In a TH-cam aviation enthusiast video ecosystem filled with robo-voiced, AI generated slop, it's so refreshing to see entertaining and informative content voiced by a real human and inflected with equal parts humor and real aviation knowledge. Thank you!
The "humor" part is questionable (especially to my teen daughters, lol) but I really appreciate the kind feedback, thank you! I haven't had the time to explore it yet but I'll be doing live videos soon, stay tuned! Let's geek out on aviation oddities in real time! 👍
@@aircraftadventures-vids - I absolutely agree with @marchills4131. I was impressed that the thumbnail was in fact, a real aircraft with a rather unfortunate name. You have a new subscriber. Looking forward to more videos.
My wife and I just bought a new dishwasher from a German salesman. I wondered why he always put a lot of emphasis when he told us it has a "THIRD RACK!".
This is the first time a video promises me 10 unknown/oddball planes and actually delivers on that promise. You have earned my respect and subscription, thank you!
Appreciate the kind words! I recently got stuck on curating new content then it dawned upon my I literally got a huge arsenal saved from my extensive collection of posts on Instagram over the years, and this is the result. So hang tight there will be plenty more coming down the pipeline!
The Eagle X was a quickie. It was built to familiarise the producers with composite processes, not as a prototype of the eagle. I was operating my 172 at The Oaks private airstrip and the producers set up there for a while. Just as a casual observer it seemed that there were more salesmen than engineers.
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Yup, that would probably yield enough material to warrant a video on its own. I have a personal connection to the Shorts planes...my dad was sales director for Shorts Brothers in the mid 80s. In fact he brought me along with him for a sales demo tour, flying on a S360 from Washington DC to Naples, FL and making a couple of stops along the way. I sat in the copilot seat on some of the flights but at only 8 years old I couldn't see for a lick in front of me without a bunch of cushions, lol. Good times though. It was really a weird plane. And probably the tallest cabin ever built for a turboprop!
@@aircraftadventures-vids Oh wow! That's great. Definitely put that story in the video: nothing like a personal touch, and that's not in ANY reference book. I'm a what-if model maker: I've done a model of a Skyvan on skis serving with the British Antarctic Survey instead of their Twin Otters, and years ago I started, but didn't finish, a Skyvan-based helicopter model with a Kaman-style intermeshing dual rotor ("The Five-Tom Bumble Bee..."). Both built from Airfix 1/72nd Skyvan models. I keep lobbying Airfix to bring it back in their Vintage Classics range, but no luck so far.
@@MrHws5mp That's really cool! I love "what-if's", do you have a social media account where I can see your work? I used to follow a FB page run by a friend from France that specialized in photoshop "frankenplanes", one of my favorite creations was a Shorts 360 amphibian. I even dabbled myself and created some silly planes, like a trigear DC-3 and retractible-gear Stearman.
@@AlanpittsS2b Yes! I LOVE the Verner engines and how they fit like a glove on so many nice homebuilts (kitfox, replicas, etc) Plus they somehow sound 10x more powerful than they are. Good on you, post some videos of your progress!
@ yep the verner is neat. My dad has used one for a long time and I very much prefer them over rotec. I’ve seen and heard many horror stories of rotec engine failures in flight and some even causing crashes. Then their customer service is said to be awful. Some people are happy with them but there are many who are not
Thanks Brad! Yeah I'm slowly going through my extensive collection of IG posts over the years and "youtubizing" them. Figure a lot of folks would like to see them.
I fly a Pitts and a yak55m. It is amazing how after the fundamental of flight was figured out the size and shape of air frames changed so quickly and evolved.
@ they are both great in their own ways. The Pitts is more of a challenge landing and with visuals in approach. The yak overall is a bit more capable in aerobatics but the operating cost of the engine is more. I really wanted an extra or edge but I do not have 300k to invest in one and for a yak being under 100k they are amazing and capable for the money.
Someone probably already mentioned it but the Sprat 107 flying boat in the video had a VW engine shown. That was the most interesting to me. So cool Thanks, DS
Can you make a video on the Nemuth Parasol Disc Wing Airplane? It is quite strange. I would love to see more information about it. I want to build an RC version.
Thanks for the video.....good fun :) Evident a ton of work went into it. My fav discontinued "oddball plane"? - Beechcraft Starship. Never flown one, but fortunate have gotten a peek inside a few times.
Yeah the Starship is insanely cool, and even more insane is that someone is still keeping one flying! (based in AZ I think?). Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks!
I had a Konieg engine in an ultralight, it blew up, luckily I had altitude an was on floats above lots of lakes. Ultimately I dead sticked in front of my summer home, Rotax was the fix
@@aircraftadventures-vids You know the US used a special near silent spy plane like this in Vietnam with a realy weird drive system. Again a modified glider it was a lockheed Curtis's Wright project..built for the CIA 🤫 called the Q star's When you see one you will be impressed 😁😉🧙🏼♂️ Theres the Beriev Be3 wet wing Amphibious Aircraft .. there are some really cool Russian light sporting Amphibians with unsual empinage and engine configurations that are also suprisingly attractive. There was also the NZ Sherewater .. another atractive pusher powered Amphibian with a V tail.
The Meta-Sokol has a good reputation among those who are lucky enough to have flown them. I think the Nomad is good looking in a strange way. It was originally designed for the Royal Flying Doctor Service as a flying ambulance to replace the de Havilland DHA3 Drover.
