From the good folks at AvWeb, a story about the Swiss ultralight design that’s something like a cross between a hang glider and a powered parachute — and also bears a family resemblance to my ultimate fantasy aircraft, the Goodyear Inflatoplane. This was an otherwise conventional airplane which happened to have wings and a fusalage made out of inflatable rubber. The idea was that if one of your pilots bailed out behind enemy lines you could drop this to him and he could blow it up and fly it to safety. (Then, presumably, use it as a pool toy once he’d gotten back home.) Like many of the coolest ideas in aviation, it was a long way from practical. Here’s what it looked like:
If nothing else, one imagines that the crashes would be less than catastrophic.
Inflatables are really useful, from toys to uses in aircraft to other uses. The glider with inflatable rubber is really cool. See what people can always do everyday, people will never stop being wise. Thumbs up!
I am with you, I saw that Goodyear Inflatoplane and immediately GAGA I want one. If I could find one I would buy it. It makes so much sense to go inflatable because it moves closer to weightless. Especially when you are talking ultralight aircraft, why bring in a wing structure that just adds more weight, and the same goes for the fuselage. My thinking is that you do not need to take a house with you in order to fly. If you have not seen it there is an I’ve Got a Secret episode where you can tell Gary Moore loves the plane and says about the cockpit, “It is like being in my own little bed.” http://youtu.be/bdm9at83FFU
Doc Blake