How's this for a bizarre aircraft?

[Robert Zambelli]

I wonder if anyone has built a model of this.

Google "Edgley Optica" and read all about it!

  Bob Z.

[MarcusCordeiro]

Man, that's a crazy plane... It's gotta be fun flying and being able to see what in actually under you...

Marcus

[Randy Ryan]

I SHOULDA THOUGHT O' THAT!!!!!!

[Tim Wescott]

It's in my one Jane's books.  I was looking for it a while back, wanting to tease someone about semi-scale stunt.

You could possibly do it as EDF if you're really talented.  The aerodynamics inside the duct would be nonstandard, and maybe not easy to get right.

[builditright]

That's what you get when a few aircraft designers get together
for drinks and start doodling around on napkins... 

[Randy Ryan]

That's what you get when a few aircraft designers get together
for drinks and start doodling around on napkins... 

I like it!! I use allot of napkins in the shop, fortunately I've been sober for 23 years but the insanity remains intact!!

[PerttiMe]

It is a bit strange... but it was also designed for a purpose:
"ability to perform much of a helicopter's work with fixed-wing economy and range"

[PerttiMe]

Speaking of ducted fans. Looks like someone in Australia built a reduced size replica of the Stipa Caproni, and flew it a couple of times. Here's the original from 1933:

[rustler]

I seem to remember this was a fantastic concept, a sure fire commercial winner, by a company with not too much cash, crashed, and no-one would come up with the money to keep the company going. I think it was being mooted for police and surveillance work, apparently it could fly really slowly. Open to correction on all this.

[Tim Wescott]

Man, those "sure fire commercial winners" are always the ones that go down in flames, aren't they?

If folks used them, I bet they'd be wishing at least once a month, and maybe once a day, for something that would HOVER!

But it's sure a great odd-ball plane for a scale subject!

[PatRobinson]

Hi guys,
Some years ago this plane was used extensively in in a Sci-Fi movie starring Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, but I can't remember the title of it. I thought this was an unusual design but wasn't sure how much of it was tricked out for the movie and how much was real airplane in the flying sequences.
                                                                         Pat Robinson

[Steve Thomas]

Anyone want to mould a canopy for me? 

[Clint Ormosen]

Hi guys,
Some years ago this plane was used extensively in in a Sci-Fi movie starring Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, but I can't remember the title of it. I thought this was an unusual design but wasn't sure how much of it was tricked out for the movie and how much was real airplane in the flying sequences.
                                                                         Pat Robinson

"Slipstream" (1989) was the film. I didn't know anyone else had ever seen it. It's not good.

[Chris McMillin]

I think that is the same type that Jack Rousch had his first aviation accident, before the famous jet wreck at Oshkosh.
Chris...

[jim gevay]

There's an Optica at the local airport 3 miles from where I live, near St Paul MN.
Oh, and Jack Roush's first plane crash was in an AirCam, a twin engine ultralight type of aircraft.
http://www.aircam.com/