Unusual and Unique Aircraft from the Movietone Collection

America was plane-crazy in the 1920's, and Movietone's cameras filmed the famous, the not-so-famous and the crackpots.

00:10 Vincent Burnelli designed what he called "flying wing" aircraft-what are now generally known as lifting-body planes. The CB-16 of 1929 was his third lifting-body design. (The first two can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qlh_...). It incorporated a number of advanced concepts, including retractable landing gear. It was built as a private plane for banker Paul W. Chapman, who had plans for a fleet of them.

Though the Movietone cameramen did not film it, the plane flew successfully. Unfortunately, just two months after this film was taken, it crashed at Newark Airport in a sudden squall.

03:07 Paul Maiwurm was a California inventor with numerous patents to his name. His idea for a rotating wing with screw drive (U.S. Patent No. 1789529) was not one of his successful ones. In June 1929, he invited the press to see his "Flywurm."

06:17 Dr. C. Heber Vance (1891-1957?) trained as an osteopath in Ohio. His "safety plane" (US1840683) was his only patent. A number of extra control surfaces help keep the plane stable in the air, which the pilot dramatically demonstrates by letting go of the controls and getting out of the cockpit.

Extras (after the closing credits):

10:46 April 1930: John Demenjoz's "sailplane" takes off from Old Orchard Beach, Maine, while being towed by an automobile.

11:15 April 1934: Stuntman Pen Moore intentionally crashes a biplane outside of Houston, Texas.