Project 1794: Avrocar Declassified

[Christopher O'Brien]

[I find it ironic that the managing engineer was a scientist named H.C. Moody. Perhaps he was related to our own Lance Moody? Perhaps the dismal failure of the project is why Lance is SO down on the subject of UFOs? Naw! Bad joke—chris]

Project 1794 Final Development Summery Report .pdf HERE:

 

[Goggs Mackay]

The Avro car was so pathetic, looking like it had no chance of ever flying - I think it must have been publicised for the purposes of having an explanation for flying saucer sightings. I mean going on the theory that whatever you see in the military is way behind what actually exists, so if we see this wobbly-thing on the tarmac, we might just start to think 'well they must have a really advanced working version in the skies' type of thing?

 

[stonehart]

The Avro car was so pathetic, looking like it had no chance of ever flying - I think it must have been publicised for the purposes of having an explanation for flying saucer sightings. I mean going on the theory that whatever you see in the military is way behind what actually exists, so if we see this wobbly-thing on the tarmac, we might just start to think 'well they must have a really advanced working version in the skies' type of thing?

From a right out there engineering point of view they missed one thing with the avro car and that was putting a rubber skirt around it.. bingo!!! hovercraft.

 

[Goggs Mackay]

The footage of the thing flailing around the tarmac for the onlooking press - jesus, I am surprised the manufacturers would let anyone see it. It seemed so far from being any use (except a hovercraft!) that one would think they would wait until they had something better.

 

[Ezechiel]

That awkward hardware was obviously premature and I can't see how the stability/control issues could be addressed by mechanical components only. The F117's stability is possible thanks to sophisticated software and guide by wire technologies not available back in the late 50s.

Major 1958 fail lol.... But it kind of demonstrates the limits of what humans were capable of building back then trying to imitate saucer design

 

[stonehart]

The footage of the thing flailing around the tarmac for the onlooking press - jesus, I am surprised the manufacturers would let anyone see it. It seemed so far from being any use (except a hovercraft!) that one would think they would wait until they had something better.

Yeah I never understood why it would have been shown in the state it was, but Ezechiel is right in that they would not have been able to make a radical airframe like that fly with 1950's tech anyway.