Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar

The Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar was an experimental vertical take-off aircraft developed by Avro Canada in the 1950s as part of a secret United States military project. It was a disc-shaped craft with a single central turborotor, driven by three Continental J69 jet engines, that blew exhaust out of its rim and relied on the Coanda effect for lift and thrust, so that in the air it would have resembled a flying saucer. The design began as Project Y, a very fast fighter-like aircraft, and was scaled back repeatedly as first the United States Air Force and then the Army took over funding. Flight testing of the two Avrocars built showed unresolved thrust and stability problems, so the machine could not climb more than a few feet off the ground or reach a useful speed, and the programme was cancelled in 1961. Both prototypes survive: one on loan to the National Museum of the United States Air Force and one under restoration at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.