Aviation, Imagination of the Future from the Past

[hesham]

Hi,

the British flying wing transport.
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%202270%20-%200057.html

 

[mekon]

Hi all. From the cover of POPULAR MECHANICS, Sept 1982

(sorry about the direct hyperlink to the image, but I seem to be unable to attach anything - in any browser..)

the original link is here:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=f9kDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0

I couldn't find this in any other forum topics. Anyone have any more information?

Edit: correctly attached image

 

[Matej]

And from the point of view of Walter Dornberger, long range passenger transport
is at least since 8 years accomplished by rocket powered aircraft, using reusable
winged launch vehicles : ;D

(from InterAvia 11/1953)

Is this the same?

 

[saturncanuck]

This section has been facinating to look at.

Did anyone go to Disneyworld in the 1980s? At EPCOT they had a pavilion called Horizons about the future of life. The first section was about "Looking back at the Future", about what we thought life would be like in the 21st Century from the perspective of ther 1940s and 1950s. Very interesting and even humorous.

Sadly, and even ironically, it has has been replaced so we cannot see it anymore.

 

[Stargazer]

If you're into that sort of faux passé kind of thing, you ought to check out New York's 1939 International World's Fair. I've got plenty of stuff on this but no scanner unfortunately. It must have been a dream to grow up as a kid and visit that sort of place. Everything seemed possible then.

 

[Stargazer]

Aerotropolis
Skyscraper Airport for City of Tomorrow

"What the metropolitan skyport of tomorrow may look like, as conceived by Nicholas DeSantis, New York commercial artist, is shown in the illustration below. His remarkable proposal, embodied in a model that he has completed after five years' study of the project, calls for a 200-story building capped by an airplane field eight city blocks long and three blocks wide. A lower level of his "aerotropolis", as he has named it, offers a port for lighter-than-air craft. Hangars for planes and airships occupy the top fifty floors.

Commuters living 100 miles or more from the city would fly to work in their private planes. Landing on the roof, they would descend by elevators and moving platforms to an indoor parking space for 250,000 private cars and taxis, whence they would be whisked without delay to their destination. Similar facilities would serve passengers arriving by transport planes and airship lines. By centralizing air and land terminals in one building, the "aerotropolis" would save time now lost in journeying to and from airports far from the heart of a city.

Other parts of the building provide space for offices and light industrial plants, theaters, two enormous arenas for football and baseball games, restaurants and cafes."

Drawing by B. G. Seielstad

Source: an old issue of Popular Mechanics or such

NOTE: this was a two-page illustration which was missing a strip in the middle because of the spine. I have reconstructed the missing part digitally for your enjoyment. Hope you like it! I know I do... At present time it's my desktop background!

 

[Michel Van]

the only build Skyscraper Airport

is the Empire State Building

Art Deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for airship
but test with airships show it almost impossible to dock, due to updrafts winds caused by the building itself.

sad

the movie "Sky Captain and World of Tomorrow" show how it had work

 

[hesham]

Hi,

the Armstrong Whitworth flying wing aircraft ad.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%200414.html

 

[mz]

The airships are always pictured too small.
Even in Sky Captain. In reality the Hindenburg was about as long (300 m) as the Empire State Building is tall (380 m). We're talking Titanic size. The Graf Zeppelin wasn't much smaller.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/abramsv/R84_unH54DI/AAAAAAAAKsA/yDsicGc-evA/s640/sdfadsfafgfvcx.jpg
http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/size-speed

 

[Stargazer]

Yes, but not all airships are or were the size of the Hindenburg! Most Goodyear blimps are much smaller. Also don't lose track of the size of the imaginary building in the picture, which completely dwarves the Empire State Building! See the airfields and parks at the top, read how it is supposed to host sports arenas and so forth... Truly an amazing project.

 

[The Artist]

Source: Out Of Time - Designs For The Twentieth-Century Future
by Norman Brosterman, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000

This book was published in conjunction with a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition. Notice in the American Weekly illustration that the bi-planes are launching from the tower.

The caption with the aircraft carrier image is quoted below

An actual idea from the Navy to protect aircraft carriers by washing them with sea water during nuclear attack.

Mike

 

[The Artist]

the only build Skyscraper Airport

is the Empire State Building

What about the Pan Am Building? Sure, I'm talking about heliports but if you're counting an airship port as an airport then heliports should also be counted. The McDonnell Douglas Headquarters Building (now part of McBoeing) has (or had) a heliport on the roof and a hospital not far from my place has a heliport on its roof.

For a while, it seemed that roof top heliports would become a common thing but that changed after the crash on the roof of the Pan Am Building back in (I believe) the '80s.

Mike

 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

For an unqualified newbie (so please be gentle ) I find it interesting that "Supersonic 1.jpg" has pretty much the same mission as Concorde (London-NY, 100 passengers, mach 1.9) but a similar configuration to Reaction Engine's hypersonic Skylon / Lapcat designs.

I guess just only so many supersonic/hypersonic design concepts?

 

[saturncanuck]

Source: Out Of Time - Designs For The Twentieth-Century Future
by Norman Brosterman, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000

This book was published in conjunction with a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition. Notice in the American Weekly illustration that the bi-planes are launching from the tower.

The caption with the aircraft carrier image is quoted below

An actual idea from the Navy to protect aircraft carriers by washing them with sea water during nuclear attack.

Mike

The lower picture looks like something out of Gerry Anderson...

 

[stevoe]

From Germany: http://www.retro-futurismus.de/index.htm

 

[Tophe]

Thanks Stevoe for this goldmine...
Among many marvels there, my favorite may be the Römer Ozean-Riesenflugzeug
at http://www.retro-futurismus.de/roemer_poster1.htm
(art “of the future” 1941, rather close to the Republic Super Clipper, while different with 3 propellers only)

 

[The Artist]

Another roof-top airport idea - from back in 1967.

 

[airman]

interesting thread aka how our grandfather imagined the future !

 

[The Artist]

These are from Future Life, December 1980.

From a 1976 exhibit designed by Boeing for the Smithsonian. "Air Travel in the Tricentennial 2076"

The captions for pictures 1 and 2 are with picture 1 and the captions for pictures 3 and 4 are with picture 2.

 

[RanulfC]

Future Life! Oh damn but that takes me back! I actually had every single issue of the magazine... Until a windstorm destroyed our storage shed :'(

The first picture "commuter" aircraft reminds me of an LTA (Lighter-Than-Air) design for a lenticular, solar powered design but the name is just NOT coming to me. I seem to recall a "test" model was built in Mexico but crashed on a public street...

Uhm anyone?

Randy

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=XycDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24&dq=unusual+airplane+popular&lr=&cd=4#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[memaerobilia]

RE: Image posted by Hesham on page 2 of this thread:

Hi,

a single seat light tailless pusher aircraft.
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%201624.html?search=dornier%20do32z%20helicopter

Hi Hesham;
here is a similar image. Yes, I realize there are numerous significant differences. ( NOT tailess and not pusher, as to basic differences)Yet, the image you posted reminded me, so much, of this photo that I "recognized" as so familiar...
This image of the Firth Sattelite, is from a negative I obtained with the Chris Ashworth photo and negative collection. (30,00 prints and 120,00 negatives!..fortunately , now, with 46 page "general" index that took me six weeks, full time, to compile, as there was no Ashworth Index to be found, although he must have had one..)

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is a tilt-wing delta aircraft,I was never seen like this
concept before.

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=e9QDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA124&dq=variable+swept+wing+popular&lr=&cd=6#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=3yUDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA78&dq=ducted+fan+design&hl=ar&ei=taUYTObiA4rW4gaJoJnpCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFIQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[robunos]

regarding the skyscraper-top 'flight deck', from the
'Air Progress' cover at the top of this page, am I
correct in thinking that it would rotate to face into
the wind, rather than having a fixed orientation?


cheers,
Robin.

 

[The Artist]

It looks that way to me. I haven't found the article yet - and I may not have it as I believe this was one of a handful of poor condition magazines I picked up for the art at a swap-meet several years back.

 

[hesham]

A more projects;

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=4NsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA128&dq=LOCKHEED+FAN-IN-WING&hl=ar&ei=lh4aTLbnNZD__Ab2z7mXCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[Stargazer]

Hesham, I reckon this topic is normally dedicated to the imaginings of artists and independent designers, not the projects from established aerospace companies (these fit in the "Post-war projects" section). First four pics and the last one do not belong here. I'm creating a new topic based on these which I have reworked.

 

[Stargazer]

Here is the cover corresponding to the above article:

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://books.google.com/books?id=nykDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA124&dq=gyroplane&hl=ar&ei=HEEfTObADJX-4AbrsMj3DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=gyroplane&f=true

 

[Sundog]

That "Tilting-Delta Wing" gives me a lot of ideas for what if F-8 Crusader designs. Although, it makes so much sense due to the delta's inherent high alpha capability.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=mCYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112&dq=future+airplane+popular&lr=&cd=2#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[Tophe]

and this is dated "future - june 1944", thanks! ;D

 

[hesham]

Hi,

there is an airplane hooked to dirigible to become a safety
aircraft.

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=XygDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA47&dq=joined-wing+aircraft&hl=ar&ei=xsYvTIqJENW6jAe3vJGXBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=14&ved=0CGgQ6AEwDThk#v=onepage&q&f=true

 

[hesham]

Hi,

the future of the freighter aircraft from 1958.

http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1958/1958%20-%200315.html

May be that projet was from SARO.

 

[Barrington Bond]

The article is written by the Chief Project Engineer of Short Bros. and Harland, Ltd. Frank Robertson so it may be one of his rather than Saro?

Regards,
Barry

 

[Tophe]

Thanks for this new post of picture, still enriching the collection of recent twin-hull projects... ;D (this seems so repeated here and there that it must be a good idea, maybe built then standard in some future? 2050?) ;D

 

[Hammer Birchgrove]

Thanks for this new post of picture, still enriching the collection of recent twin-hull projects... ;D (this seems so repeated here and there that it must be a good idea, maybe built then standard in some future? 2050?) ;D

That would be nice, then they can run on fusion!

 

[hesham]

Hi,

here is the future aircraft from 1962.

http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=LCEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA85&dq=vertical+takeoff&hl=ar&ei=emesTPv3FsSAOsjqpLQH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CEsQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=vertical%20takeoff&f=true

 

[Gridlock]

Thanks for all the fascinating posts - the thing I find most fascinating is the lack of this sort of thing now. Have we become cynical about our ability to predict the future?

All I can think of that would be equivalent now are tailless or UCAV designs that really only look to 2025-ish. Where's our modern-day take on what flying machines will look like in 2099?