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In the movie Fantomas raged, the main villain by pressing magic button in his car, turned it into a plane. From under the hood wings extended and Fantomas soared under his uterine “ha ha ha” to heaven, leaving once again in the fools of an indignant policeman Commissioner. But in reality, there were attempts to “cross” the plane and car? Yes, there were, and there have been many such attempts.
1917 year
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This “Autoplan” was built by one of the pioneers of aviation American Glenn Curtis. 100 hp, wingspan – 12m., to move both by air and by land, the autoplane should have been using the four-blade propeller mounted on the back. The autoplane never flew, the maximum of its achievements is a few short jumps. We mention him only because it was first try.
1937 year
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Created by Waldo Waterman, the “arrow car” flew. The wings were removable. This was the first truly flying model. Power engine – 100 hp, speed 200km / h in the air and 110 km / h on the ground. 3 units were built, and another 6 were ordered, but funded Studebaker company rejected it, citing high costs.
1940 year
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Jess Dixon’s car from Alabama could fly not only forward, but also backward, turn and soar in the air. It was riding helicopter. 40 hp engine allowed to accelerate to 160 km / h
1946 year
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Robert Fulton, relative of the creator of the steamer to get up Along with his famous ancestor, he built “Aerofibiya”. Six cylinders, 150 hp, 160km / h in the air and 80 km / h on the ground. Flying Fulton’s car was the first to receive a certificate from the Office US Civil Aviation. The car remained in the experimental instance because the constructor could not solve the problem further project financing.
1947 year
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Almost then, the company “Convair”, without further ado, simply welded the plane to the car. Tail, wings and propeller starred. The project is called “Winged Wheels.” Experienced the model made several successful flights and the company considered the manufacture of 160,000 winged wheels. However, the accident in California put an end to the ambitious project.
1971 year
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In the early 70’s, “Advanced Vehicle Engineers” decided to reanimate “Winged wheels.” Hybrid Ford Pinto and Cessna Skymaster received name is AVE Mizar. Everything happened exactly the same: in 1973 on In one of the demonstrations, the car lost its right wing right in the air. AVE Mizar crashed to the ground buried beneath itself designer-pilot Henry Smolinsky and Hope Advanced Vehicle Engineers’ on the mass production of a flying car.
1949-1995
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Molton Taylor’s “Aerocare” is most successful with technical point of view and the most “long-playing” project of a flying car. Taylor built the first model in 1949, inspired by Fulton’s “Aerophibia,” and second after him in 1956 certified its car at the US Civil Aviation Authority. All the details that turn a car into a plane Taylor carried with him in the trailer. The transformation took place within 3 minutes.
A photo from open sources
A photo from open sources
Taylor managed to sell 6 “Aerokarov”, in 1961 the company Ling-Temco-Vought was ready to start mass production apparatuses. A prerequisite was a minimum of 500 pre-orders. Received only 278. “Aerocar” was at 20 times more expensive than a standard car, naturally, he could not become “national”. In 1970, interest in the “Aerocar” showed “Ford Motor Company, “but the oil crisis hit, a massive Japanese invasion cars, and the Ford company was not up to the exotic.
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Taylor continued to improve his car, drove and flew on her, died in 1995, shortly before his death, creating the last modification of the “Aerocar”.
US Airplanes
