Inflatable Plane - Goodyear Inflatoplane

The Inflatoplane's performance was comparable to that of a a J3 Cub. The airplane was wheeled out like a wheelbarrow and inflated in about 5 minutes using less air pressure than a car tire. The two-cycle 40-hp Nelson engine had to be hand-started and held 20 gallons of fuel.
The Inflatoplane carried a maximum weight of 240 lb., had a range of 390 mi., and an endurance of 6.5 hr.s. Its cruise speed was 60 mph. Take off distance on sod was 250 ft with 575 ft needed to clear a 50-foot obstacle. It landed in 350 ft on sod. Rate of climb was 550 ft per min. Its service ceiling was estimated at 10,000 ft.
Twelve Inflatoplanes were designed and built in less than twelve weeks. Development, testing, and evaluation of the inflatable airplane continued through 1972 and the project was cancelled in 1973. Goodyear donated two Inflatoplanes, one to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and one to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Manufacturer: Goodyear Aircraft Corporation
Date: 1956
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions: Overall: 8ft 12in., 225lb., 22ft x 19ft 8in. (274.3cm, 102.1kg, 670.56 x 599.44cm)
Materials: Rubber body with 2-wheeled truck under cockpit.
Physical Description:
Inflatable, rubber, monoplane. Powered by a single, two-stroke, 42-hp, Nelson engine mounted behind the pilot and above the wing after inflation. Two-seat variant has a 60-hp McCulloch engine. Somewhat like a giant inner-tube. Structural integrity was retained in flight with forced air being continually circulated by the motor, and required less air pressure than the average auto tire.

[@Ccscenario]

I would still buy this regardless of safety it just feels so practical and easy to take. Just imagine you’re hanging out with friends or hiking you guys can just inflate a plane and get out of there.

[@Mryodamiles]

I feel like it would be as safe as many ultra light out there… and probably safer than paragliding

[@James-wd9ib]

What I'm really waiting for is a helium-filled rigid wing made of this stuff, to be used with a paramotor, so you can cruise at ultra-low speed or just hover in place! And if the wing had several "bulkheads" and one of them blew out, you'd just slowly descend to the ground.

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

I wish we had this plane nowadays, that could be a fun thing to fly, as an unltralight something, like autogyros and other things

[@pashmaster]

Oh mama....technology now used in Inflatable paddleboards. Speechless!

[@houselightkell]

You could theoretically make a version of this that is strapped to your back with just the wings and tail. No fuselage. And have it powered by electric motors. So the whole thing could be deflated and compressed into a large backpack.

[@MrCropper]

What would power the electric motors? Batteries?

[@jwuuds6003]

Brandon Cropper and how heavy would those batteries be if a tesla has a giant battery that only goes 300 miles. Yea how would it be powered? Cool concept but even in 2020 we're not there yet

[@Ccscenario]

What you’re suggesting is A paramotor

[@houselightkell]

@@Ccscenario Well kinda. But with inflated wings strapped right to your back kinda like Adrian Toomes from that Spider-Man movie a few years ago

[@Ccscenario]

@@houselightkell so a flying squirrel suit but with a motor

[@barryhopesgthope686]

People would buy this up now.

[@NONAMEACCESSIBLE]

These things are crude, barebones, slow, cold, partially disposable aircraft designed to escape from a jam and not much more. It offers very little advantage over conventional civilian planes along with way too many drawbacks in comparison.

[@rdc_bdos]

@@NONAMEACCESSIBLE not necessarily, the portability could be enough

[@samnoneofyourbisnus2543]

@@rdc_bdos ide buy one

[@naijapilotxmax6006]

They should open open up how we can get one, it will be fun having to even fly up to 200 feet AGL 😁

[@barryhopesgthope686]

With carbon fiber and mylar a person would not need an inflatable plane. Would one of these inflatables be 103 qualified?

[@rock3tcatU233]

This would absolutely kill in an asymmetrical warfare scenario. Imagine being able to hide an entire air force in small homes and garages.

[@fridaycaliforniaa236]

I honestly think this thingy could be the future of civilian ultralight aviation

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Great video!!! This put a lot of possibilities of inflatable temporary structures that could be used in many ways, within reach of several designers... That balloon with a cable attached to it that quickly snatched a person person aloft up and into an aircraft flying overhead is an intense idea... I remember seeing that in the movie called, 'The Green Berets'...

[@pal6636]

Im thinking that all the inflatable SUP tech has improved quite a bit in the past decade. Theres better construction, production techniques, , form materials, , seam sealing . Ws shouod be good at making these today . . The idea of driving something somewhere then flying it is totally amazing.

[@morganfreeman5171]

Amazing documentary !

