Aerocar
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| Aerocar | |
|---|---|
 Taylor Aerocar III on museum display |
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| Type | roadable aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aerocar International |
| Designed by | Moulton Taylor |
| Maiden flight | 1949 |
| Number built | 6 |
Aerocar International's Aerocar (often called the Taylor Aerocar) was an American roadable aircraft, designed and built by Moulton Taylor in Longview, Washington, in 1949. It is the most successful and probably the most famous "flying car" design to date. Although six examples were built, the Aerocar never entered production.
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[edit] Design and development
Taylor's design of a roadable aircraft dates back to 1946. During a trip to Delaware, he met inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., who had designed an earlier roadable airplane, the Airphibian. Taylor recognized that the detachable wings of Fulton’s design would be better replaced by folding wings. His prototype Aerocar utilized folding wings that allowed the road vehicle to be convertible into flight mode in five minutes by one person. When the rear licence plate was flipped up, the operator could connect the propeller shaft and attach a pusher propeller. On the road, the wings and tail unit were designed to be towed behind the vehicle. Aerocars can drive up to 60 miles per hour[1] and have a top airspeed of 110 miles per hour.[2]
[edit] Testing and certification
Civil certification was gained in 1956, and Taylor reached a deal with Ling-Temco-Vought for serial production on the proviso that he was able to attract 500 orders. When he was able to only find half that number of buyers, plans for production ended, and only six examples were built, with one still flying as of 2006 and another rebuilt by Taylor into the only Aerocar III.
[edit] The six models
There are four Aerocar Is, one Aerocar II, and one Aerocar I that was rebuilt as an Aerocar III.
[edit] N4994P
N4994P (1949, originally N31214) is yellow with silver wings.[3] It was the very first Aerocar and is on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum.[4][1]
[edit] N101D
N101D (1954) is owned by Yellowstone Aviation Inc. in Wyoming.[4][1][5] It is on display at the Golden Wings Museum located on the south west side of the Anoka County-Blaine Airport.
[edit] N102D
N102D (1960) is yellow and green.[3] It was the last Aerocar built and is the only one still flying. It is owned by Ed Sweeney and is often on display at the Kissimmee Air Museum located at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee, Florida. It was previously owned by actor Bob Cummings and it appeared on his television show.[1]. Inspired by this vehicle, Ed Sweeney is currently developing the Aerocar 2000 via his Aerocar firm.
[edit] N103D
N103D (1956) is red/black with red wings. It has been owned by Carl & Marilyn Felling of Colorado since 1981 and is currently for sale by Marilyn Felling with an asking price of $3.5 million. It once flew Fidel Castro's brother, Raúl Castro in Cuba. It also was a traffic-watch plane for a KISN radio station in Portland, Oregon. Last flown in 1977, the aircraft is no longer airworthy and has been in storage ever since.[1][4] This Aerocar is the only Model One in original condition, down to the decals on the dash. N103D was recently advertised for sale with the notation that can be readily displayed "as-is" or can be easily restored to flying condition.
[edit] N107D (Aerocar II)
N107D (1966) is an Aerocar Aero-Plane, or Aerocar II.[6] It is not a roadable aircraft but is based on the original Aerocar design. Only a single example was built. It is presently located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[1]
[edit] N4345F (Aerocar III)
The sixth Aerocar (N4345F) is painted red with silver wings. It was the final flying car effort by Moulton Taylor. The vehicle began life as one of the original Aerocars, but Taylor bought it back from a customer after it had been damaged in an accident on the ground in the 1960s. From there, he considerably re-built it as the Aerocar III, replacing the original cabin with a sleeker, more streamlined one (although it still fell far short of the sporty lines that Taylor had originally wanted to give it). Taylor was able to attract some interest from Ford, but ultimately, no production resulted. The single prototype is now displayed at Seattle's Museum of Flight, where it is displayed wearing registration N100D.[7]
[edit] Aerocar I & III Specifications
[edit] Aerocar I[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Performance |
[edit] Aerocar III[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Performance
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[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Seattle Times: Tired of the commute? All you need is $3.5 million, September 2006
- ^ Antique Automobile Club of America: Cars that fly… Cars that float
- ^ a b FOTO-PAAKS catalog (PDF)
- ^ a b c EAA AirVenture Museum: Taylor Aerocar - N4994P
- ^ airport-data.com: Aircraft N101D Profile
- ^ airport-data.com: Aircraft N107D Profile
- ^ Museum of Flight: Aerocar III
[edit] Bibliography
- Schultz, Jake. A Drive in the Clouds: The Story of the Aerocar . New Brighton, Minnesota: Flying Books International, 2006. ISBN 978-0972524926.
- Winchester, Jim. The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.
[edit] External links
- EAA AirVenture Museum's Aerocar
- Text from Aviation Week 27 March 1961
- Tired of the commute? All you need is $3.5 million- Aerocar for sale in September 2006
- Aerocar Goes Up for Auction, NPR, September 30, 2006
- N101D location
[edit] See also
- Aerocar 2000, a new roadable aircraft concept being developed by Aerocar (Colorado)
Related development
- Aerocar Aero-Plane, the Aerocar II
- Aerocar Coot, a two-seat amphibious aircraft designed for home-building by Moulton Taylor
Comparable aircraft
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