 or air. use expanding foam. it is intended to be a one time use. the foam would make it ridged.
Actually, rigidity wasn’t an issue, it was as stout as a whitewater raft, and nearly as tough. I think that a downed airman, struggling to mix the two components adequately and then get it inside of the envelope before it began to solidify would have been difficult, I’ve used that stuff many, many times, and it doesn’t take long before it hardens. Different temperatures would further exacerbate the problem.
As I understand it, the plane did have some operational and reliability issues. Would have been a reasonable escape vehicle, but helicopter rescue was a more viable option by the time the plane could have been manufactured. The plane was never suitable for domestic use under any circumstances.
In the late 1970’s, I managed to get in touch with the project engineer at Good Year. He was one of these really old guys that they probably kept around out of kindness. When I tried to get any information out of him, he was incredibly tight-lipped, because even then, some 2+ decades later, he was still bitter about the way the [project ended. He said all the negative issues were related to this being so new, and like anything of such nature, it takes time to “work out the bugs”.The Army and Good Year dropped the project before it was fully developed. I still think they would make fabulous accessories for yachts!
An interesting video spoiled by rather poor audio, esp the music.
Sorry, I didn’t make the original, that Italian music was already there.
Imagine for a moment, turning the telly off before doing your interesting commentary...
That’s the problem with this brain disease, it sometimes has me unaware of what is going on around me…
*P.S what idiot down voted this. Shame on you!*
The project engineer that I spoke to about this in the mid-1970’s, would heartily agree with you, he was adamant that it should have been commercialized!
Michelin tire man.