Forgotten aircraft: The Abrams Explorer

[mister60066]

the movies of yours I've seen are alsolutely marvelous! i wonder, where do you get those old promotional video's?

[Silverdollar55]

The cabin looks like a Sikorsky R4

[scifyjunkie]

what a neat looking airplane, it reminds you of something from the buck rogers comic strip.

[Ibringthetruth1]

too bad wings was taken off the air.

everything on tv now = CSI and fake reality shows.

[shopunit]

Hey you shut your mouth @adauto3000 with the smartass ugly Betty comments. For one, I think it's a very handsome plane, and for two, my wife's name is Betty- and I don't care HOW fat or ugly she is, I still have to sleep with her god dammit.

[willystuff]

it' looks like a helicopter front, with a airplane behind

[adauto3000]

Ugly Betty of the air... Hahahhahahaaa!

[GrigoriZhukov]

@adauto3000 oh really and just what pray tell makes you so sure? Hmmm? sure ain't as Fugly as an IL-2 oh I know you using a an L-4 or maybe the FW-190 as the comparison. If so you fail.

[donald195]

there is an Optica here: Strange But Real Aircraft

[Nomasain]

ELECTRIC heating? sounds like a waste of energy....

[nolifemerc]

im impressed, wow

[athaidream]

The Merlin engine was a direct development from the Roll Royce racing engines that powered the Seaplanes that won the Schneider trophy in the late 1920's and early 1930's the seaplanes were designed by R.J.Mitchell who also designed the Spitfire,bog all to do with Curtis.

Why are American's so ignorant?

The Merlins used in the P51 were made under license in the US by Packard.

[InfiniteMushroom]

@athaidream Americans are ignorant because we long ago ceased being citizens and became debt-fueled consumers.

I guess that's all we can be since our votes mean nothing, our voices mean nothing, our citizenship is less than cheap, we live under an artificial economic and political architecture that is completely outside the purview of the U.S. Constitution, and we don't have the stomach to launch a French Revolution on steroids.

America's schools are designed to mold students into that paradigm

[Statalyzer]

@InfiniteMushroom oh don't be so dense. Our votes mean everything. We have the exact kind of government we deserve, and the kind of government we want. Sure, it's not the type people say they want, but it's the type they consistently elect even when given alternatives.

[InfiniteMushroom]

@Statalyzer You don't know jack about politics because you're growing up in bondage. You've never seen free America i.e. the Old Republic. Being well adjusted to a profoundly dysfunctional nation is no virtue.

Thank God my brain has density because people have such soft heads now.

[Statalyzer]

@InfiniteMushroom There is no virtue utility in bemoaning how ye olden days were better either. The government is the way it is because of the people. People complain about what the government does wrong, and then freely choose to elect officials who they ought to know will continue the things they complain about. The government is dishonest and corrupt because most people will not vote for a truly honest and corrupt candidate - they vote for whoever promises them the most goodies instead.

[InfiniteMushroom]

@Statalyzer I take it you've never heard of Don King. He perfected the game of rigging boxing matches so he and his "investors" win

If the candidates are selected to ensure that they represent the same interests, then how are the votes going to matter? You are making the incredibly naive assumption that Federal and State candidates arise from genuine movements and popular support. They are selected by party kingmakers and the support is artificially created to make you THINK your vote matters

[JBofBrisbane]

@InfiniteMushroom - Don't hijack the thread.

[InfiniteMushroom]

@JBofBrisbane Normally I wouldn't hijack a thread but, a rather pointed question about American ignorance arose from a commenter that had to be addressed.

[binaway]

@athaidream Rolls Royce inline 12 cylinder aircraft engines form a family dating back to WW1. In 1915 the RAF required an engine of a certain size and power and no such engine was in production or development in the UK at that time. There was only one engine in the country that fitted the requirement and that was in the front of the German ambassadors Mercedes limousine which had been seized. The car was driven to the Rolls Royce design offices.The engine removed & reverse engineered

[Fixed7777]

recuerdo que salio un articulo de este avion en mecanica popular

[JimHadar1]

Sure would make a great sight-seeing aircraft if it flew today. All that open glass front would offer fantastic views of the Grand Canyon or Yosemite. And I agree w/ Wolf69a -- first thing I though of when I saw the front section was the S-51 or the Piaseki Harp.

[wolf69a]

It reminds me a Sikorsky S-51 helicopter with wings

[Guardsmen248]

this plane is just full of awesome!!!

[astronato]

It's beautiful.

[TheOongaboonga]

I like it.

[Wendallandinc]

My father worked for Abrams at the time the Explorer was built. He had his hands in the avionics for the plane. As I recall there was only one person who could fly it very well as it the arrangement of the landing gear made the plane very unstable on takeoff and landing.

[macnutz]

I've never even heard of this one. Big thanks for posting.

[redbrackets]

The Mustang is a great aircraft ! the first Rolls Royce engine was the Merlin 61, and from 1943 the Packard built Merlin 68 ( 1520 h.p. Packard V-1650-3) was fitted to the P51B, And the legend was born !

[crpdst2003]

@redbrackets No British defence agency gave the Rolls Royce company and its new engineers they hired from Napier, orders to copy the revolutionary V-12 from Curtis... done away with WWI cylinder bottleneck in one shot by having the cylinders machined into the block. That also lightened the engine and made cooling far more efficient while reducing the frontal area. the Legend begins there.... Curtis was purchased and now is Rolls Royce America....

[kaw1970]

@crpdst2003

No!!! The P51 because a reaonable combat aircraft due to a British engine - which was NOT a copy of an american engine. Your technical desription is also crap. Why is that you silly americans keep on trying to take the credit for everything!

