The Disc That Defied the Sky: Vought V-173 and the Flapjack Experiment. Rare Archival Footage

In the late 1930s, aeronautical engineer Charles H. Zimmerman envisioned an aircraft that defied the conventional rules of flight. Working within the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Zimmerman developed a radical circular wing concept boasting an ultra-low aspect ratio capable of extraordinary lift, near-hover capability, and short takeoffs from cramped carrier decks. Winning an internal design contest yet deemed too unorthodox for government funding, Zimmerman departed NACA to bring his blueprints to Vought-Sikorsky in East Hartford, Connecticut. While aviation history saw eccentric circular craft like the Stout Batwing, Snyder Airup S-2, and Germany's Arthur Sack A.S.6, Zimmerman brought rigorous aerodynamic physics to the disc planform. Demonstrating a tethered electric model to naval planners facing emerging Pacific threats, Vought secured a contract to construct a full-scale flying prototype: the Vought V-173. Built from lightweight wood and canvas to conserve strategic metals, powered by two 80-horsepower Continental engines turning massive 16-foot propellers, the aircraft rested at an extreme 22-degree tail-dragger angle, requiring transparent floor panels for runway sightlines. On November 23, 1942, veteran test pilot Boone Guyton took the V-173 aloft on its maiden flight. Despite alarmingly heavy stick forces and sluggish control response away from ground effect, Guyton brought the prototype down safely within fifty feet. Subsequent wind tunnel sessions and flight modifications—including trim tabs and trailing edge flaps—ironed out pitch instabilities across more than 200 test sorties. Even aviator Charles Lindbergh took the controls after observing the wooden airframe survive an inverted beach landing completely intact. The V-173’s aerodynamic triumph cleared the way for the XF5U-1, a 15,000-pound all-metal carrier fighter armed with six .50-caliber machine guns and twin Pratt & Whitney R-2000 radial engines. Designed to fly from 40 to 425 miles per hour, the production prototype suffered persistent gearbox delays just as turbojets redefined naval aviation. Canceled in 1947, the unyielding structural shell famously deflected a wrecking ball before being scrapped. Today, the restored V-173 stands preserved at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas. To support our work and channel, join @ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTTqBgYdkmFogITlPDM0M4A/join Thank you! 🙏🎖️ ➤ More aircraft and history videos: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes ➤ Join the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Dronescapes/join ➤ THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@dronescapesvideos ➤ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Dronescapesvideos ➤ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Atellani/ ➤ IG: https://www.instagram.com/dronescapesvideos ➤ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dronescapes.bsky.social ➤ Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dronescapesvideos ➤ X/Twitter: https://dronescapes.video/2p89vedj VIDEO SERIES: 🎥U.S. AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/US 🎥AVIATION VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/aviation 🎥GERMAN AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WWIIGermany 🎥BRITISH AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/British 🎥ERIC BROWN VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/EricBrown 🎥B-29 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/B29 🎥VIETNAM AND KOREA: https://dronescapes.video/Vietnam 🎥TURBOJET VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Turbojet 🎥SUPERSONIC VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/fastest 🎥EXTREME AIRCRAFT VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥STRANGE PLANES VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/Extreme 🎥COLD WAR ERA VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/ColdWar 🎥 WW2 VIDEOS: https://dronescapes.video/WW2 00:00:00 Public Reaction to the Flying Pancake 00:01:05 Charles Zimmerman & The Circular Wing Concept 00:01:52 NACA Origins & Early Wind Tunnel Research 00:05:04 The 1933 Safe Airplane Contest & Model Tests 00:07:09 Leaving NACA for Vought-Sikorsky 00:09:49 Aerodynamic Physics of the Low-Aspect Ratio Wing 00:11:32 Early Circular Wing Pioneers: Stout, Snyder & Sack 00:15:33 The V-162 Tethered Electric Model Trials 00:18:16 US Navy Pre-War Requirements & Contract 00:21:24 Engineering the V-173 Airframe 00:23:32 Construction, Wood-and-Fabric Design & Engines 00:26:02 Propeller Clearance & The 22-Degree Stance 00:27:25 Langley Full-Scale Wind Tunnel Validation 00:30:18 Boone Guyton Prepares for the Maiden Flight 00:32:07 November 23, 1942: Maiden Flight Over Long Island Sound 00:34:19 Resolving Control Heaviness & Flight Modifications 00:37:36 Beach Emergency Landing & Charles Lindbergh's Evaluation 00:40:24 Retiring the V-173 & Transition to the XF5U 00:42:02 Engineering the All-Metal XF5U Flying Flapjack 00:43:57 Gearbox Delays, The Jet Age & Cancellation 00:46:16 The Wrecking Ball, Lost Silver & Dallas Restoration #AviationHistory #VoughtV173 #MilitaryAviation