Why was this plane hidden from the whole world? Tail-sitting Research Aircraft.
Why was this plane hidden from the whole world?
In the 1950s, the French put aside all conventional plane design thinking and thought about designing a completely new type of plane. In which they thought of using cylindrical-shaped wings instead of conventional plane wings, due to which it is believed that this new vertical landing method will bring a new turn in air travel. Due to the cylindrical shape of the wings, these planes will be able to take off vertically without any runway. These planes can also be landed from anywhere. That is why these planes will be able to surround any enemy plane in the French airspace like a swarm of bees.
As per the conventional method, a plane needs a runway to take off. However, a plane can fly into the sky after passing a certain speed at high speed on this runway. This means that the larger the runway, the safer the takeoff. Again, if you want to take off quickly, you need to increase the speed of the plane to a much higher level in a short period of time. And only in this way is it possible to reduce the length of the runway.
But in the 19th century, French scientists began to think that if planes could be made sufficiently powerful, they might not need any kind of runway to take off. If the planes could be placed directly at a 90-degree angle and a lot of power could be generated with the help of their engines, they would be able to easily rise into the sky from a stationary position. And for this, much more powerful engines are needed, and that is why scientists began their experiments. These experiments led to the development of new, powerful plane engines, which are called tail sitters.
When any country is at war, the enemy's main target is the runways of that country's airports. Because if the runway is destroyed, the country under attack will not be able to use its air force. And it was for this reason that scientists of the time thought that vertical takeoff planes would bring a new revolution in the military air force.
Because if airplanes do not need any kind of runway, they will be able to take off secretly from anywhere. They can also attack enemy planes before they realize it. Therefore, in 1954, a famous French space agency that makes engines created a test project to prove whether the idea of a tail-sitter plane could be implemented at all. It was not enough to have just powerful engines to create this new type of plane. It required a completely new type of control system. And not only the French, but the Americans were also developing prototypes of this new aircraft at that time.
This is not like any other conventional airplane. Because its powerful large engine will be surrounded by a circular wing with a diameter of about ten and a half feet. Scientists believe that the unconventional wing design will help the plane to fly more efficiently. In addition, its shape will reduce the amount of space required for takeoff and landing.
French scientists have proposed that this special type of wing could eventually be used as a ramjet, which would allow the plane to reach supersonic speeds by compressing the air coming towards it in flight and mixing it with fuel.
Jet engines, a special frame, a new control system, all combined, this plane will be an extraordinary invention. A special type of thrust will also be used in the exhaust of the engine to control the plane during takeoff and landing. And for general flight in the sky, two small triangular wings will help directional control during landing. Again, a small, rechargeable part will come out from the front of the plane to come to a horizontal position. This was the main method. But it is also true that it will be quite difficult to land the plane. Because the pilot cannot see where or in what condition he is landing from the cockpit. To solve this problem, engineers have also designed a special type of cockpit.
During landing, the cockpit chair can rotate 90 degrees and remain in the operating position. The Coleoptera flying in the sky looks like a plane from a science fiction movie. In the 1950s, engineers drew this aircraft with their skills without any computer simulation. Skilled pilots were also required to operate its test flight.
Coleoptera flying test began in April 1959. Initially, the flight test of the aircraft was carried out by tying a rope to a crane. Within a month, the plane proved its ability. At that time, the plane could stay in the air for several minutes. It was even able to perform a high-altitude flight test of up to 800 meters. The news of this special plane spread throughout France and the world. Meanwhile, the Americans, who had been following France's project for a long time, went crazy. They ordered their aerospace firm to design a design that could compete with France as soon as possible.
But like the other five special designs, it didn't take long for the flaws of this plane to be discovered. The flaw was that the plane didn't have any large wings, which caused it to start rotating slightly on its axis during vertical takeoff. And without any additional wings, it became quite difficult for the pilot to control this rotation.
In addition to these factors, since the pilot was right on top of the plane, it was also quite difficult for him to understand exactly how low the ground was when landing. In addition to these factors, in any emergency, ordinary planes can land without the power of the engine, but in the case of this plane, it was not possible to land without the engine in any way.
But the French were not ready to give up in any way. They continued to improve their design. In July 1959, they were ready to do the most challenging procedure of this plane. And that was to practice moving forward after it went up vertically. This was the most important part. On July 25, the plane took off vertically correctly. But a terrible accident happened when it went from vertical to normal plane position. Because the plane did not have the amount of power needed to do the translation. Due to which it starts falling down at a rapid speed. Even after trying a lot, the pilot could not control the plane and got out of his seat.
The plane crashed to the ground and was completely destroyed. After this incident, the entire development team of the plane was stunned. Because no one else was willing to invest in another project that required new investment. And seeing all this, the Americans also stopped developing their tail-sitter planes after 1960. Later, its engineers realized that it would be much easier to rotate the plane's exhaust at a 90-degree angle instead of rotating the entire plane at a 90-degree angle. In addition, the plane's ring-shaped wings were not suitable for high speeds at all.
In this way, even though the plane was fully ready, it was lost.
