Aviation, Imagination of the Future from the Past

Sineva said:
Yes,it looks rather elegant,the mounting points on the upper fuselage almost look like pivots as tho the whole wing could have some ability to move up and down.I also like the idea of the push/pull configuration,I`ve always loved that sort of configuration since I read about the zeppelin staaken r planes waaay back in the late 90s.
I wish I had access to pg 543 so I could learn the secrets behind this machine.:D
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Going waay back ...

This cover images was from the April 1933 edition of Popular Mechanics (it'd be handy to have the year when those images are posted). Attached is a poor-condition scan of the relevant article on page 543.

That article was entitled Plane for air or water has promenade deck. The channel wings were not chosen for aerodynamic advantage or to be able to pivot. Instead, the curved sections were meant to shield the cabin from noise. Both the wings and powerplants were intended to be jettisoned if the aircraft had to be ditched.

Once the wings were shed, the flying boat hull was to be propelled by propellers near the tail. No mention of how those props were to be driven - the aircraft powerplants having been discarded along with the wings.
 

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hesham said:
A strange idea ?,from Flight 1921.
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Strange only because it never came to be. When this concept was published, experiments with planes landing on aircraft carriers had been underway for a decade. It probably seemed like a completely reasonable idea at the time.
 
Apophenia said:
Once the wings were shed, the flying boat hull was to be propelled by propellers near the tail. No mention of how those props were to be driven - the aircraft powerplants having been discarded along with the wings.
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Perhaps the prop was linked to a set bicycle pedals in front of each passenger seat?
 
Although that 1920 "Airship of tomorrow" is not today's tomorrow it is pretty cool.
Would be fun to experience the interior, and exterior!, spaces of a real one.
 
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That might work on Venus, where the envelope can be the gondola itself with 1 atm being a lifting gas compared to the denser atmosphere outside.

Now getting that monster to Venus is the problem.
 
Did the Jetsons inspire that 'Flying Carpet', or vice-versa ??

( Yes, yes, the hapless Avro Canada VZ-9 may also feature... )
 
hesham said:
Amazing design,
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Have this about that,

The Anastasia is a tiny spaceship-cum-aeroplane designed by Sondar and built by Treens and Therons at Mekonta, and was presented to Dan for his services in bringing peace to their planet in 1996.
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The ANASTASIA is a supreme example of engineering in miniature, the ANASTASIA uses four distinct methods of propulsion: IMPULSE MOTORS (Standard Spacefleet method); JETS, for air-flying and ground propulsion; MAGNETIC MOTORS using Theron principles (see note C); ROCKET MOTORS, used as boosters and in emergency.
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snark:
Hey, Boeing are half-way there !!
Now, they just gotta nail those pods' landing...
/
 
LOOK AND LEARN 1978
BRITISH RAIL CIRCULAR TRAIN ARTWORK
"BRITISH RAIL FLYING SAUCER"
www.lookandlearn.com

The future of transport design in the 21st Century – Historical articles and illustrations

This edited article about the future originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 869 published on 9 September 1978. A circular train is being considered by British Rail for twenty-first century travel. Picture by Gerry Wood Shuttle space-ships to the moon and beyond, huge hoverships...
www.lookandlearn.com

British Rail flying saucer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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hesham said:
What was this ?
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Lovely prospective text and beautiful illustration, looking like from last decade of XIX century. Very Jules Verne flavour.
Could you find the source?. It would be nice to know the year of publication to have the proper context
 
Antonio said:
Lovely prospective text and beautiful illustration, looking like from last decade of XIX century. Very Jules Verne flavour.
Could you find the source?. It would be nice to know the year of publication to have the proper context
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My dear Antonio,

I can't find it again,but I uploaded the page only and it's from Popular Science 1927,and here is some texts
from it.
 

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Grey Havoc said:
original.jpg

Skyport One: The Airport of the Future from 1957 (Paleofuture/Gizmodo)​
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This is Skyport One, a sketch of an airport conceived by James Dartford for the Glass Age Development Committee. Although designed for the London of 2000 A.D., its designer believes it could be built today. It would be located in St. George's Circus, not far from Waterloo Station and would be 500 feet tall. Planes and heli-buses would use the platform atop the three tall, glass-enclosed elevator shafts through which passengers and crew members would be carried from street level. Other features would be a sky-top restaurant with a far-reaching view of the city. The building below would house offices, hotels and garages.
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Replacement for the image is below (article is still at the original link, but the Gizmodo image links are broken):
1728772553837.png
paleofuture.com

Skyport One: The Airport of the Future from 1957 — Paleofuture

In the late 1950s, many people took it for granted that our skies would be filled with thousands of amazing flying machines by the year 2000. But this posed a design challenge for futurist-minded planners. Where would these flying cars and helicopters land in the cities of tomorrow? In 1957, a handf
paleofuture.com paleofuture.com
 

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