This Day in Aviation History
November 23rd, 1942
First flight of the Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake”.

The Vought V-173 “Flying Pancake” designed by Charles H. Zimmerman was an American experimental test aircraft built as part of the Vought XF5U “Flying Flapjack” World War II United States Navy fighter aircraft program.

Both the V-173 and the XF5U featured an unorthodox “all-wing” design consisting of flat, somewhat disk-shaped bodies (hence the name) serving as the lifting surface. Two piston engines buried in the body drove propellers located on the leading edge at the wingtips….

Source:
Wikipedia, Vought V-173: http://gstv.us/1kTTUQ6

YouTube, Vought V-173 Flying Pancake: http://gstv.us/1kTTJ7D
 
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