It was a wonderful dream, but to have spent millions on it was typical of a management team that took Curtiss from the biggest in the industry to bankruptcy. To complete the dismal picture, hover height was only inches, and there was no flexible skirt - it had less off-road capability than an average sedan of the period. What the footage shows, however, is that the car was just barely controllable, even over smooth pavement in good weather. Photos: Curtiss-Wright Air Cars 1 Lightning Owner Claims Charger 'Fried' His Truck 2 The Company That Owns Hamilton's Hooned R34 Is Mad 3 VW Capacitive Touch Buttons Will Be Replaced 4 Audi R8. It was a big plenum chamber with controllable shutters all along the perimeter for thrust, braking, and control. The Curtiss-Wright Air Car was powered by two Lycoming engines rated at 180 horsepower that ran fans located in the fore and aft of the car. What they actually tested was bigger than a Ford Excursion, but still only seated two. I have seen footage of some of the test ‘flights.’ First, the cars looked nothing like the drawing - that sweetheart was a marketing department dream, not reality. Tags: Blog, 1950s, curious, flying car, ugly Curtiss-Wright Model 2500. Displayed at Fort Eustis Transportation Museum, Colonial Williamsburg VA.Ĭ-W experimented in the field of hovercraft with high hopes that the new technology would save their moribund company, and these hopes caused them to issue news releases and drawings of the new product long before the engineering department was ready. Curtiss Wright had been producing airplanes for many years when they started their ground effects program. The current IDIQ award continues Curtiss-Wright’s previous IDIQ awards in providing a fully negotiated contract vehicle for all Aerospace Instrumentation products and services enabling Edwards AFB Combined Test Forces to rapidly procure, integrate, test, and analyze the changing technology and capabilities required on USAF platforms. Curtiss-Wright Air-Car Model 2500 Bee, 1959 - GEM (Ground Effects Machine). Total “flight” time in mid-July 1959 was about 25 hours, albeit only inches AGL top speed: 35. Challenge yourself with this 1961: Curtiss-Wright Model 2500 Hover Car jigsaw puzzle for free. The 1959 Curtiss-Wright model 2500 “Bee”, (AKA “Air-Car”) prototype.Įxperimental 2p passenger air-cushion hover-car, built in test form (lower photo), anticipated market in ag application and as swamp buggy 85hp Continental with 6′ two-blade prop (projected multi-blade props with two 180hp Lycomings) width: 8′0″ length: 28′0″. The Curtiss-Wright Air Car was powered by two Lycoming engines rated at 180 horsepower that ran fans located in the fore and aft of the car.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |