What do y'all think?

[Hoomi]

Stumbled onto this little gem on Youtube - another early aviation concept that didn't pan out (partly because, at the time, they still didn't know enough about the dynamics of ducted fans). Think this basic design would make for an interesting design/build challenge?

 

[Vimana89]

Stumbled onto this little gem on Youtube - another early aviation concept that didn't pan out (partly because, at the time, they still didn't know enough about the dynamics of ducted fans). Think this basic design would make for an interesting design/build challenge?

I'm not sure it would make a good challenge for multiple people to participate in to build the exact same plane. This would make a really cool build project though. I have seen a couple of these on YouTube flying very well, even a little 3D hovering. There is some thrust vectoring inherent to the design that makes it awesome👍.

 

[earthquake]

Do "Inrunner" motors have a shaft on both ends? you could put a prop on both ends to move more air, use 3 blade props.
You could make it look like a "Foot Ball"!

Casey

 

[sprzout]

Those things were crazy looking planes. It's amazing what sorts of concepts were being developed just 30 years after the Wrights had taken off at Kitty Hawk; this was one of those crazy propeller driven designs that actually flew.

 

[Brett_N]

Been there built that. It's called the Stipa Caproni.

It flew, but not very well. You need to extend something (yardstick?) out in front of the motor to get the CG anywhere close to something fly-able.

 

[Brett_N]

FWIW - the FT Cruiser donated the wings and tail feathers. There's yard-stick spanning between the wings, through the fuze, and the motor mounts to that.

The body tube is 20" long ( 2 sheets of DTFB) and it all came out within a percent point of being true to the original