Declassified: USAF Flying Saucer circa 1956| Off-Topic Discussion forum |

Giant Purple Snorklewacker MegaDork
10/8/12 1:17 p.m.

Excerpt:

Tighten the strap on your tinfoil hat: Recently declassified documents show that the US Air Force was working on, and perhaps had already built, a supersonic flying saucer in 1956.

The aircraft, which had the code name Project 1794, was developed by the USAF and Avro Canada in the 1950s. One declassified memo, which seems to be the conclusion of initial research and prototyping, says that Project 1794 is a flying saucer capable of “between Mach 3 and Mach 4,” (2,300-3,000 mph) a service ceiling of over 100,000 feet (30,500m), and a range of around 1,000 nautical miles (1,150mi, 1850km).

Whole article: USAF Flying saucer declassifed

PHeller UltraDork
10/8/12 1:24 p.m.

The launch pad looks like this:

Cone_Junky Dork
10/8/12 1:25 p.m.

I was thinking a giant skeet launcher

Trans_Maro SuperDork
10/8/12 1:29 p.m.

It took you guys THIS long?

The Avrocar has been well-documented in canada since forever.

Curmudgeon MegaDork
10/8/12 1:35 p.m.

Trans_Maro wrote: It took you guys THIS long? The Avrocar has been well-documented in canada since forever.

That's 'cuz there was nothing to hide, it was a bust.

Article said:

It’s worth noting that Avro Canada also worked on the VZ-9 Avrocar, though — which is basically the same as Project 1794, but a lot smaller. The Avrocar was originally specified for a max speed of 300 mph and a service ceiling of 10,000 feet — but in practice, it never got more than three feet off the ground or flew faster than 35mph.

PHeller UltraDork
10/8/12 1:45 p.m.

That website is pretty cool...just what I need another distraction.

GameboyRMH PowerDork
10/8/12 1:48 p.m.

There's a pic of the Avrocar but this is about some wild concept for a supersonic, super-high-altitude saucer that probably never would have worked anyways.

Duke PowerDork
10/8/12 1:48 p.m.

It's not recently declassified, either. I've seen that years ago, and also the Avrocar.

JoeyM UltimaDork
10/8/12 2:19 p.m.

Redherring

Some people from the area near Wright-Patterson AFB told me that they used to see cigar shaped UFOs - little ones, with only room for one person - take off and land from the base. I am pretty sure that it was something similar to the Williams X-Jet.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_X-Jet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJARrc40imk

......but with a canopy on top to protect the pilot from the weather.

/Redherring

pinchvalve UltimaDork
10/8/12 2:21 p.m.

Yeah, and they were working on nuclear-powered aircraft as well. Old news.

yamaha Dork
10/8/12 2:24 p.m.

Has anyone ever seen the saucer shaped (although conventional piston powered) normal flight prototype?

aircooled PowerDork
10/8/12 3:15 p.m.

You are talking about the Vought V-173 right? (flying pancake):

BTW - I am pretty sure the fastest the Avro Aerocar ever went was about 35 mph at about 2 feet off the ground (which was about as high as it ever flew).

yamaha Dork
10/8/12 3:18 p.m.

In reply to aircooled:

Thank you, thats what I was getting at.......weren't there further prototypes after that though?

aircooled PowerDork
10/8/12 3:29 p.m.

I think there was only one, but they did do a more advanced version later:

Vought XF5U "Flying Flapjack":

Looks like it never actually flew. The program was cancelled and the prototypes destroyed. Apparently vibration problems with propeller / drive system were an issue with both versions.

Curmudgeon MegaDork
10/8/12 3:41 p.m.

This is supposed to be an original Avrocar: