Avro Canada's futuristic flying disk

During the Cold War, engineers at Avro Canada developed a disk-shaped aircraft that could take off vertically and fly at high speeds, a concept that seemed like something from a science fiction film.

Funding and international collaboration

The Canadian government initially funded the project but stopped in the early 1950s due to high costs. Avro then sought U.S. support, leading to a two-million-dollar contract managed by the U.S. Air Force to build and test two units, later named the Avrocar.

Technical design and ambitious goals

The Avrocar was 5.5 meters in diameter and used three turbojets to power a central turbofan, a large wheel-like device meant to generate lift and thrust. The project aimed for speeds of Mach 3 to Mach 4, a ceiling of over 30,000 meters, and a range of 1,850 kilometers.

First flight and disappointing results

The first flight on November 12, 1959, showed the Avrocar could only lift a few centimeters off the ground using the ground effect, a cushion of air formed between the aircraft and the surface. It could fly up to 90 centimeters from the ground but became unstable beyond that, experiencing violent oscillations known as "hubcapping."

Program termination and legacy

The U.S. military ended the program in 1961 after spending about 10 million dollars. The Avrocar never reached the expected supersonic speeds or achieved stable flight beyond the ground effect. Only two units were ever built, with one now in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and the other in the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.

Declassified documents reveal ambitions

In 2012, declassified documents from 1956 revealed the scale of the Avrocar's initial ambitions, showing it was part of a highly secret program. The documents were processed and released by the National Declassification Center after being held confidential for decades.