AVIATION ODDITIES:The Strangest Secret Aircraft and Experimental Failures

Video Description

This documentary explores the strangest experimental aircraft and aviation oddities from WWII and the Cold War. Featuring exclusive restored footage, we uncover the secrets behind wingless wonders, lifting bodies, and bizarre prototypes that defied the conventions of flight. Learn the history of these incredible, forgotten aircraft. For every legendary aircraft that made history, there were dozens of radical, strange, and often dangerous experimental designs that never left the drawing board—or worse, did. This is the story of those "Aviation Oddities," the magnificent misfits and brilliant but bizarre concepts that pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible in the sky. In this exclusive Dronescapes presentation, we open the archives to reveal rare and restored footage of some of the most unconventional aircraft ever built. We begin in WWII with the bizarre Miles Libellula M.39, a British tandem-wing bomber concept that looked like a dragonfly. Then, we jump to the Cold War and the dawn of the space age with NASA's incredible "Lifting Body" program. Witness the flight of wingless wonders like the M2-F1, the infamous Northrop M2-F2 (the subject of a famous crash), the X-24, and the successful HL-10, all designed to re-enter the atmosphere and land like an airplane—prototypes that paved the way for the Space Shuttle. We also declassify the incredible Ryan X-13 Vertijet, an audacious attempt to create a jet that could take off and land vertically from a hook. Finally, we journey to the Soviet Union to uncover the astonishing Bartini Beriev VVA-14, a massive, futuristic sea monster designed to hunt US submarines. Join us as we celebrate the brilliant, the brave, and the truly bizarre. General Characteristics (Miles M.39B Libellula) (Note: Data for the full-scale planned bomber variant, as the M.39A was a smaller proof-of-concept) Crew: 3 Length: 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) Wingspan: 37 ft 6 in (11.43 m) (Both fore and aft wings) Height: 14 ft 3 in (4.34 m) Gross weight: 11,630 lb (5,275 kg) Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines (intended) Maximum Speed: 405 mph (652 km/h, 352 kn) (estimated) Armament: 2 × 20 mm cannons in the front wing roots, and a bomb bay for 2,000 lbs of bombs. Key Feature: Tandem wings (fore and aft) with the cockpit situated between them, offering the pilot an unparalleled view, especially for carrier landings. To support/join the channel ➤ https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ More aircraft and history videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes ➤ Join the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesvideos ➤ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Dronescapesvideos ➤ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Atellani/ ➤ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dronescapesvideos ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.bsky.social ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescapesvideos ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany 🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British 🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown 🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29 🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam 🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet 🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest 🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar 🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2 #ExperimentalAircraft #AviationHistory #WeirdAircraft