The MS isn't bad looking, and I really like inline engines (in fact one of my favorite twins is the Aero 145). Also correct on the Nomad, it was built for domestic use but if I recall, they did try to market it abroad. But the poor choice of Allison turbines didn't help its image.
I remember the last plane from the 1970's (Sawyer Sky Jacker). Sawyer tried to interest the Canadian military in having many and many of these built cheaply and using them as ground attack against Soviet armor .... they did not accept his proposal.
The metasokol, how about the Champion "Sky Trac"..... had the tail wheel at the mid point of the fuselage....which one was built first??? Neat video and some interesting " Critters "! Thanks!🤗
really cool, never had knowledge of most of these. I saw the Nomad in north Australia with government markings, a nose radome and presumed it was used for coastal maritime patrol.
This is the first time I've seen your videos and I also enjoy unusual aircraft designs. I subscribed and will now start watching what else you have featured. One plane I like is the Shorts 330(?) boxy cargo plane. We have a few of them here in Alaska. I will see if you have put out something on it already.
I have not, but Shorts aircraft have been highly recommended. They're definitely a crowd pleaser. I got quite a bit of time as a passenger in the S360 as my dad was sales director for Short Brothers in the 80s and took me along for a demo flight along the east coast. That plane was a mammoth, compared to other commuters from the time.
@@aircraftadventures-vids That's really neat and quite a coincidence that your father worked for Shorts and you got to fly in a 360. I just did a search and I realize I didn't mean the 330, it was the original Skyvan (SC.7) that I've seen here. The longer 330 was a cleaner and larger plane that I also like but I really like the stubby bush plane look of the Skyvan.
@@JagLite Ah yes the Skyvan. I live near KFLL and up till about 15 years ago we had this local Skyvan operating daily to the Bahamas. Very loud with its 3-blade prop, hard to miss. Was also very raggedy looking. Then I think it was decommissioned, but I think the airframe is still laying around somewhere at FLL. Well, recently I found out that this SAME Skyvan was used to toss political enemies to their death in Argentina, back in the 70s. Someone who researched the incident traced to airframe back to the same one at FLL.
Not quite my 1900-1950 area. An your right, I hadn't heard of a couple, 4 or 5 of them. Been toying with idea like the Sprat, an Amphib but, on a pension, now. Thanks m8!
Experimental ultralight junkie from the 80s. If it flies. And I have clean shorts after the landing I'm cool with it. If I get to fly 1/10 the planes and hours that Kermit has flown. Would be amazing.
Minor correction, it's BEEcraft (but I'm sure most people say "beechcraft" when they see the V-tail, lol.) Interesting designs, but there's scant information or photos on them. I think I might have posted about them on my IG years ago.
I inspected a Meta-Sokol in Australia, in 1978. It used tail feathers (and part of the rear fuselage) from an L-13 Blanik glider, which probably accounted for the "reverse tricycle " arrangement, because the Blanik rear fuselage was too lightly built to take the loads from a conventional tailwheel. It was powered by a Walther M332 engine, with a variable-pitch propeller. The M332 had a supercharger that shared its gearing with the electric starter, so it developed 140 hp (at sea level) for takeoff, and 115 HP with the supercharged stopped. It cruised at 115 knots, so it is one of the very few aircraft that could carry 4 adults on 1 horsepower per knot. Unfortunately, it had rather small fuel capacity, which limited its utility in Australia.
Good work... Now please regale us with a listing of planes for a category called 'So Ugly They're Beautiful'. Planes that actually entered production. Some of the nominees could include the Fairey Gannett, the Mcdonnell Demon, the Vought 'Gutless' Cutlass, and the pudgy Brewster Buffalo...It's all an opinion of course...😃
All cool planes but I usually focus more on civilian planes, given that there's tons of TH-cam channels that focus on military products and cover all of these. But tx for the reco's.
The 620 was a MONSTER! Possibly only paralleled by the Piper Pocono in size. I could include it in a future video, sure. Just not sure how to categorize it. Maybe a video on "unknown Cessnas?" Hmm, I like the idea!
Glad I watched this, led me to discovering Ralph Sawyer. I'll enjoy reading up on his exploits. These kinds of lone aviation inventor stories are like pancakes and butter to me.
I remember the last plane (Sawyer Sky Jacker). Sawyer tried to interest the Canadian military in having many and many of these (Thousands I think) built cheaply and using them as ground attack against Soviet armor in case of a war.... they did not accept his proposal. I think I saw this on a Canadian TV program called W5 in the mid to late 1970's.
It might sound counterintuitive, but till this day, "conventional gear" STILL refers to taildraggers! I agree that at this point it would change, but that's still the way it is.
Whoever thought you can herd sheep from a plane neglected to speak to sheep farmers: Sheep don't look up. You can't even drive sheep from horseback because they don't look that high! Instead, people use dogs to move them.
That's cool. What I had not realized is how old it is, I just saw it was built from 1957-1959. It's pretty modern-looking, if you compare it to american counterparts from the same era.
Have seen the Prospector in the flesh, so to speak, and spoken with the owner, nice chap. It was at the 'Tail Draggers' day which is held regularly at the Hastings aerodrome in New Zealand. The pod part of the aircraft is very roomy.
The Eagle 150 was not good as a trainer because its safety characteristics would give the trainees habits that would not transfer to safely flying more conventional designs.