[@albertmikutis6908]

NEAT!!! Wish I had a big bucket of these at Holly Field, FL in 1967. 20 gallons of 115/145 be way over what be needed. Keep the FAC's alive [O1's/O 2's/[Cessna 337's]U-10's] ,and those who went in Harms way from FL , and visited strange and alien lands. You are and will be with me until the the ends of my days, whenever they may be. God Bless.

[@wolfemanbog4176]

Wow !! Wish they kept this up !!

[@-cleanenergy]

Super! Thanks

[@roidroid]

13:13 Goodyear didn't think it'd be profitable? But surely the public would be interested in buying planes like these. Not only can they fold up into a tiny space (you can fit many of them in an ordinary garage), they even cushion the pilot incase of crash. These things could have enabled mass-public-adoption of cheap, easy, common-place, personal air-transportation.

[@littleferrhis]

I mean this would eliminate the need of a flying car...I have no idea why no one has tried to remake one of these and sell it again.

[@AlvinSeville1]

littleferrhis But now we have flying squirrels.

[@SvenDansk7]

roidroid I imagine long term storage and improper folding could cause the aircraft's frame to develop dangerous cracks and leaks. It's just another layer of complexity over the already expensive ordeal of keeping a plane airworthy.

[@littleferrhis]

Tyler Linner Well you would pump it up of course, the problems would be easily found, and I am guessing fixed with something as simple as duct tape or glue dependent on the fracture, and since this is basically a balloon with an engine it would be easy to replace.

[@grinninggoat5369]

Yes, very true. Imagine having to swap out gas canisters or have an automatic pump constantly having to maintain proper pressure when flying from hot places, into colder altitudes then back again. Not to mention the constant material weakening and stress from seasonal or garage temperature fluctuation wear on the rubber. It may be made by a tire company but, you're not flying tires and even if you were... if the amount of tire tread rubber pieces and stranded cars by the roadside a person sees over the course of a single year means anything to a thinking person, then one might have a second, more sane thought about this idea having been the forgotten solution to mass public air transit! lol One pressure release valve failure after inflating in flight to maintain proper pressure at a colder altitude/location when back onto a hot Florida tarmac and.... POP goes the pilot! Just like a Humvee tire filled to spec on a cold Virginia night, then rolled out of the back of a C-130 to sit on the tarmac of a Saudi Airfield!

[@foolishbob7133]

well whatever negative things you guys say about "inflatable planes would be bad", I don't care, before I knew about this I had a dream where I went to a store and bought an inflatable plane like a pool floaty with similar price, since then it is my dream to make one for myself.

[@powerofone1645]

Military thought it would be shot down too easily. But make it a multiple air cell and hey presto, she would still fly with many hits.

[@houselightkell]

Or if the frame/skeleton was the only part that was inflated. And the rest was like a skin.

[@mandarin1257]

I disagree. It's not meant to be a strike aircraft, I don't see the issue with survivability. But yeah, multiple cell would improve survivability.

[@thedude69692009]

is this part of a wings video if os do you have the whole doc or just this clip

[@michaelmace924]

This would be awesome for people who live in the city. You won't need to pay for an expensive hangar all year long. 🤷‍♂️

[@NONAMEACCESSIBLE]

You know you'd still have to go to an airfield to inflate the plane and take off with it, there are no airfields in cities. Also this is a very crude plane that I doubt anyone fought for a chance to fly if they didn't have to.

[@AviationCuriosity]

Can we use this video? We will put the credits into the description!

[@engineer9528]

The only thing I can say - ARE YOU SERIOUS? inflatable plane? I was thinking this must be a fake, but then realized there was no such thing like FAKE back in 50s. Everything was real, long lasting and serious...

[@pal6636]

It uses anabacus for a throttle ?. Although that makes sense. You can always count on an abacus

[@Emsie76]

Wow this was 1956, just imagine what they can do with that today eh? Maybe a C-17 who knows ?

[@user-rw6xo9jc3n]

Mustard? I see

[@choppergirl]

Amazing a rubber inflated anything can support that 40hp Nelson 4 stroke engine plus a 200lbs pilot... or two air-war.org

[@Doggeslife]

The death blow was when they realized that one small bullet could bring it down, and a lot of the small metal and fabrics planes flying over there at the time flew low and had one or more bullet holes in them.

[@hamburgerhamburger4064]

I want to make these, but even inflatier Comes in a smaller compress size, Inflates to original size

[@Danroxye01]

One more stealth plane of the past.

[@KumaBean]

About as stealthy as a fart in a doctors office 😂

[@Danroxye01]

@@KumaBean 😂🙈

[@naijapilotxmax6006]

This aircraft should be purely civilian NOT military?

[@ivanivanov9070]

Твою же ж мать!