X Planes: Spend a Day in the Troposphere
Hey, Jean
This is Henry McClean
And I’ve finished my beautiful flying machine…
Via xplanes: The Magnus Spherical Airship prototype, 1982.
Don’t let anybody steer you different; Andrew B’s x planes Tumblr is straight-up anachro-airship porn. Andrew has been posting scores of “weird and wonderful aircraft pictures and stories found both on the web, and in print” over there for the better part of a year now. You can get lost in the archives for days:
“experimental aircraft. exotic aeromachines. oddities. sleek silver cigars. pedal-o-trons. soviet hive-mind bombers. aerial joy. the olden days. action shots. propaganda posters. etc.”
Where’s your fucking jet pack? You don’ need no steenkin’ jet pack when you’ve got a Gyrodyne Model GCA-55. While you’re dreaming, have some Convertawings. How about a Switchblade jet? Check out the wingless jet WASP, the Bat-Winged Cantaliver jet plane, the steam-powered Giffard. MmmnnggmpfffssSPLOOOOOGE.
Some more choice excerpts from x planes after the jump, but seriously, if you have a few minutes (or a few hours) to spare, just get over there and explore. Motherload.
The powerful Pratt-Whitney 135 Jet Engine.
“A Lewis gunner at action stations on the engine gantry of a North Sea type airship. Note the complete lack of any type of guardrail or safety line” (circa 1918)
Modern Mechanix and Inventions Magazine, 1935.
Hog is my copilot. 1909.
The trials and tribs of Sophie Blanchard, first female balloonist. 1819.
September 4th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
exactly this!
September 5th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Sweet find! I’d like to point out the Pratt & Whitney engine is in fact the F135, not F1355.
Sorry for being nitpicky, the F135 is my baby.
September 6th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Thanks. Typo has been fixed.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:39 am
What a dreamy place to get lost in. Thanks for this!
September 6th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
YUMMMMMMMM!!!
September 7th, 2009 at 6:51 am
thanks for the love Meredith =D