The thing to remember is that in the early history of practical manned flight (and particularly pre-flight), there was generally a poor understanding of the mechanics and forces involved in flight, so in truth when some of these designs proved effective it was perhaps more a matter of luck than actual thoughtful, researched, design. On the other hand, some inventors looked at the possible added strength from wider or ring like wings as a possible solution of building wings with enough lift area to heave up their weight and not collapse at the same time. While there are some images of spinning circular wings, the mechanics of spinning a wing simply to impart stability seems not to have been thought the best way to achieve that result (exception being Guido Fallei's design on the cover of the Sept. The shape of the these plates imparted some lift, but spinning it gave it the stability to maintain a positive flight attitude through its flight. It is recalled that 19th century Yale students indulged in the aerodynamics of flying disks as they threw either the empty pie platters or cookie (can?) lids embossed with the name of the baking company the Frisbie Pie Company of New Haven, CT. One practical method that has been investigated is the usage of the shape as an energy receiver in the form of microwave or laser energy which can then be used or focused to superheat air at the base of the disc to generate thrust. More esoteric methods described are sometimes more whimsical than practical, such as electromagnetic levitation. A more sophisticated method makes use of the Coanda effect to create an area of low pressure over the surface to lift the craft. The more traditional lift devices make use of exhaust jets or ducted fans of some sort to redirect a mass of air directly downwards to counteract gravity. In a sense, these are wingless, because while the shape is generally considered to generate a certain amount of lift in flight, the main aspect of the shape is to house primary lifting devices that operate symmetrically. This general design is also referred to as a closed wing design.Ī variation of round shaped flying machines is perhaps closer to what we would think of as a flying saucer. It is sometimes flattened out and made boxier for a shape that resembles a stretched box kite. In this case the wing is encircles the fuselage. As a result these aircraft could fly at very low speeds and were attractive designs in the era pre-dating helicopters.Īnother type of round shaped wing comes from annular wing design. The surprising benefit of this type of arrangement is that it provides a considerable amount of lift at low speeds and high angle of attack (the angle of the wings with respect to the airflow). Disk wings are also described as low aspect ratio wings, meaning that the width of the wing (the chord) is large when compared to the wing's length. One could say that it is of a circular wing planform (looking from top down) or a flat ring like (circular) wing planform. There is some variation into what may be considered a round wing. The more I prepared this post, the bigger it got, so I'm going to break this into separate parts to make it easier to digest (particularly for me). It is also an idea that predates the classic flying saucer story from 1947. There was also a comment on one of my blogs about a real saucer that I decided to follow up on (the comment is on the wrong page somehow as it should really be part of the "Saucerfull" post, but anyway.) It is an interesting story, but nevertheless not that unique in aviation history, that is the idea of a flying disk. Many of these I have also seen around the web, particularly since I'm fascinated with designs that didn't go anywhere. The book could use some serious editing, but it did go over a variety of interesting designs that are not often mentioned in aviation books - often with good reason. I recently picked up a book on weird aircraft at the bargain bin.
A look at some real saucer and roundish aircraft
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