The N22 and N24 Nomads were used by the Australian army and the Royal Flying Doctor Service with the latter being employed because of its STOL performance and spacious cabin, I believe even the USA used a handful .... now .... there were AD's issued for the nomad to have the torque box beam in the tail strengthened and apparently the army had a habit of doing prolonged single engine high power runs before having the AD's addressed, something that was allegedly unfavourable to the structural integrity and what more than likely contributed to the less than stellar safety record. Mount cook airlines in New Zealand used the N24 for passenger transport for quite some time with no issues whatsoever and GippsAero were supposed to be relaunching Nomad production with different engines but nothing has eventuated to this point
The Nomad test pilot (Vic Walton) owned an N22B Floatmaster that he operated in the 1980s at Aquatic Airways in Sydney. Aquatic Airways also operated two Beavers. The Beavers were very busy, the Nomad, not so much.
Aeronca Champion... Found this on Wikipedia..." 7 JC Tri-Con.. Similar to 7 EC, but with reverse tricycle under carriage. However the acft may be converted to a standard tail wheel undercarriage & operated at a1500 # (680kg) gross weight. 25 were built. " Robert H. Spielman
Yes some great oddities - what about the Colomban MC100 Ban Bi - 2 place 80 HP could cruise at 150 kts and weighed just 445 lbs empty - or the Cr -Cri by the same designer - 175 lbs empty but fully aerobatic and 100kts on 2 x 15 hp engines
Thanks for the recos! The Bambi, while really sweet looking, is a bit to pedestrian for this kind of video. But the Cri Cri is a good candidate for sure.
The MC100 looks conventional but is exceptional - what other 80 HP plane can carry two people , cruise at 150 kts ( 180kts max ) and weigh 445 lbs empty ? That takes real engineering ! and that's the uniqueness
I assume you're referring to the one I quickly pointed out at 1:36 - yes you are correct! The mighty Aitruk - check out that video when you get a chance: th-cam.com/video/crk7zskslmU/w-d-xo.html
@@aircraftadventures-vids Thank you plenty for your reply. Apologies for not nominating the said aircraft in my statement. And thank you for the link. Awesome that you made an entire video on this little known but iconic aeroplane. I live here (Australia) and I had no idea that this airplane is indigenous to these lands. 🙏🏾
How would you describe the Eagle 150? Tandem-wing sesquiplane? The Spratt was in the Jane's Pocket Book of Home-Built Aircraft (1977). It has a lot of strange and generally primitive looking aircraft, just about the weirdest looking being the Aerocar Mini-Imp. You missed a bet in not including the Mini-Imp. Surprisingly, the Sawyer Skyjacker wasn't in the book, but I saw it in Pop Sci in the 1970s.
As to the Eagle, that sounds pretty accurate (sesquiplane). As far as the Jane's Book, never heard of that edition but I'd LOVE to get my hands on it! I owned a complete 1983-1984 edition Jane's Book, the thing was massive and it's a big part of why I'm so obsessive about obscure planes. Our public library carries a huge collection of Jane's books but sadly they're reference only, can't take them home.
I've seen the TT62 Alekto as static display at the ILA Berlin back in the day. Looked cool (I was a kid and everything with wings looked cool to me back then). They had to move the engine nacelles from their initial layout because of strong airframe vibrations. As far as i know there never was a real interest in this aircraft when it comes to potential buyers.
The TT62 was one of those planes that you, upon first seeing it, stare at , one eye a-squint and head a-tilt, rub your chin meaningfully, and ask yourself the rhetorical question 'Why????'.
I recall the Zipper from my Jane's aircraft book from the mid 80s! I presume not too many were built, it's hard to find info on it. But I guess it's what started the Zenair line of aircraft. As to the Lazair, I featured it in a recent video, check it out: th-cam.com/video/bpYFmT7WMEs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=05C8rL0rilk5pVMZ
Which aircraft you referring to? I tested a few thumbnails since Friday. The Glass Goose in my list for a future video. Very advanced for the time but I read it had some ugly shortcomings too.
Looks as if he purposely pushed the tail wheel into the water to slow the aircraft. Certainly worked. Nearing retirement from mind numbing airline flying, I sure wish I had had a career doing this sort of work. Unfortunately it doesn’t pay well.
Not sure I agree with that, being that 330 and 360 cruised at above 200 kts so the gear would likely slow it down a bit. The Skyvan was fixed gear but far slower.
@@aircraftadventures-vids the video that talked about a video game that I don't want to talk about or else I get in trouble it offends me because I got banned from the platform on February 25 of 2023. If you'd be so kind to remove that section I will remove the dislike.
Uh, there was no such thing as an "iPhone" in the 1960s! Those were films from movie cameras! There weren't even any video cameras available to the public at that time. I'll stop there. Where you find some of these aviation nightmares is beyond me. LOL
Guess my weak attempt at humor soared high above some heads. Most of my latest content from these compilations derives from stuff I posted on IG over the years.
Surprised that none of the planes in this video were French. You could have included the Aviasud Mistral (a biplane with forward swept wings), the Leduc ramjet planes (the whole fuselage was a giant engine, with the cockpit inside it), or the Max Holste Broussard (when you copy someone else's homework and change one detail so the teacher doesn't notice)
You know, a french design ALMOST made the cut and it was none that you mentioned: the Jurca Silas (go look it up). But it will certainly make the next video. Anyways, the french produced a ton of amazing designs and I have featured some on previous videos. In fact, I think a single video on the history of the Pou de Ciel alone would be worth doing! And btw, others have suggested the Mistral as well...it's been added to my list 👍🇫🇷
Oof, is it? And I'm a huge aircooled VW nut, that would be embarrassing to let that get past me. Upon further examination, you might be right. Maybe the original version had a Merc.
