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jets, either housed in the fuselage or attached _design used shutters to regulate the air inlet newspapers from 1935 until Holman’s retire- in pods. and the aircraft was equipped with small ment in 1973. In the series, Smokey Stover A possibility also explored by Streib was _ wingtip ailerons for additional flight control. drove a fire truck known as the Foomobile boundary layer reduction and, althoughallhis Although Naught’s design never progressed and this quirky character called himself a proposals vary in detail, each one is devel- beyond a paper study, the work proved quite Foofighter (Holman said that he first saw the oped from the same concept. Streibindicates _ influential with other aerodynamicists. word Foo on the base of a Chinese figurine). that wind tunnel testing was undertaken and A number of USAAF aircraft operating in an upper V-shaped wing with additional con- Foo Fighters Europe during 1944 and 1945 were decorated trol surfaces was added behind the cockpitto | One the enduring mysteries of World War with Smokey Stover artwork. Allied radar oper- counteract tilting problems. These designs Two must be those eerie lights that some- ators began using the expression Foo Fighter were fitted with a tricycle undercarriage and _ times shadowed Allied aircraft on bombing — to describe an unidentified contact from late the role envisaged for Streib’s aircraft is missions across Europe and parts of the 1944 onwards, after the name had appeared in unknown, but it seems likely that a naval Pacific. Given the name Foo Fighters by air- magazines and newspapers as a slang refer- application was envisaged. crews, the first documented use of this term ence to UFOs. From about 1942 onwards One other concept that used a similar appears to have been by Lt Donald Meiers, _ USAAF and RAF aircrews had been reporting approach to propulsion was produced by — who was a pilot with the USAAF 415th Night _ strange (mostly ball-shaped) lights following Harold Naught, who applied fora US Patentin —_ Fighter Squadron. This term originated froma or pacing their aircraft, but most incidents June 1948. Naught was interested in produc- syndicated US comic cartoon strip called occurred from 1944 onwards in the European ing a small saucer-shaped one-man utility air- Smokey Stover, which was created by Bill theatre, which created the belief that a new craft based around a ducted fan system. His | Holman (1903-1987). The series ran in many __ type of German weapon was being tested. design used shutters to regulate the air inlet and the aircraft was equipped with small wingtip ailerons for additional flight control. Although Naught’s design never progressed beyond a paper study, the work proved quite influential with other aerodynamicists. 46 Top: VTOL aircraft conceived by Homer Streib, which utilises a large rotating ducted fan unit for VTOL operations and forward flight. US Patent Office Above: VTOL flying saucer concept using a ducted fan design, which was created by Harold Naught during 1948. US Patent Office Right: A simplified design for a convertiplane produced by Homer Streib in the 1950s. This aircraft would use two-bladed contra-rotating blades for lift and forward propulsion. US Patent Office Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft