Goodyear's Inflatoplanes

[minmachine]

The concept was revived during the early 21st century by a pair of Swiss scientists/engineers named Dr. Rolf Luchainger and Dr. Mauro Pedretti who applied modern materials to develop inflatable beams. They started with simple inflatable structural beams, even parking a VW car on top of an experimental inflated bridge.
Tensairity is the reverse of compression technology used to build Gothic cathedrals. T
By using high inflation pressures, Tensairity structures always keep the outer skin in tension, reducing the risk of buckle by.
They flew a conventional configuration ultralight airplane with inflated flight surfaces.
Their most exciting “Tensairity” project was the blended wing/bodyStingray airplane. Again, it was in the same ultralight class as their first effort, but much more exotic looking.
We have not heard much from Airlight Ltd. Or Tensairity Corp. since 2004.
Perhaps the next generation of inflatable airplanes will utilize the through stitch technology currently used to build inflatable stand on top paddle boards. Current through stitch machines only weave constant thickness sheets, but the near future will see variable thickness looms that can through stitch curved spars and ribs. The third step will involve weaving in diagonal/bias threads to better carry beam loads.

Hi, there is still some info on the stingray and other inflateable aircraft available at http://www.prospective-concepts.ch/html/projekte/stingray_en.html
Another interesting project that the company did was the kangaruh pnematic launch system.

 

[edwest4]

It would not surprise me to find out at a later date that inflatable planes were used on covert missions. But declassification takes time.

 

[allysonca]

Years ago I seem to recall a Goodyear Inflatoplane being up for bid at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying auction (or was it one of THOSE dreams). Craig, Tony? Remember this???? Will have to see if I can find the old catalog. If memory serves, it was in a big wooden box and was laid out for all to see. Not sure if it sold but I suspect that it did as it was an real attention getter. Thought....... what if....... but then reality and the thoughts of a flat while in the air cleared my head. I was really there for models. I had my eyes on a lot of the old Douglas factory models that were up for bid and also had the real hots for a Helio AU-23 Stallion that was there. Would have sold my soul and my ultra rare TL 19D model Cessna to the devil for this puppy. I swear it looked like warp 6 speed just sitting there on the ground.... STILL panting for it.......

 

[1961dude]

Greetings everyone, I'm a retired US Air Force Reserve Colonel and just published my debut novel about a retired Navy SEAL imprisoned in Iran. A small team of special operators get a existing Inflatoplane and reverse engineer it and produce a few and use it to rescue him. I've been researching the Inflatoplane for a couple of decades on and off and have uncovered official CIA documents outlining they did indeed fund the program. Please consider buying my book or ebook, I think you'll like it, it's very extensively researched. Please let me know if you have any questions I can answer? Amazon link here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735225800

 

[Sineva]

I`ve found an even earlier inflatable aircraft than even the russian pre ww2 Pavel Grokhovsky/Grojovsky[?] glider.
This was a glider designed by one Taylor McDaniel who filed a patent for it [ US patent 1,905,298. ] way back in 1930[!]





Even more impressively he actually built it and it was flown by pilot Joseph C. Bergling on several flights in jan 1931,and even more amazingly there is actual surviving film footage of one of these flights.

https://imgur.com/3BZSvsD

Heres a link to a site that has more details on the glider,its by the great nephew of the pilot.
https://medium.com/focus-on-history...-crash-proof-inflatable-airplane-24437a0fe556

 

[FXXII]

Perhaps the longitudinal stability would be better with a larger vertical tail. It seem a bit small to me.

 

[Aubi]

About that Pavel Grokhovsky, that's the English transcription. Grojovsky is more or less French and reads the same. Full name Pavel Ignatievich Grokhovskyi, he worked with various experimental bureaus and was into the weird stuff. G-26, small fighter with only one wheel, troop glider G-63/G-31 with soldiers stuffed into the thin wing, twin-tailed transport plane G-37 that looks like sort off dieselpunk P-61 carrying belly transport pod and finally G-39 Cucharacha, small experimental plane with D-shaped wing and pusher propeller in the cutout in the middle of it. His "pneumatic glider" was named PG-69 (Pneumatic Grokhovsky)), proof-of-concept machine was built presumably in 1935 in the Leningrad Promtechnika factory and tried towed behind Avro 504 and Po-2. Production of a true prototype with Praga engine and tougher mixed construction was ordered from the Aircraft Repair Factory No. 47 named after Maxim Gorky in 1936. It seems that it was only 20% finished.
Grokhovsky was arrested in 1942 and shot by the NKVD year later.

