Goodyear Inflatoplane

Last updated
Goodyear Inflatoplane
Goodyear GA-447 Inflatoplane in flight.jpg
Goodyear GA-447 Inflatoplane at the Akron, Ohio test area
Role Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer Goodyear Aircraft Company
First flight13 February 1956
Primary user United States Army
Produced1955–1962
Number built12

The Goodyear Inflatoplane was an inflatable experimental aircraft made by the Goodyear Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, well known for the Goodyear blimp. Although it seemed an improbable project, the finished aircraft proved to be capable of meeting its design objectives, although orders were never forthcoming from the military. A total of 12 prototypes were built between 1956 and 1959, and testing continued until 1972, when the project was finally cancelled.

Contents

Design and development

The original concept of an all-fabric inflatable aircraft was based on Taylor McDaniel's inflatable rubber glider experiments in 1931. Designed and built in only 12 weeks, the Goodyear Inflatoplane was built in 1956, with the idea that it could be used by the military as a rescue plane to be dropped in a hardened container behind enemy lines. The 44 cubic ft (1.25 cubic meter) container could also be transported by truck, jeep trailer or aircraft. [1] The inflatable surface of this aircraft was actually a sandwich of two rubber-type materials connected by a mesh of nylon threads, forming an I-beam. When the nylon was exposed to air, it absorbed and repelled water as it stiffened,[ clarification needed ] giving the aircraft its shape and rigidity. Structural integrity was retained in flight with forced air being continually circulated by the aircraft's motor. This continuous pressure supply enabled the aircraft to have a degree of puncture resilience, the testing of airmat showing that it could be punctured by up to six .30 calibre bullets and retain pressure. [2] [3]

Goodyear inflatoplane on display at the Smithsonian Institution Goodyear GA-468 Inflatoplane in Smithsonian.jpg
Goodyear inflatoplane on display at the Smithsonian Institution

There were at least two versions: The GA-468 was a single-seater. It took about five minutes to inflate to about 25 psi (170 kPa); at full size, it was 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) long, with a 22 ft (6.7 m) wingspan. A pilot would then hand-start the two-stroke cycle, [1] 40 horsepower (30 kW) Nelson engine, and takeoff with a maximum load of 240 pounds (110 kg). On 20 US gallons (76 L) of fuel, the aircraft could fly 390 miles (630 km), with an endurance of 6.5 hours. Maximum speed was 72 miles per hour (116 km/h), with a cruise speed of 60 mph. Later, a 42 horsepower (31 kW) engine was used in the aircraft.

Takeoff from turf was in 250 feet with 575 feet needed to clear a 50-foot obstacle. It landed in 350 feet. Rate of climb was 550 feet per minute. Its service ceiling was estimated at 10,000 ft.

The GA-466 was the two-seater version, 2 in (51 mm) shorter, but with a 6 ft (1.8 m) longer wingspan than the GA-468. A more powerful 60 horsepower (45 kW) McCulloch 4318 engine could power the 740 pounds (340 kg) of plane and passenger to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h), although the range of the plane was limited to 275 miles (443 km).

Operational history

Goodyear GA-447 Inflatoplane coming in to land during ONR flight testing with tri-cycle landing gear Goodyear GA-447 Inflatoplane.jpg
Goodyear GA-447 Inflatoplane coming in to land during ONR flight testing with tri-cycle landing gear

The test program at Goodyear's facilities near Wingfoot Lake, Akron, Ohio showed that the inflation could be accomplished with as little as 8 psi (544 mbar), less than a car tire. [1] The flight test program had a fatal crash when Army aviator Lt. "Pug" Wallace was killed. The aircraft was in a descending turn when one of the control cables under the wing came off the pulley and was wedged in the pulley bracket, locking the stick. The turn tightened until one of the wings folded up over the propeller and was chopped up. With the wings flapping because of loss of air, one of the aluminum wing tip skids hit the pilot in the head, as was clear from marks on his helmet. Wallace was pitched out, over the nose of the aircraft and fell into the shallow lake. His parachute never opened. [4] Only 12 Goodyear Inflatoplanes were built, but development continued until the project was cancelled in 1973.

Variants

GA-33 Inflatoplane
The initial single-seat version, with open cockpit, based on the Taylor McDaniel inflatable rubber glider experiments from the early 1930s. One built.
GA-447 Inflatoplane
An enclosed cockpit and new wing, used for undercarriage experiments (tricycle, uniwheel, and hydroskid). One built.
GA-466 Inflatoplane
Company designation for the AO-2 Inflatoplane
GA-468 Inflatoplane
Company designation for the AO-3 Inflatoplane
XAO-2-GI Inflatoplane
Military designation for the GA-466. One built.
XAO-3-GI Inflatoplane
Military designation for the GA-468. Five built.