In a TH-cam aviation enthusiast video ecosystem filled with robo-voiced, AI generated slop, it's so refreshing to see entertaining and informative content voiced by a real human and inflected with equal parts humor and real aviation knowledge. Thank you!
The "humor" part is questionable (especially to my teen daughters, lol) but I really appreciate the kind feedback, thank you! I haven't had the time to explore it yet but I'll be doing live videos soon, stay tuned! Let's geek out on aviation oddities in real time! 👍
@@aircraftadventures-vids - I absolutely agree with @marchills4131. I was impressed that the thumbnail was in fact, a real aircraft with a rather unfortunate name. You have a new subscriber. Looking forward to more videos.
3:57 Three things to never ask:
1. a man's income
2. a woman's age
3. a German why grandpa lives in Argentina...😂
Lol!
Good one... Wish I'd thought of it.
My wife and I just bought a new dishwasher from a German salesman. I wondered why he always put a lot of emphasis when he told us it has a "THIRD RACK!".
@@derekheuring2984 Get the warranty. My father fought that rack for a winter and spring and they just fall apart.
@Cuccos19 - My first thought when I heard that. When was he living in Germany?
This is the first time a video promises me 10 unknown/oddball planes and actually delivers on that promise.
You have earned my respect and subscription, thank you!
Appreciate the kind words! I recently got stuck on curating new content then it dawned upon my I literally got a huge arsenal saved from my extensive collection of posts on Instagram over the years, and this is the result. So hang tight there will be plenty more coming down the pipeline!
@@aircraftadventures-vids Keep 'em coming!
The Eagle X was a quickie. It was built to familiarise the producers with composite processes, not as a prototype of the eagle. I was operating my 172 at The Oaks private airstrip and the producers set up there for a while. Just as a casual observer it seemed that there were more salesmen than engineers.
Thanks for helping clear that up! Makes 100% sense.
Great video, loved the 1960's I phone comment.
Glad the cheesy joke didn't get an eye rolls!
Outstanding Video Presentation. Fascinating subjects. Well Done Sir.
Thanks, and glad you enjoyed it
...NOTHING TO SEE HERE BUT AWSOMENESS...👍
Thanks!
Just when I was starting to worry I'd seen it all...New subscriber..thanks and keep up the good work.
Thanks for the sub! There's definitely more rare stuff I'll be sharing soon...stay tuned!
Can I thank you now?
Absolutely fascinating aircraft. Much apreesh AA!
And thank you for watching! Had fun putting this together.
Nice. Thanks. The Spratt was genius.
Indeed! Would be nice if someone kept it going.
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Nice compilation + well documented + pleasant voice !
Thank you so much 😀
Since you like the boxy, practical Nomad, why not do a video on the Shorts Skyvan/330/360, in many ways the ultimate "flying panel van"?
Yup, that would probably yield enough material to warrant a video on its own. I have a personal connection to the Shorts planes...my dad was sales director for Shorts Brothers in the mid 80s. In fact he brought me along with him for a sales demo tour, flying on a S360 from Washington DC to Naples, FL and making a couple of stops along the way. I sat in the copilot seat on some of the flights but at only 8 years old I couldn't see for a lick in front of me without a bunch of cushions, lol. Good times though. It was really a weird plane. And probably the tallest cabin ever built for a turboprop!
@@aircraftadventures-vids Oh wow! That's great. Definitely put that story in the video: nothing like a personal touch, and that's not in ANY reference book.
I'm a what-if model maker: I've done a model of a Skyvan on skis serving with the British Antarctic Survey instead of their Twin Otters, and years ago I started, but didn't finish, a Skyvan-based helicopter model with a Kaman-style intermeshing dual rotor ("The Five-Tom Bumble Bee..."). Both built from Airfix 1/72nd Skyvan models. I keep lobbying Airfix to bring it back in their Vintage Classics range, but no luck so far.
@@MrHws5mp That's really cool! I love "what-if's", do you have a social media account where I can see your work? I used to follow a FB page run by a friend from France that specialized in photoshop "frankenplanes", one of my favorite creations was a Shorts 360 amphibian. I even dabbled myself and created some silly planes, like a trigear DC-3 and retractible-gear Stearman.
John Roncz prototype model looks awesome. Need more info on that!!
Catbird, maybe?
The world needs more small radial powered planes.
No doubt! But I'll say the eastern european countries have done a great job at keeping them going
I am building a sopwith camel from the airdrome company and using a verner radial instead of a rotary. So in about a year there will be one more lol.
@@AlanpittsS2b Yes! I LOVE the Verner engines and how they fit like a glove on so many nice homebuilts (kitfox, replicas, etc) Plus they somehow sound 10x more powerful than they are. Good on you, post some videos of your progress!
@ yep the verner is neat. My dad has used one for a long time and I very much prefer them over rotec. I’ve seen and heard many horror stories of rotec engine failures in flight and some even causing crashes. Then their customer service is said to be awful. Some people are happy with them but there are many who are not
For small radials ... the Pobjoy geared radial based aircraft family take some beating ...including the notorious Fleet Shadower.
Awesome video. Anyone who loves all things aviation must see. Thank you for making.
Glad you enjoyed it! Keeps me motivated to working on a new ones. 👍
Love these videos. Been a Wingnut since the 60s. First time behind a stick 1980. I love your channel. Always drawn to odd planes cars trucks ect.
