Soviet Ekranoplane

[Kelly Wilson]

This is possibly one of the most unusual planes of all time...or is it a boat? Controline anyone??


http://www.businessinsider.com/take-a-look-inside-the-soviet-unions-gigantic-nuclear-equipped-ekanoplane-2012-1?op=1

[Douglas Ames]

(re: control line) Like the website said...you wouldn't be able to get it out of ground effect. 
I wonder how this flys in rough seas? You'd almost need some kind of terrain-following radar?

[john e. holliday]

They did create some very inovative machines at times.

[John Stiles]

In operation:

[don Burke]

(re: control line) Like the website said...you wouldn't be able to get it out of ground effect. 
I wonder how this flys in rough seas? You'd almost need some kind of terrain-following radar?

Since ground effect vehicles can fly their span in altitude without losing stability, it could most likely clear high seas.

[Dennis Moritz]

Guess it's not a bolt by bolt, rivet by rivet, copy of an American design.

[Steve Fitton]

Guess it's not a bolt by bolt, rivet by rivet, copy of an American design.

Imagine that! Your fellow travelers came up with an original design!   

[jim ivey]

we didn't nave to beat the commies they beat themselves with crap like this. I remember the crash of the soviet SST. I remarked to my GF at the time." I'd never fly in that thing it's libel tp!!!l fall apart in the air,@#$%  poor workmanship." we were watching it live at the paris airshow. It did

[Larry Cunningham]

To me, it's an abomination. An interesting abomination, but an abomination nonetheless.

L.

"I looked up my family tree and found three dogs using it." -Rodney Dangerfield

[RDJeff]

I think they're awesome machines!  Back in the Cold War days, the NATO folks named one of them the Caspian Sea Monster, because nobody in the west had ever seen one, but the satellite analysts would spot a big ship at one of the ports, then on the next satellite pass an hour later, it would be on the other side of the Sea, so they did the calcs and figured it had to have travel at 300 knots or so to do that.  It took a while for them to get any detailed photos of the craft.

They are known as WIGs now, for wing-in-ground effect.  There are a number of manufacturers selling civilian sized versions you can fly without an FAA pilot's license.