Page Content (OCR)
Lockheed wingless aircraft designed by Nathan Price. This unusual flying cigar configuration may have been developed from the central section of the VTOL flying disc. US Patent Office Lockheed wingless VTOL aircraft designed by Nathan C Price. The first study was completed in 1957 and underwent a significant revision by the following year with Price making a number of aerodynamic improvements and changes to the proposed propulsion system. US Patent Office 1957 form of two forward wheels and a tailwheel. Exactly the purpose Price had in mind for this vehicle is unknown and it did not appear to be designed for VTOL operation. Perhaps it was viewed as a general utility aircraft. Whether or not any of these circular and oval- shaped aircraft were prototyped and flown from Groom Dry Lake remains unknown, but it seems certain that some of these studies pro- gressed to wind tunnel testing. Lockheed Skunk Works Flying Cigar Studies Four years after completing his first set of designs for a Mach 4 flying saucer, Lock- heed’s senior engineer Nathan C Price was putting the finishing touches to an even more extraordinary-looking concept that seems so unusual it remains hard to take seriously on first inspection. Price had produced detailed plans to build an aircraft with no wings or tail assembly and no visible cockpit. Capable of VTOL operation and high supersonic speed, this design was filed as a US Patent on 13th August 1957, but not listed as a Patent (3,148,848) until 15th September 1964. It is tempting to suggest that Price took a long hard look at his ramjet-powered flying saucer design and wondered what would happen if it was stripped right down to the central duct. Amongst the technical specifications for this design, Price mentions that certain fea- tures could be exploited in crescent- or circu- lar-shaped aircraft. However, the basic idea was to build a ramjet-powered missile-like aircraft that was capable of VTOL and opera- tion at low speeds. A cluster of turbojets would provide basic low-speed propulsion and during VTOL operations exhaust gases would be channelled through upper vents to provide lift using the Coanda Effect. In super- sonic level flight the turbojets would be shut down and the aircraft would be propelled by ramjet power. A cruising speed of Mach 3 to 4 was anticipated, with a ceiling of perhaps 90-100,000ft (27-30,000m), and long range was discussed, suggesting an intercontinen- tal capability. With no visible control surfaces, directional movement in level flight was to be achieved by vectored thrust through a series of louvres. 1958 1957 1958 Price envisaged a highly automated air- _ this. It is probable that wind tunnel models craft, flown by inertial guidance combined _ were tested and some of the research found with programmed radar, although he its way into the development of guided acknowledged that a crew would be needed weapons. Anticipated weights and dimen- to handle emergencies. This concept was _ sions are unknown. released as a passenger-carrying aircraft and, while there might have been some commer- _Couzinet’s Flying Saucer cial interest in such a design, it seems very René Alexandre Arthur Couzinet was born in likely that a military application was the start- 1904 at Saint-Martin-des-Noyers in the ing point. In 1958 Price made a number of Vendée region of France. He was one of avi- technical upgrades to his original concept, ation’s true pioneers, but would only receive producing a more aerodynamic fuselage and _ the kind of recognition he deserved several revising the VTOL ascent and descent efflux decades after his death. Today, his name nozzle system. He also acknowledged the appears in France on postage stamps and likelihood of serious noise problems inside _ roads, while a college and rural airport have the aircraft and proposed measures toreduce been named Couzinet in his honour. this. It is probable that wind tunnel models were tested and some of the research found its way into the development of guided weapons. Anticipated weights and dimen- sions are unknown. 95 Postwar Discplane Development