Chance Vought XF5U-1 Flying Pancake Fighter

The Vought XF5U “Flying Flapjack“ was an experimental U.S. Navy fighter aircraft designed by Charles H. Zimmerman during World War II. This unorthodox design consisted of a flat, somewhat disk-shaped body (hence its name) serving as the lifting surface. Two piston engines buried in the body drove propellers located on the leading edge at the wingtips. The XF5U design was promising: specifications given at the time promised the ability to hover like a helicopter while having an airspeed range of 0 to 550