"A Sucker Is Born Every Minute" Dept.

I’d love to see if there was a prototype/model flown...it’s got some resemblance to the Arup S-2, which appears to have been a technical success if not a commercial one...

And the Vought V-173

(Which, interestingly to me isn’t the first Vought airplane Guyton flipped on landing...IIRC,when he was first hired and I believe on his first flight in the Corsair, he got to scud running and decided to set down on a golf course, flipping the Corsair.)

@Vance Breese just out of curiosity, did you ever meet Boone Guyton?
 
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$50K is $400K today.

I do like the spears on the nose. Good for hunting down anyone who cuts you off in the pattern. Not to mention the stand up latrine.

Cheers
 
My dad and I invested ( paid a deposit ) on an experimental plane back around the time of the BD5...mid 1970's. It had a Hirth engine in front...looked very much like a mini jet fighter...the pilot was killed in flight testing because the engine had issues...I cannot remember the name of the company ..oh well.
 
Google doesn’t come up with any information about either this plane or the company. I’d be interested to learn more. How many deposits did they take? How much capital did they dwindle? Etc.
 
My guess would be zero, but stranger things have happened.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I’d love to see if there was a prototype/model flown...it’s got some resemblance to the Arup S-2, which appears to have been a technical success if not a commercial one...

And the Vought V-173

(Which, interestingly to me isn’t the first Vought airplane Guyton flipped on landing...IIRC,when he was first hired and I believe on his first flight in the Corsair, he got to scud running and decided to set down on a golf course, flipping the Corsair.)

@Vance Breese just out of curiosity, did you ever meet Boone Guyton?
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The V-173 is on display at the Frontiers of Flight museum on Love Field. Go take a look at it. You'll leave with an elevated sense of respect for those that flew it.

:D
 
The company also appears to be mentioned in a book “Incredible Flying Machines, an anthology of eccentric aircraft” by Michael F Jerram. Cheap copies from Amazon available.
 
I'm trying to picture what W&B would have looked like for that thing. CG would be way far forward. And all of the fuel for the projected 3K NM range would be well back.
 
Eclipse should have sold franchises in addition to positions on virtual aircraft.
 
GaryM said:
I'm trying to picture what W&B would have looked like for that thing. CG would be way far forward. And all of the fuel for the projected 3K NM range would be well back.
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I think the engines have to be set back with a long prop shaft. There's no room for them up front. That probably means fuel tank(s?) are in the center, between the engines.

I don't have any knowledge of flying wings past seeing one in Indiana Jones so I can't imagine how the flight controls work.

The 3k range was probably a bit of braggadocio, but marketing identifies it as a high end corporate airline aircraft. A King Air is advertised with a 2600+ nm range, isn't it? It is certainly distinctive, the styling reminds me of the Lincoln Futura. Maybe Bruce Wayne needs a few?
 
Without a Rube Goldberg mess there's no way to get power to the props with a person sitting there. Not to mention air flow for cooling. I think this idea never got past this drawing.
 
Salty said:
Without a Rube Goldberg mess there's no way to get power to the props with a person sitting there. Not to mention air flow for cooling. I think this idea never got past this drawing.
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It also looks like it would lack rudder authority, and I can't picture what suitable landing gear would look like.
 
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There are two good reasons why every seat isn't a front row seat in aircraft.

1. Aerodynamics. A wide, short aircraft is going to be a pig in every imaginable way.
2. W&B would be a nightmare. The optica has this problem and it's only a 3 seater. Depending on your passengers, you have to move weights from in front of the console to the tail or vise-versa.
 
Maybe those two pickle-fork spears on the nose were actually retractable osmium counterweights...
 
Salty said:
Without a Rube Goldberg mess there's no way to get power to the props with a person sitting there. Not to mention air flow for cooling.
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Think Bell Airacobra and Kingcobra. (Or the middle pax in the backseat of a car:D)

Cheers
 
X3 Skier said:
Think Bell Airacobra and Kingcobra. (Or the middle pax in the backseat of a car:D)

Cheers
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Yeah, those rear wheel drive cars and all their complexity over front wheel drives...
 
With the aspect ratio of about 0.5ish it should have a lift/drag ratio that is actually better than a brick.
 
I wonder if this was a better franchise choice than being an Edsel dealer. (Look it up, kids).

Cheers
 
X3 Skier said:
I wonder if this was a better franchise choice than being an Edsel dealer. (Look it up, kids).

Cheers
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I'd say it was worse. Edsel put over 110,000 vehicles on the road. Aero-Vista never got past zero.

Ford lost money on the Edsel, but I doubt that the dealers took much of a beating.
 
Getting some real Elite:Dangerous vibes over here!
1000
 
MauleSkinner said:
I’d love to see if there was a prototype/model flown...it’s got some resemblance to the Arup S-2, which appears to have been a technical success if not a commercial one...

And the Vought V-173

(Which, interestingly to me isn’t the first Vought airplane Guyton flipped on landing...IIRC,when he was first hired and I believe on his first flight in the Corsair, he got to scud running and decided to set down on a golf course, flipping the Corsair.)

@Vance Breese just out of curiosity, did you ever meet Boone Guyton?
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20 Knot landing speed...
Put a Rotax 912 in that sucker and watch it go. Qualifies as a light sport, too!
 
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