Archive of 18 Original Aviation Drawings of Military Aircraft Modified with Hydro-Lift Skis And Floating Runways

Item Details

Incredible collection of 18 original drawings showing military aircraft modified with combination landing gear and landing on “floating runways”, also called hydro-ports. In the 1950’s, All American Engineering Company patented the “Universal” or “Hydro-lift” gear as a method to deploy troops on the water as well as land and snow. Possibly these drawings were for a proposed extension of this and other technology to other aircraft in order to obtain a military contract. A variety of Navy and Air Force aircraft are depicted, including the Cutlass, the Corsair, the F-86 Sabre, C-119s, the Panther, and others, most which served from the early 1950s and subsequent decades. Many of the images are marked at the bottom with a number ending in -70 or -71, so possibly from the early 1970s.

Some of the images still seem like science fiction--more fantastical and futuristic images include Navy aircraft refueling on the water and aircraft housed on land in glass cylinders or biospheres. . The drawings measure about 12”x17” and almost all were executed in pencil by a skilled anonymous artist, though two are signed with initials HRT. Now housed in a 16”x20” ITOYA archival Art Profolio.