Hey, thanks for watching!
Great video Richard. It's like you've hacked in to my photos file. I've had those saved for many years , as well. Keep the "odd" content coming!
Thanks Brad! Yeah I'm slowly going through my extensive collection of IG posts over the years and "youtubizing" them. Figure a lot of folks would like to see them.
Winner! thanks for sharing, gracias
Thanks for watching! Abrazos
Quality content. Subscribed !
Thank you!!!
Every time a plane manufacturer mentions "air taxi", run in the other direction!
I just discovered your channel. Instant subscription! Thanks!
Welcome aboard! Thanks for the sub, and when you got some time check out the other vids!
I can only have admiration and wonder for anyone that is able to design/engineer and buld an aircraft.
Likewise!
I fly a Pitts and a yak55m. It is amazing how after the fundamental of flight was figured out the size and shape of air frames changed so quickly and evolved.
That's awesome! what's your take on both aircraft? I mean, how do they compare, in terms of handling?
@ they are both great in their own ways. The Pitts is more of a challenge landing and with visuals in approach. The yak overall is a bit more capable in aerobatics but the operating cost of the engine is more. I really wanted an extra or edge but I do not have 300k to invest in one and for a yak being under 100k they are amazing and capable for the money.
Someone probably already mentioned it but the Sprat 107 flying boat in the video had a VW engine shown. That was the most interesting to me. So cool Thanks, DS
Yeah it was brought up and it sure seems like it, after a closer look. Well, that's fine by me, I'm huge aircooled VW nut!
And would not have been recorded on an "I-Phone from the 1960's"
@ why not?
Bro's gonna take us entering the holy grail of uncanny and odds aircraft we never heard of before
Enter at your own risk! Thanks for watching
Cool video - put out by a real person?!
That and the Gyro Captain avatar earned a subscribe!
Much appreciated! Yeah I'm real (at least, I think i am) Gyro captain's my favorite aviation character, hence my avatar.
Fascinating video, well done!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks
Can you make a video on the Nemuth Parasol Disc Wing Airplane? It is quite strange. I would love to see more information about it. I want to build an RC version.
Sure I can drop that one into my list. I have to admit that whatever info is out there on it, is all I'll be able to obtain.
Thanks for the video.....good fun :)
Evident a ton of work went into it.
My fav discontinued "oddball plane"? - Beechcraft Starship.
Never flown one, but fortunate have gotten a peek inside a few times.
Yeah the Starship is insanely cool, and even more insane is that someone is still keeping one flying! (based in AZ I think?). Glad you enjoyed the video, thanks!
I had a Konieg engine in an ultralight, it blew up, luckily I had altitude an was on floats above lots of lakes.
Ultimately I dead sticked in front of my summer home, Rotax was the fix
Oof, and I thought it was common knowledge the old rotax 2-strokes would seize up. Sounds like this one was worse?
@@aircraftadventures-vids
You know the US used a special near silent spy plane like this in Vietnam with a realy weird drive system.
Again a modified glider it was a lockheed Curtis's Wright project..built for the CIA 🤫 called the Q star's
When you see one you will be impressed 😁😉🧙🏼♂️
Theres the Beriev Be3 wet wing Amphibious Aircraft .. there are some really cool Russian light sporting Amphibians with unsual empinage and engine configurations that are also suprisingly attractive.
There was also the NZ Sherewater .. another atractive pusher powered Amphibian with a V tail.
The Meta-Sokol has a good reputation among those who are lucky enough to have flown them. I think the Nomad is good looking in a strange way. It was originally designed for the Royal Flying Doctor Service as a flying ambulance to replace the de Havilland DHA3 Drover.
The MS isn't bad looking, and I really like inline engines (in fact one of my favorite twins is the Aero 145). Also correct on the Nomad, it was built for domestic use but if I recall, they did try to market it abroad. But the poor choice of Allison turbines didn't help its image.
Thanks for the Fascinatin' post. MIght start saving up for one of these beasties.
Thanks for watching!
This is a very entertaining and informative video. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the kind words!
Stopped in for a peek, stayed to the end 👍❤️
Hey, thanks!!
"Stall-proof" usually comes with a deadly tradeoff: unrecoverable spins.
iPhone from the 60’s 😂😂😂😂
I'll keep my day job, lol
I remember the last plane from the 1970's (Sawyer Sky Jacker). Sawyer tried to interest the Canadian military in having many and many of these built cheaply and using them as ground attack against Soviet armor .... they did not accept his proposal.
That's wild, didn't know about that. Sort of like a mass-produced ground attack aircraft?
@@aircraftadventures-vids Yah, it was an intriguing idea of sorts. The Canadian program that aired it was I believe called W5.
excellent video
Glad you liked it!
The metasokol, how about the Champion "Sky Trac"..... had the tail wheel at the mid point of the fuselage....which one was built first??? Neat video and some interesting " Critters "! Thanks!🤗
I vaguely recall that! Is that the name though? Couldn't pull anything up in google
really cool, never had knowledge of most of these. I saw the Nomad in north Australia with government markings, a nose radome and presumed it was used for coastal maritime patrol.
Lake Argyle 0:51 my back yard
Woah lucky you!
Beautiful!
they should of used clips from "The Flying Doctors" tv show for the Nomad
I thought for sure you would have mentioned the PL-12 Airtruck or Blumm and Voss 141?😆
No need! I already covered the Airtruk in a previous video, check it out: th-cam.com/video/crk7zskslmU/w-d-xo.html
16:05 Small wingspan, easy to fit in the garage XD
True!
