Midland Publishing

Secret Projects: Flying Saucer Aircraft

by  Bill Rose and Tony Buttler

Reviewed By  Brian R. Baker, IPMS# 43146

MSRP: $44.95 ISBN: 1-85780-233-0 Mention the term, UFO, and most people think of Roswell, New Mexico, and little green men with round heads and big, hollow eyes. For the general public, the term UFO means "Unidentified Flying Object", but for the people of Roswell, it has evolved into "Unlimited Financial Opportunity", judging from the extent that their economy depends upon the reputed 1947 "flying saucer landing" near their town, the museum admissions, and the sale of UFO related souvenirs. Who says that closing an Air Force Base always means that a town has to die. In reality, quite a number of "saucer-shaped" aircraft have been designed and flown, and the authors examine this topic with a credible amount of research, describing, mainly in chronological order, the various projects developed by governments and private individuals in order to take advantage of the aerodynamic qualities of the "saucer shaped aircraft". The problem with "flying saucers", or UFO's, is that most observers are not specialists in aviation or aircraft identification, and even qualified observers don't often know what they are seeing. I recall flying an airplane over Nevada in 1963, and seeing a vapor trail higher than I had ever seen one before, completely traversing the horizon at extreme altitude in about ten or fifteen seconds. I had no idea what it was at the time, but I later concluded that it had to have been one of the early and still secret SR-71's, as that is the only thing we had that could fly that fast. That is the usual explanation: most of these sightings can usually be explained in terms of conventional aircraft or balloons. But tell that to the UFO enthusiasts, who insist that the sources are extraterrestrial or secret government projects. The authors go through the chronological developments associated with what the public knew, what the authorities released, and what was actually happening. Since a lot of information is still classified, much of the information in the book comes from firsthand observation from people involved, not official government or industry spokesmen. The circular winged aircraft concept actually goes back to the eighteenth century, when the first drawings appeared, and semi-circular wings were common in early gliding attempts in the late nineteenth century. A few circular winged designs appeared on the eve of World War I, although none of these was successful. More practical were the Arup designs in the USA in the early thirties, but these were conventional airplanes with a near circular wing shape, not true "flying saucers" in the strictest sense. During World War II, the Vought company produced a successful "near saucer" aircraft in their V-173 prototype, which was eventually developed into the XF5U-1 fighter, which was built but never flown. Both of these, by the way, are available in 1/72 scale kit form. Also described are the Boeing B-390 and the Vought Skimmer projects, and a number of projected military developments that never left the drawing boards. In Germany, meanwhile, a number of saucer-shaped aircraft were planned, including the Sack AS-6 V1 (Also available in 1/72 scale), which actually reached the flight test stage. Other German projects with more advanced technology apparently existed, and at the end of the war, much data and many German scientists and engineers were taken to the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and this led American and British designers to pursue the "disk-shaped" aircraft for fear that the Russians would gain a technological advantage from German research. Such were the results of the "Cold War". Following the end of the war, various American and British designers pursued the "flying disk" concept. Some projects were merely seeking a VTOL aircraft while others were designed as high-technology interceptors to destroy Soviet bombers. A major project in postwar years was the joint American-Canadian project to develop an interceptor powered by advanced technology engines, which resulted in at least one proof-of-concept prototype. In addition, the work of the German designer Alexander Lippisch is discussed, which eventually evolved into the delta-winged Douglas F4D-1 "Skyray". Other designers, notably Edmund Doak, John Davis, Nathan Price, and Hall Hibbard also contributed to circular wing aircraft development in the United States, while Frenchman Rene Cousinet, perhaps best known for his tri-motor mailplane of the thirties, (Which appeared in 1/75 scale kit form by Heller), also worked on a true "flying saucer" design. The Russians were also active in "flying saucer" development, producing several circular and near-circular wing designs before the "Great Patriotic War." Postwar, several designers worked on circular winged designs, some of which were merely ground-effect vehicles. One amusing story related involves an apparently theatrical Russian attempt to convince an American senator of the existence of Soviet "flying saucers" in a purported "fly-over" while they were riding on a train through central Russia. One topic which, although not involving "flying saucers", caused many to believe in them, was the super-secret Skyhook Project, which involved extremely large helium filled balloons flying at extremely high altitudes. People who saw them from the ground naturally viewed them as "flying saucers", and the Roswell Incident stems from the crash of one of these in 1947. Another account describes the efforts of a British TV station to create a "flying saucer" sighting in front of a group of UFO enthusiasts known to be congregating at a specific place in England. That resulted in a TV "documentary" reminiscent of the BBC's "Great Spaghetti Harvest" classic. The space program also investigated the use of saucer shaped reentry vehicles, but finally settled on the conical shaped craft we know today. The Soviets also experimented with this form, but neither country adopted it for their re-entry spacecraft, although the form is still being considered for various types of space vehicles, notably by the Japanese. At the end of the book, the authors discuss some of the circular shaped aircraft that have reached the experimental stages, including flying platforms, VTOL aircraft, drones, and other types powered ducted fan powerplants. Recommendation I found this book a fascinating read. The topics are clearly explained, and the writing is much better than average for a book of this type. The illustrations are excellently done, and there is enough information presented for an innovative modeler to build a model of any of the major projects with the three-view drawings presented. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down, leading to the delay of a number of small "honey-do" projects. If you have any interest in unusual or "flying saucer" type aircraft, this is the book for you. Very highly recommended. Thanks to Midland Publishing Company and the IPMS for the review copy. This book should be available from any good bookstore. Brian adds: The authors missed out on two "saucer" aircraft that I am aware of, both originating in the Phoenix area in the seventies and eighties. These were private projects, and only one of them is reputed to have flown.

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