Surviving aircraft

Goodyear donated two Inflatoplanes for museum display at the end of the project, one to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and one to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. [5] [ failed verification ] Another is on display at the Stonehenge Air Museum in Fortine, Montana. [6] A fourth is in storage at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. [7] A fifth is in storage with the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio. [8]

Specifications (Goodyear GA-468 Inflatoplane (XAO-3-GI))

Model 466/XAO-2 Inflatoplane Goodyear AO-2.jpg
Model 466/XAO-2 Inflatoplane

Data from Inflatoplanes, [9] The Inflatoplane [10]

General characteristics

Performance

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell Douglas X-36</span> Type of aircraft

The McDonnell DouglasX-36Tailless Fighter Agility Research Aircraft was an American stealthy subscale prototype jet designed to fly without the traditional empennage found on most aircraft. This configuration was designed to reduce weight, drag and radar cross section, and increase range, maneuverability and survivability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper PA-24 Comanche</span> American four- or six-seat monoplane built 1956–1972

The Piper PA-24 Comanche is an American single-engine, low-wing, all-metal monoplane of semimonocoque construction with tricycle retractable landing gear and four or six seats. The Comanche was designed and built by Piper Aircraft and first flew on May 24, 1956. Together with the PA-30 and PA-39 Twin Comanches, it made up the core of Piper's lineup until 1972, when the production lines for both aircraft were destroyed in the 1972 Lock Haven flood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas A2D Skyshark</span> US prototype carrier-based attack aircraft

The Douglas A2D Skyshark was an American turboprop-powered attack aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the United States Navy. The program was substantially delayed by engine reliability problems, and was canceled because more promising jet attack aircraft had entered development and the smaller escort carriers the A2D was intended to utilize were being phased out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan X-13 Vertijet</span> Experimental vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet aircraft

The Ryan X-13 Vertijet was an experimental tail-sitting vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) jet aircraft built by Ryan Aeronautical and flown in the United States in the 1950s. The main objective of the project was to demonstrate the ability of a pure jet to vertically take off, hover, transition to horizontal forward flight, and vertically land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper PA-34 Seneca</span> Twin engine light aircraft

The Piper PA-34 Seneca is a twin-engined light aircraft, produced in the United States by Piper Aircraft. It has been in non-continuous production since 1971. The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilyushin DB-3</span> Type of aircraft

The Ilyushin DB-3, where "DB" stands for Dalniy Bombardirovschik meaning "long-range bomber", was a Soviet bomber aircraft of World War II. It was a twin-engined, low-wing monoplane that first flew in 1935. 1,528 were built. The DB-3 was the precursor of the Ilyushin Il-4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss-Wright X-19</span> Experimental VTOL tiltrotor quadcopter airplane

The Curtiss-Wright X-19, company designation Model 200, was an American experimental tiltrotor aircraft of the early 1960s. It was noteworthy for being the last aircraft of any kind manufactured by Curtiss-Wright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper PA-48 Enforcer</span> American turboprop-powered light close air support aircraft

The Piper PA-48 Enforcer is an American turboprop-powered light close air support aircraft built by Piper in the 1970s. It is a development of the World War II-era North American P-51 Mustang fighter. The Enforcer concept was originally created and flown as the Cavalier Mustang by David Lindsay, owner of Cavalier Aircraft, in response to the United States Air Force PAVE COIN program, but Cavalier did not have the manufacturing abilities to mass-produce the Enforcer, so the program was sold to Piper by Lindsay in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyear F2G Corsair</span> American fighter aircraft

The Goodyear F2G Corsair, often referred to as the "Super Corsair", is a development by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of the Vought F4U Corsair fighter aircraft. The F2G was intended as a low-altitude interceptor and was equipped with a 28-cylinder, four-row Pratt & Whitney R-4360 air-cooled radial engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-class blimp</span> American non-rigid airship

The G-Class Blimps were a series of non-rigid airships (blimps) used by the United States Navy. In 1935, instead of developing a new design airship, the Navy purchased the Goodyear Blimp Defender for use as a trainer and utility airship assigning it the designator G-1. Defender was built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio and was the largest blimp in the company’s fleet of airships that were used for advertising and as passenger airships. Goodyear built additional G-class airships for the Navy during World War II to support training needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M-class blimp</span> Type of aircraft

The Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio built the M-class blimp for the US Navy as the follow-on to the K-class anti-submarine warfare blimp used during World War II. It was a significantly larger airship, 50% larger than its predecessor. Four airships, designated M-1 through M-4, were delivered in early 1944. Operations of K-ships in tropical regions had shown a need for a blimp with greater volume to offset the loss of lift due to high ambient temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beriev Be-6</span> Type of aircraft

The Beriev Be-6 was a flying boat produced by the Soviet Beriev OKB. It was capable of accomplishing a wide variety of missions, such as long-range maritime reconnaissance, coastal and supply line patrols, torpedo/bombing strikes, mine-laying, and transport operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing XB-55</span> Strategic bomber project, U.S. Air Force, cancelled 1949

Boeing XB-55 was a proposed Boeing aircraft designed to be a strategic bomber. The XB-55 was intended to be a replacement for the Boeing B-47 Stratojet in United States Air Force (USAF) service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PZL-105 Flaming</span> Type of aircraft

The PZL-105 Flaming (flamingo) is a Polish short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) utility aircraft designed by PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie". It remained a prototype.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyear Duck</span> Type of aircraft

The Goodyear GA-2 Duck was a 1940s American three-seat light amphibious aircraft built by the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation. The design team included David Thurston, who later developed several other light seaplanes including the Colonial Skimmer, Lake Buccaneer, Thurston Teal and Seafire. Only 19 aircraft were built, and these were used only for testing and as demonstrators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodyear GZ-20</span> Type of aircraft

The Goodyear GZ-20/20A was a class of non-rigid airship or blimp introduced in 1969 by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in the United States as its signature promotional aircraft, the Goodyear Blimp. The design is based on the previous Goodyear GZ-19 class. The GZ-20 featured a larger envelope to carry the "Super-Skytacular" advertising night sign and more powerful engines. The GZ-20s were the mainstay of Goodyear's airship operations until 2017, when they were replaced with the new Zeppelin NT semi-rigid airship.

The Loral GZ-22 was a class of non-rigid airship, or blimp first flown in 1989 and operated by Goodyear as its flagship promotional aircraft, with civil registration N4A and christened Spirit of Akron. This was the only airship of this class ever built. Goodyear originally designed the GZ-22 to demonstrate the possible renewed use of airships to the United States Navy, which had ended their airship operations in 1962. The GZ-22 was designed by Goodyear, but built by Loral after Goodyear sold its aerospace division to Loral in 1987. The GZ-22 had a steel-framed, composite-skinned gondola under a neoprene-impregnated polyester 2-ply envelope, inflated with helium. At its launch in 1987, the 205-foot 6-inch long Spirit of Akron was the longest airship in service at that time. The GZ-22 Type Certificate was issued on 31 August 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dornier Do 32</span> Type of aircraft

The Dornier Do 32E was a simple, collapsible one-man helicopter, designed for military use in Germany in the 1960s. Despite initial hopes of large orders and some proposed civilian roles, only three flew.

The Goodyear GA-400R Gizmo was a one-man helicopter proposed for duties such as liaison and observation.

The Dornier Do 417 was a twin-engine multirole combat aircraft. Developed in 1942, it resulted from the Luftwaffe's request for a medium bomber, a contest in which Dornier, Junkers, Heinkel, and Blohm & Voss competed. In the end, the Junkers Ju 188 was chosen by the Luftwaffe, and the Do 417 never entered production.

References

Notes
    Citations
    1. 1 2 3 Winchester, Jim (2005). The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books. pp. 126–127. ISBN   1-904687-34-2.
    2. CBS quiz show "I've Got a Secret" 1956 Goodyear engineer J Thomas Blair demonstrates the Inflatoplane
    3. Goodyear (1957). "Summary: Report of the development of a one place inflatoplane" (PDF). dtic.mi. p. 105 and Section 7 - Appendix A,"Tests to determine air loss through bullet holes in "Airmat"," p. 116. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
    4. "Goodyear XAO-3G1 'Inflatoplane'." Aeroweb. Retrieved: 14 November 2017.
    5. "Goodyear Inflatoplane (GA468)". National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
    6. "1961 Goodyear GA-468 "Inflatoplane"". Stonehenge Air Museum. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
    7. "The Museum's First Airplane". Naval History and Heritage Command. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
    8. "Briefing" (PDF). MAPS Air Museum. April–May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
    9. Inflatoplanes. Akron, Ohio: Goodyear Aircraft Corporation. p. 26.
    10. Stadvec, Ernest (February 1980). The Inflatoplane. Akron, Ohio: ESSCO. p. 7.