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Cool Video: Check Out This Narrated Test Footage Of The XV-8 Flying Jeep Flex Wing Aircraft From ’62


Cool Video: Check Out This Narrated Test Footage Of The XV-8 Flying Jeep Flex Wing Aircraft From ’62

Today it really is not a big deal to look up and see an “ultra-light” aircraft with a person and a small airframe around them under some sort of wing. Well those things did not just jump out of someone’s brain fully developed and refined. Instead they were like all else in this world, a product of the evolution of designs and experiments. We mention this because you will see this military video from 1962 and say, “Meh, what’s the big deal?!” The big deal is that you have to put the whole thing into context. The things we have and take of granted today were once bleeding edge. Flexwing, ultralight aircraft were a topic of much military conversation at this point in time because their uses seemed to be almost endless.

They could be towed as gliders behind helicopters and airplanes, they could be used as remote-control drones to be flown over enemy territory, and NASA was even considering the basics of the design to be used in saving the booster rocket tanks from the burgeoning space program.

This little machine, the XV-8 was powered by a 210hp Continental engine and had a max flying speed of 65mph. It would carry one guy ad it would do so in a maneuverable and interesting fashion. The design evolved over the years and while it was never brought into big time military use, there were loads of things learned both about this style of aircraft and the needs of US military aviation and how to solve them.

Oh, and for you aviation buffs out there, I know that Wilbur and Orville flexed the wings on the Wright flyer but things did come a long pretty quickly to advance into this design by 1962.

Press play below to see this historic military testing footage from back in 1962 –


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