This is the first time I've seen your videos and I also enjoy unusual aircraft designs.
I subscribed and will now start watching what else you have featured.
One plane I like is the Shorts 330(?) boxy cargo plane.
We have a few of them here in Alaska.
I will see if you have put out something on it already.
I have not, but Shorts aircraft have been highly recommended. They're definitely a crowd pleaser. I got quite a bit of time as a passenger in the S360 as my dad was sales director for Short Brothers in the 80s and took me along for a demo flight along the east coast. That plane was a mammoth, compared to other commuters from the time.
@@aircraftadventures-vids That's really neat and quite a coincidence that your father worked for Shorts and you got to fly in a 360. I just did a search and I realize I didn't mean the 330, it was the original Skyvan (SC.7) that I've seen here. The longer 330 was a cleaner and larger plane that I also like but I really like the stubby bush plane look of the Skyvan.
@@JagLite Ah yes the Skyvan. I live near KFLL and up till about 15 years ago we had this local Skyvan operating daily to the Bahamas. Very loud with its 3-blade prop, hard to miss. Was also very raggedy looking. Then I think it was decommissioned, but I think the airframe is still laying around somewhere at FLL. Well, recently I found out that this SAME Skyvan was used to toss political enemies to their death in Argentina, back in the 70s. Someone who researched the incident traced to airframe back to the same one at FLL.
@@aircraftadventures-vids That's horrendous. Evil people doing evil things.
Knot an odd ball . I would say under appreciated ❤️ my favorite aircraft is the Beachcraft Starship thanks to Burt Ratan
The Starship is seriously a hot plane!
A couple of operators in Alaska used the Nomad for a while.
Really? Never thought they'd make it on this side of the world
Interesting aircraft
Thanks for watching!
Not quite my 1900-1950 area. An your right, I hadn't heard of a couple, 4 or 5 of them. Been toying with idea like the Sprat, an Amphib but, on a pension, now. Thanks m8!
Thanks for watching!
Seen the last one sitting in mojave...been there for years. Cool vid.. gre a t info.
Thanks for watching!
Experimental ultralight junkie from the 80s. If it flies. And I have clean shorts after the landing I'm cool with it. If I get to fly 1/10 the planes and hours that Kermit has flown. Would be amazing.
Yeah, Kermit's got the life! I'm happy he shares with it with the rest of us (lots of POV videos on his channel).
Great stuff, thank you 🏍️🇨🇦
Glad you enjoyed it
The eagle sheep herder is almost always owned by pilots wearing tall boots.
With the pants tucked into the boots
Sweet!! Would love for you to go over the Beechcraft Queen Bee and Honey Bee!
Minor correction, it's BEEcraft (but I'm sure most people say "beechcraft" when they see the V-tail, lol.) Interesting designs, but there's scant information or photos on them. I think I might have posted about them on my IG years ago.
@@aircraftadventures-vids Hah, totally missed that there wasn't an 'h.'
I inspected a Meta-Sokol in Australia, in 1978. It used tail feathers (and part of the rear fuselage) from an L-13 Blanik glider, which probably accounted for the "reverse tricycle " arrangement, because the Blanik rear fuselage was too lightly built to take the loads from a conventional tailwheel. It was powered by a Walther M332 engine, with a variable-pitch propeller. The M332 had a supercharger that shared its gearing with the electric starter, so it developed 140 hp (at sea level) for takeoff, and 115 HP with the supercharged stopped. It cruised at 115 knots, so it is one of the very few aircraft that could carry 4 adults on 1 horsepower per knot. Unfortunately, it had rather small fuel capacity, which limited its utility in Australia.
Wow! You had me pulling up pics of the Blanik and sure enough, there's the tail! That's pretty cool, thanks for sharing that.
Mete Sokol has hints of a Ryan Navion IMO.
A tiny bit. But it's a lot smaller.
I would suggest the Custer Culver Channel wing
Good one, noted!
Good work... Now please regale us with a listing of planes for a category called 'So Ugly They're Beautiful'. Planes that actually entered production. Some of the nominees could include the Fairey Gannett, the Mcdonnell Demon, the Vought 'Gutless' Cutlass, and the pudgy Brewster Buffalo...It's all an opinion of course...😃
All cool planes but I usually focus more on civilian planes, given that there's tons of TH-cam channels that focus on military products and cover all of these. But tx for the reco's.
Would love to see a feature on the Cessna 620; sort of a 4-engine Cessna 310.
The 620 was a MONSTER! Possibly only paralleled by the Piper Pocono in size. I could include it in a future video, sure. Just not sure how to categorize it. Maybe a video on "unknown Cessnas?" Hmm, I like the idea!
Glad I watched this, led me to discovering Ralph Sawyer. I'll enjoy reading up on his exploits. These kinds of lone aviation inventor stories are like pancakes and butter to me.
I too appreciate these kinds of stories. Check out the Dyke Delta video, kind of similar life journey.
I remember the last plane (Sawyer Sky Jacker). Sawyer tried to interest the Canadian military in having many and many of these (Thousands I think) built cheaply and using them as ground attack against Soviet armor in case of a war.... they did not accept his proposal. I think I saw this on a Canadian TV program called W5 in the mid to late 1970's.
Nice list. 8:38 tricycle landing gear is conventional. Taildragger gear was conventional through the mid-1940s, but that was 80 years ago.