[crpdst2003]

"The D-12 was one of the most powerful engines of its era, and continued to swap records with other contemporary high-power engines. No British company could offer anything like it, and when Fairey imported 50 of the type (renaming them as the Fairey Felix) the Air Ministry had enough and ordered Napier & Son and Rolls-Royce to start work on cast-block engines of their own." quote the wikipedia......

[NVanWendy]

Nose section by Piasecki...

[patsematary]

@NVanWendy this is the same think I made! maybe was the same designer? :)

[schlusselmensch]

That must have been an absolute joy on a 95 degree day. Sort of like a flying terrarium.

[skinengine]

Nice post! Very unique!

[NeoQuello]

forgotten?? i wonder why.?? maybe it was ugly as fuck???

[painterjohn512]

Man i dg this stuff!!

[ZListon]

It might be ugly but I bet it was unique to fly. imagine the view. There is very little in front of you. Seems like someone could use the design to build a great R/C camera ship. I love it. This Bomberguy is the shiznit.

[grubbyjeans]

I'm building a Piper PA-7 for FPV. Can't post a link but search for "Piper PA-7 Sky Coupe" to locate.

[greenseaships]

I

MUST

BUILD ONE!

[Billy982810]

lol That is one ugly bird. but cool.

[guitarheroclanklol]

this is one interesting aircraft.

[transdrole]

Nowadays it's illegal to be that ugly.

[redbrackets]

I think there was a British aeroplane inspired by this Abrams design, built during the early 80's and i think called an "Optica" ?

[fancyflier]

There was indeed, made by Edgely, but the Optica was aimed at the low altitude surveillance market as a cheaper option than a helicopter for police work, pipeline inspection and the like. Same design concept though as you say, although the Optica had a ducted fan rather than a conventional prop.

[MrPloopy]

@redbrackets The PZL M15 "Belphegor," a jet bi-plane built in Poland had a similar design concept albeit as a bi-plane.

[Carlton1812]

Dink29 is a douche bag

To know shit from shinola is uniquely American. What can you tell us about Photogrammetry, about Talbert Abrams? Keep your trapper shut my friend. Your closed mouth is the only virtue you have.

[osdotf]

@Carlton1812 Not sure how P-51s, Spitfires, Merlins or Joe Lucas got into this, but Ted Abrams and his wife, Leota, were great friends of Michigan State University in East Lansing where I had the pleasure to meet them when they donated $250,000 in 1961 to complete funding for the Abrams Planetarium. For many years after, Abrams Aerial Survey annually updated the huge backlit aerial campus photograph displayed inside the MSU Student Union.

[kyotoair]

must be a good view in there. so many good and creative ideas back in the 40/50's

[supressorgrid]

Ducted fan?

[Clauteaux]

No, NACA engine cowling only.

[cavador2001]

Looks like an airplane from the game Crimson Skies.

BTW-Dink STFU The Americans built a fighter

(Mustang P-51d)That could accompany and protect the bombers all the way from England to Berlin and back.Try doing that in a Spitfire and you would probably have to ditch in the Rhine.HaHa!

[slrman]

Crimson Skies? I don't think I've ever heard of it. This was Micro-Flight 5.0. I have a few other videos from MF and IL2, also. Just search on slrman. :)

[redbrackets]

Don't i remember the mustang having to have a ROLLS ROYCE merlin to achieve the range and performance you are talking about ?

[MadMichigander1313]

@redbrackets

Originally the A-36 version of the Mustang used the Allison engine, but someone realized the potential and tried the aircraft with the Merlin engine. This created the Mustang we all know and love, a real game changing aircraft.

[avpisback]

@redbrackets

check wiki

p51 mustang had a merlin engine. which a variant of was first used on the hurricane

[redbrackets]

@avpisback Are you trying to say that the Merlin was an American engine?

[avpisback]

@redbrackets no im saying the packard engine originally designed for the mustang wasnt satisfactory so the merlin was put in it to increase performance.

[oiseautempete]

@avpisback

The Mustang P51 use a Packard Merlin (under license built RR Merlin) , only the experimental P51G use a Merlin 145 (1500hp)

The first engine on P51 A36 and A was the Allison V1710 (in version 39,87 and 81) same engine as the P40, but this engine, good at low altitude was bad at hight altitude...

[boudicia1]

@redbrackets

check wiki or whatever other website that contains info on the p 51

common knowledge that the us used the rolls royce merlin. first used on the hurricane. FACT

[andrebrannan1953]

Please remember it took a British engine to enable it to perform as well. Also the P-51 was built to British specifications.

[slrman]

It looks to me as though the Molniya owes a lot to this design. Fortunately, I have that one on a simulator. You can see it in total towards the middle of the video I am uploading.

[framelocator]

No retractable gear...

[dink29]

i bet he feels special. hes got shatterproof glass, and electric heating. wooo i wish i was you!! the yanks cant build anything right. your cars pass an MOT with no brake pads, ur lights flicker when the indicators flash, sorry ill re-phrase it for you. (blinkers) haha! and yeah look at the state of your planes. ummm the Spitfire is a stunning aircraft, fuckin beautiful, then you lot build a plane and its embarrasing, look how ugly it is! its diabolical

[slrman]

Keep in mind, dink29 that, if it were not for the yanks (who cannot build anything right) you would be writing this in German. LOL Isn't it Lucas Electrics known as "the prince of darkness"? Having owned several British sports cars, I can attest to the correctness of that appellation.

[tnuhaes]

gggg

[Tideliner]

Very Cool !

[skipjackbj]

Interesting. The plane had heat. More comfortable then the Boeings flying in the war.

[ogahb]

First time I've heard about this aircraft. Looks cool.

[denberg2]

Many thanks.