What's flying there?

[boxkite]

At the end of the 1950s a Lockheed artist gave an idea of the transport of the future. One or another proposal is well-known, but what is the "thing" I've marked with a black circle? An airship? A crane helicopter? My fantasy is too poor ...

SOURCE: "aero" 8/1959 (page 179)

 

[Jemiba]

A helicopter, no question !
Found the drawing somewhere in my archive ;D :
Lockheed bought the patents of the Cierva W.11 Airhorse somewhere during the
fifties and developed its own version, using the three-rotor layout to place a suitable
formed fuselage between them. It was the time, when the carriers were beginning to
notice, that their passengers were becoming wider and heavier, so conventional
helicopters were pushed to the limits at this time. Originally, this design was intended
as a "flying crane", but due to the mentioned circumstances, it was seen as more urgent,
to develop a short haul airliner version.
In the end this design came to nothing, as the trend turned to more fitness and the advent
of organisations as "Weightwatchers" effectively put an end to the use of heavy helicopters
for passenger transport.

Ok, lunch break is over, back to reality .... :-\

[size=10pt]
DANGER ! PURE PHANTASY ! FAKE !![/size]