World's 10 Most Unusual Planes

Just because we’ve gotten used to planes having a certain look, that doesn’t mean other configurations won’t get off of the ground.

Here are 10 very unusual planes.

Number 10. Bartini Beriev VVA-14. It’s a plane! Or is it a boat with detachable wings? Either way, this floater and flier was designed by Soviets in the early 1970s. The goal was to make a craft that could launch vertically. Unfortunately, it was never finished. 8

Number 9. AD-1 Oblique Wing. Based on the idea that being able to shift wing positions around would be more fuel efficient, NASA went to work building this one. The theories proved to be correct, but flying the plane presented some unpleasantness.

Number 8. Tacit Blue. In some situations the need for stealth outweighs aerodynamic concerns. Tacit Blue was created in the 1980s for such scenarios. It’s bubbly and boxy body allowed it to fly undetected by radar.

Number 7. Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar. Who wouldn’t love to have their own, personal flying saucer? The problem with this 1950s attempt was that engineers couldn’t get the craft more than 3 feet off the ground without encountering big problems.

Number 6. McDonnell XF-85 Goblin. It was supposed to be a plane that could fit inside another plan for bombing purposes, but it just never panned out. Try though they might, getting the little one back onto the mothership proved to be too dangerous a maneuver.

Number 5. Vought V-173. If a craft with excellent short-range lift capabilities is needed, it makes perfect sense to design the entire thing like it’s one big wing. This one, nicknamed the flying pancake, did the job, but didn’t make the Navy’s final cut.

Number 4. X-29 Forward Swept Wing Jet. Its wings look like they’re on backwards, but that wasn’t what prevented this plane to get very far out of the testing stage. The problem was that it couldn’t be controlled by a human pilot if its computer system malfunctioned, and we all know how fickle computers can be.

Number 3. Convair XFY-1 Pogo. The problem with many planes is that you just can’t park them in a tight Spot. Enter the Pogo, which was designed to fly horizontally but land vertically. It came equipped with landing gear on its tail end.

Number 2. Antonov A-40. Tanks have become a war machine staple, but their travel range is limited. Hoping to expand upon potential territories, a Russian engineer added wings to one hoping it could be dropped wherever one would like. The plane’s test flight was its only one.

Number 1. Goodyear Inflatoplane. It was inflatable, could fit in the trunk of a car, and was capable of soaring to 16 thousand feet. It was never taken seriously though - possibly because it could be downed with a single prick of a pin.