Inflatable Plane - Goodyear Inflatoplane

The Inflatoplane's performance was comparable to that of a a J3 Cub. The airplane was wheeled out like a wheelbarrow and inflated in about 5 minutes using less air pressure than a car tire. The two-cycle 40-hp Nelson engine had to be hand-started and held 20 gallons of fuel.

The Inflatoplane carried a maximum weight of 240 lb., had a range of 390 mi., and an endurance of 6.5 hr.s. Its cruise speed was 60 mph. Take off distance on sod was 250 ft with 575 ft needed to clear a 50-foot obstacle. It landed in 350 ft on sod. Rate of climb was 550 ft per min. Its service ceiling was estimated at 10,000 ft.

Twelve Inflatoplanes were designed and built in less than twelve weeks. Development, testing, and evaluation of the inflatable airplane continued through 1972 and the project was cancelled in 1973. Goodyear donated two Inflatoplanes, one to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, and one to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Manufacturer: Goodyear Aircraft Corporation

Date: 1956

Country of Origin: United States of America

Dimensions: Overall: 8ft 12in., 225lb., 22ft x 19ft 8in. (274.3cm, 102.1kg, 670.56 x 599.44cm)

Materials: Rubber body with 2-wheeled truck under cockpit.

Physical Description:
Inflatable, rubber, monoplane. Powered by a single, two-stroke, 42-hp, Nelson engine mounted behind the pilot and above the wing after inflation. Two-seat variant has a 60-hp McCulloch engine. Somewhat like a giant inner-tube. Structural integrity was retained in flight with forced air being continually circulated by the motor, and required less air pressure than the average auto tire.

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