Conventional is still a term that refers to taildragger today in the aviation community.
@@anonymous12345678935 similar to a manual transmission is sometimes called a standard because the automatic was optional.
It might sound counterintuitive, but till this day, "conventional gear" STILL refers to taildraggers! I agree that at this point it would change, but that's still the way it is.
Whoever thought you can herd sheep from a plane neglected to speak to sheep farmers: Sheep don't look up.
You can't even drive sheep from horseback because they don't look that high! Instead, people use dogs to move them.
And that's the "dog-gone" truth!🐑
Wouldn't be the first time a company chases a solution to a problem
I watched Venca Smid and Lada Bezak fly the Metasokol at Dobra airport in Czechia. It was popular and attractive, my dad flew it too.
That's cool. What I had not realized is how old it is, I just saw it was built from 1957-1959. It's pretty modern-looking, if you compare it to american counterparts from the same era.
@ if you recall Bezak invented the Lomcovak.
Have seen the Prospector in the flesh, so to speak, and spoken with the owner, nice chap. It was at the 'Tail Draggers' day which is held regularly at the Hastings aerodrome in New Zealand. The pod part of the aircraft is very roomy.
Man I would LOVE to see one of these here in the states. I bet it would be a blast at Oshkosh, all the crowds it would draw.
The Eagle 150 was not good as a trainer because its safety characteristics would give the trainees habits that would not transfer to safely flying more conventional designs.
That makes 100% sense. It would be like learning to fly in a gyrocopter then switching to a Cessna 150. (maybe a little exaggerated, but still)
The N22 and N24 Nomads were used by the Australian army and the Royal Flying Doctor Service with the latter being employed because of its STOL performance and spacious cabin, I believe even the USA used a handful .... now .... there were AD's issued for the nomad to have the torque box beam in the tail strengthened and apparently the army had a habit of doing prolonged single engine high power runs before having the AD's addressed, something that was allegedly unfavourable to the structural integrity and what more than likely contributed to the less than stellar safety record. Mount cook airlines in New Zealand used the N24 for passenger transport for quite some time with no issues whatsoever and GippsAero were supposed to be relaunching Nomad production with different engines but nothing has eventuated to this point
Interesting, didn't know that
The Nomad test pilot (Vic Walton) owned an N22B Floatmaster that he operated in the 1980s at Aquatic Airways in Sydney. Aquatic Airways also operated two Beavers. The Beavers were very busy, the Nomad, not so much.
Actually, I have seen one of these 'Eagle' aircraft here in the U.S. It flew in to one of our Fly Ins here at KPPF in southeast kansas.
Might have been around the time I spotted it at Sun n Fun.
Aeronca Champion... Found this on Wikipedia..." 7 JC Tri-Con.. Similar to 7 EC, but with reverse tricycle under carriage. However the acft may be converted to a standard tail wheel undercarriage & operated at a1500 # (680kg) gross weight. 25 were built. " Robert H. Spielman
Thanks! Just looked it up..it's weird, lol
Yes some great oddities - what about the Colomban MC100 Ban Bi - 2 place 80 HP could cruise at 150 kts and weighed just 445 lbs empty - or the Cr -Cri by the same designer - 175 lbs empty but fully aerobatic and 100kts on 2 x 15 hp engines
Thanks for the recos! The Bambi, while really sweet looking, is a bit to pedestrian for this kind of video. But the Cri Cri is a good candidate for sure.
The MC100 looks conventional but is exceptional - what other 80 HP plane can carry two people , cruise at 150 kts ( 180kts max ) and weigh 445 lbs empty ? That takes real engineering ! and that's the uniqueness
This is the aeroplane featured in Mad Max 3 Beyond The Thunder Dome.
Happy to be corrected.
I assume you're referring to the one I quickly pointed out at 1:36 - yes you are correct! The mighty Aitruk - check out that video when you get a chance: th-cam.com/video/crk7zskslmU/w-d-xo.html
@@aircraftadventures-vids Thank you plenty for your reply. Apologies for not nominating the said aircraft in my statement.
And thank you for the link. Awesome that you made an entire video on this little known but iconic aeroplane.
I live here (Australia) and I had no idea that this airplane is indigenous to these lands.
🙏🏾
How would you describe the Eagle 150? Tandem-wing sesquiplane? The Spratt was in the Jane's Pocket Book of Home-Built Aircraft (1977). It has a lot of strange and generally primitive looking aircraft, just about the weirdest looking being the Aerocar Mini-Imp. You missed a bet in not including the Mini-Imp. Surprisingly, the Sawyer Skyjacker wasn't in the book, but I saw it in Pop Sci in the 1970s.
As to the Eagle, that sounds pretty accurate (sesquiplane). As far as the Jane's Book, never heard of that edition but I'd LOVE to get my hands on it! I owned a complete 1983-1984 edition Jane's Book, the thing was massive and it's a big part of why I'm so obsessive about obscure planes. Our public library carries a huge collection of Jane's books but sadly they're reference only, can't take them home.
@@aircraftadventures-vids Published in 1977. Edited by John W. Taylor.
I've seen the TT62 Alekto as static display at the ILA Berlin back in the day. Looked cool (I was a kid and everything with wings looked cool to me back then). They had to move the engine nacelles from their initial layout because of strong airframe vibrations. As far as i know there never was a real interest in this aircraft when it comes to potential buyers.
