Tailless “Flivver” Plane

V-SHAPED wings and the absence of any tail whatever are novelties combined in the latest German plane tested recently at Berlin. It demonstrates, as did the “windmill” autogiro plane, that radical ideas may still have a place in airplane design.

The tailless machine is shaped like an arrow, with the pilot’s cockpit in a stubby fuselage. A motor of only eight horsepower drives it at a speed as high as seventy-eight miles an hour. In landing, vertical rudders serve as brakes. On the take-off the plane is launched by a catapult, needing a run of only a few feet.

Especially significant is the fact that the “stork,” as the new plane is called, can be sold at a lower price than many automobiles—about $800. This and the reported ease of piloting suggest its possible development as a new type of “flivver” plane for private use.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 am and is filed under 1920's, Aviation, Transport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments and pings are closed.

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