 

[Sineva]

Grokhovsky was arrested in 1942 and shot by the NKVD year later.

Sadly I`m not in the least surprised to hear this.......

Perhaps the longitudinal stability would be better with a larger vertical tail. It seem a bit small to me.

Yes,that whole pivoting tail set up looks more than a little wonky to me also.Interestingly in the original patent drawing the tail was larger with a cruciform layout,yet by the time of the filmed flight the tail no longer had the bottom extension,if in fact it ever did have.They might`ve had better results with the original layout.

 

[riggerrob]

That McDaniel prototype also did not like the unusually short tow rope. It appears to suffer from "lock out." Any divergence seems to only get worse, until the pilot corrects with aileron, but ailerons respond slowly at those very slow take-off speeds.
And yes, a larger vertical tail would help improve longitudinal stability. The entire, all-pivoting tail seems to be based on Alberto Santos Dumont's early Demoiselle. Only Al Mooney retained that concept into the 1960s.
Overall, the Grokhovsky prototype has proportions similar to modern ultra-light airplanes with similar performance objectives.

 

[riggerrob]

Nimbus EosXi inflatable delta flew in 2007.
It is an ultralight, high-wing delta with rudder and engine, but no ailerons. No ailerons makes sense after you look at the under-slung rudder.

 

[TomcatViP]

IMOHO, as suggested before, the very low weight loading would have required overdimensioned governs. One way to reach that easily is to have the main mass fraction movable, usually under slung under the wing like our modern Deltaplane with the pilot altering the CG by moving around the Center of lift.Sadly, here we have the pilot station fixed and the size of the govern are inappropriately dimensioned for the takeoff speed.Glad that one made it through and survived the experience (is that the designer?).

 

[Hoekb03]

Just another picture of the ONR aircraft. Found at Dutch National Archive

 

[hesham]

From, Air Pictorial 1/1958,

there was also a four & five seat versions ?.

 

[hesham]

From Aerofan 2020.

 

[asiscan]

Early Office Naval Research sponsored Inflatoplane - GA-447 report.

DTIC AD0134572: DEVELOPMENT OF A ONE PLACE INFLATOPLANE : Defense Technical Information Center : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

archive.org

Later Inflatoplane GA-468 report.

DTIC AD0266873: Modification and Testing of a One-Place Inflatoplane GA-468. : Defense Technical Information Center : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Development of the one-place Inflatoplane since the completion of the prototype development program is reported. Tests were conducted on the prototype and ten...

archive.org

 

[asiscan]

Illustration from Goodyear Aircraft Inflatoplane brochure, not dated - possibly 1957-58.
Inflatoplane drones were proposed.

 

[riggerrob]

My copy of "Chained Eagle" just arrived. While I have only read to page 126, the author demonstrates an above-average knowledge of Washington personalities and SF planning processes. "Chained Eagle" is more than just another right-wing, militaristic thriller. I might just learn something while reading this piece of fiction.

4 august 2021, just to add that I finished reading this military thriller and concluded that it is indeed of higher quality than than most of the military fiction written by the likes of Dale Brown et al. It is more like the well-informed fiction written by Ward Carroll. I only found one tiny technical fault: Rotax engines are manufactured in Gunskirchen, Upper Austria. Since Austria is officially a German-speaking nation it is an easy mistake. Since annoying people like Adolf Hitler have an annoying habit if invading ... er ... annexing Austria, the mistake is easily understandable.

What separates "Chained Eagle" from most military fiction is character development. Pernotto's characters face their fears, learn and grow as their story progresses.

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane monthly 1985.

 

[Sineva]

I`ve found some good hd pics of a single seater inflatoplane that was up for auction at morpheys last year.
It looks to be all there,just a little rough around the edges as one would naturally expect of a rubber aircraft of this age.
Also some interesting looking books included with it,especially the one titled: The Rubber Flying Machines by Ernest Stadvec.It would be interesting to track a copy of that down.
https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/RARE_EXPERIMENTAL_GOODYEAR_GA_468_INFLATEOPLANE_-lot515038.aspx