I guess an answer to a question that was never asked? I wish there was more information on the plane, it looks fascinating (if not a failure, lol)
The TT62 was one of those planes that you, upon first seeing it, stare at , one eye a-squint and head a-tilt, rub your chin meaningfully, and ask yourself the rhetorical question 'Why????'.
Zenair ZIPPER is interesting see Wikipedia, mine is featured. Cannot find another.
Lazair is another neat ultralight
I recall the Zipper from my Jane's aircraft book from the mid 80s! I presume not too many were built, it's hard to find info on it. But I guess it's what started the Zenair line of aircraft. As to the Lazair, I featured it in a recent video, check it out: th-cam.com/video/bpYFmT7WMEs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=05C8rL0rilk5pVMZ
Not bad. Some genuinely original content, here.
Thanks for watching! A lot more in the pipeline.
If it weren't for the tail dragger design, the design of the thumb nail reminds me of a glass goose amphibian.
Which aircraft you referring to? I tested a few thumbnails since Friday. The Glass Goose in my list for a future video. Very advanced for the time but I read it had some ugly shortcomings too.
Very cool, I thought I knew everything aviation……..I know nothing 😢about
Hey, I'm glad to help! and trust I'm always learning something new. What fun would it be if we all knew everything? lol
The Prosecutor looks like a flying guppy! 😂
What was up with the Helio at 1:14? It looked like it stalled tail first.
It's not a uncommon landing for an Helio especially if the gear is re-enforced. That video is from Alaska I think.
Looks as if he purposely pushed the tail wheel into the water to slow the aircraft. Certainly worked.
Nearing retirement from mind numbing airline flying, I sure wish I had had a career doing this sort of work. Unfortunately it doesn’t pay well.
11:00 I've got an idea for a WIG/flying hydrofoil cargo amphibian craft that leaves it's wing at the dock and drives away
Let's do it! Someone in Australia is also working on a small Wig.
11:54
Thats from down here in New Zealand.
Just up the road from me.😂
12:38 that's from New Zealand as well, Lake Tekapo.
Gotcha! And just as I mentioned that they were only sold in Australia. Oops..
OV10 Bronco, Super Tucano Plus other countries COIN aircraft.
As luck would have it, I have a list prepared of COIN aircraft prepared for another video!
@@aircraftadventures-vids- Great! Looking forward to seeing that video.👍
video on FMA pucara please
It's on my list but I see it's becoming a very popular topic here on youtube.
The 1st 1 reminds me of an airtruk before it was beat with an ugly stick. 😂
Is it even possible to beat an Airtruk harder with an ugly stick??
I enjoyed this video, thank you? The Shorts were another airplane with retractable gear… no reason to have retractable gear.
Not sure I agree with that, being that 330 and 360 cruised at above 200 kts so the gear would likely slow it down a bit. The Skyvan was fixed gear but far slower.
"iPhone in the 1960s" - get a head for history, man!
Get a sense of humor
I worked at eagle aircraft in Kwinana beach Western Australia in the early nineties it was great
Then they packed up and moved back to Malaysia
Thank you.
You're welcome!
The asian Nomad aircraft had Thai script on it's livery.
Skyjacker looks like it was enlarged from a 1950's control line model.
Good point
Mike Patey's
Modified Wilga looked like a Bird of Prey.
It sure did.
17:37 I did not enjoy the video it offended me.
mission accomplished!
@@aircraftadventures-vids the video that talked about a video game that I don't want to talk about or else I get in trouble it offends me because I got banned from the platform on February 25 of 2023. If you'd be so kind to remove that section I will remove the dislike.
Thank you! Too soon?😊
All good! And thank you back!
4:00 He built flying wings in Germany you say, then moved to Argentina you say? Was this in the mid to late 40s by any chance?😉
Lol, yup. A lot of germans made their way to south american in those days. Must have been the pleasant weather.
@@aircraftadventures-vids 😂
How about the adaliso pasmany 150 hp 150 mph smooth aircraftplans built .. van sydney australia like your presentations v.
I phone videos from the 1960's. ??? WHO KNEW ????
It's true!
Uh, there was no such thing as an "iPhone" in the 1960s! Those were films from movie cameras! There weren't even any video cameras available to the public at that time. I'll stop there.
Where you find some of these aviation nightmares is beyond me. LOL
Guess my weak attempt at humor soared high above some heads. Most of my latest content from these compilations derives from stuff I posted on IG over the years.
An iPhone in the 1960s 🤣 LOL
And some folks here actually disputing that there was no iPhone in the 60s. Seriously, I bet there was!
There's like 100 airplanes in this video!
the more, the merrier!
Surprised that none of the planes in this video were French. You could have included the Aviasud Mistral (a biplane with forward swept wings), the Leduc ramjet planes (the whole fuselage was a giant engine, with the cockpit inside it), or the Max Holste Broussard (when you copy someone else's homework and change one detail so the teacher doesn't notice)
You know, a french design ALMOST made the cut and it was none that you mentioned: the Jurca Silas (go look it up). But it will certainly make the next video. Anyways, the french produced a ton of amazing designs and I have featured some on previous videos. In fact, I think a single video on the history of the Pou de Ciel alone would be worth doing!
And btw, others have suggested the Mistral as well...it's been added to my list 👍🇫🇷
one little known fact: Max Holste was hired by Embraer to design the Bandeirante! (which is quickly shown in this video)
10:21 Ummm.... that's a VW...
Oof, is it? And I'm a huge aircooled VW nut, that would be embarrassing to let that get past me. Upon further examination, you might be right. Maybe the original version had a Merc.