Alexander Lippisch was born in Munich, Germany in 1894. Developing an affinity for delta-winged aircraft, he designed a series of innoative gliders during the 1930s, his concepts ultimately resulting in World War II's rocket-powered ME163 "Komet" interceptor. In 1950, Lippisch joined the American Collins Radio Co. where he investigated the feasibility of building a high-performance Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. The "Aerodyne" was the most interesting of his concepts: Theoretically, it would be able to outpace most conventional aircraft with the same weight/power ratio, it would be able to achieve super-sonic speed, and it didn't have the operational disadvantages of such "tail-sitters" as the Convair XFY-1 "Pogo," Lockheed's XFV-1 "Salmon," or the Ryan X-13 "Vertijet."
The Aerodyne's lift and propulsion were to be generated by two co-axial shrouded propellers, the slipstream from which would be deflected downward by "flaps" for vertical take-off and landing. Control was to be achieved by deflecting part of the slipstream emerging from the end of the tail boom, and by flaps in the propeller slipstream.
on June 6, 2009 11:27 AM | Reply
in-cre-di-ble = incroyable et magnifique
i knew some flying wings lippish built before ww2 but this aerodyne is just so interesting
bravo
on January 12, 2010 10:10 PM | Reply
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