Hoverplatforms, hoverboards and Iron Man jet suits are all the rage at the moment. Thing is, they’re just so last century.
Check out this dude as he rides this ‘Flyboard’. Amazing right? It really is. With the miniaturization of jet engine technology (thanks in part to RC models) along with control systems for harnessing this raw power, flying devices like this one are now possible. It’s an awe-inspiring step forward in manned aviation.
However, what many people might not know is that we actually had flying platforms all the way back in the 1950s.
US Army Development
Check this video of a flying platform in 1955 controlled kinesthetically (by leaning).
This particular aircraft was the Hiller Model 1031-A-1 Flying Platform. Hiller constructed a series of groundbreaking Flying Platforms for the Army.
These were one-man flying vehicles that a pilot, or regular soldier, could control with minimal training. The pilot simply leaned in the desired direction of travel. Sounds simple right?
You might think that the platform would be inherently unstable. What happens if the pilot leans too far? The platform utilized an aerodynamic advantage of the ducted fan that prevented the platform from exceeding bank and pitch angles. Here’s another prototype called the de Lackner DH-5. It looks a little sketchy for the pilot.
Another flying platform from the 1970s this time was the Williams X-Jet. This was powered by a turbojet. Again, it was controlled by leaning. It could reach speeds of 60mph and fly for 40 minutes. Despite the fact that it worked very well, it was found that platforms like this and the Hiller had little military use. Helicopters and other small conventional aircraft could do the job better, carry more and were less vulnerable.
Today, we’re seeing some really great progress on the theme of personal VTOL aircraft. Very recently, inventor and real-life Iron Man Richard Browning has managed to create a working jet suit. Reportedly, the suit is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 200mph – although it hasn’t been tested to anywhere near this potential.
