Looking for Info on a *Military* GoodYear Ultralight Emergency Plane. Anybody?

Question

I remember watching "Wings" on Discovery Channel a long time ago with my grandfather. I am trying to find out info on a plane that they had a show about.

I believe it was Goodyear that made this, but it was without a doubt a tire company.

It was a small 1 or 2 seater "emergency plane" that pilots that crash landed could put together quickly to escape or get back home.

It came in a box of some sort that could be stored in the plane. The entire thing was made out of radial tire material or something close. The Engine sat on top of the aircraft behind the cockpit, and with a hose attached it could be used to inflate the plane.

Then the engine would be stopped the propeller put on, and a tie line would be tied to a fixed object. The Pilot would start the engine again sit in the cockpit and throttle up the engine until he was ready and then release the tie line.

It had very basic controls and there was a 1 and 2 seat version I believe.

Any Aviation Enthusiasts know what this is and where I can go to find more information?

Answer 1

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Inflatabl...

http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/g...

Answer 2

I've never heard of this.

Answer 3

GOOGLE "inflatable aircraft". I think that's how I got it the last time.

Answer 4

Beiieve the project is closed. Current developments are interesting.

Ultralights are now reqd to be registered. The Sport Pilot license is in effect, which requires about half the time of private pilot to get a license. The FAA physical has been eliminated for sport pilot, and a valid driver's license is enough.

The light sport aircraft (LSA) is roughly equiv. to a Piper cub, Taylorcraft or Ercoupe. Modern mfrs are mostly from Europe, and I urge you to search stateside sources like those listed in EAA.org. Cessna has decided to source China for their LSA, a bad move in the opinion of many. You can find many American sources. Imports are $100K+, but domestic sources are frequently half as much. A good example is Sonex in Oshkosh, WI.

Answer 5

It was a WWII project and was planed for downed pilots behind enemy lines. They planed to drop it to them and they would inflate it  and fly to freedom. I don't think it got past the experimental stages. I remember seeing at least one of them fly..