Steam Noir

The Albatross was inspired by two of Jules Verne novels, "Robur le Conquerant" (1896) and its sequel, "Maitre du Monde" (1904). This lighter-than-air warcraft became the centerpeice of the movie "Master of the World" (1961) adapted to the big screen by Richard Matheson. It starred Vincent Price as Robur, the half-mad genius and captain of the Albatross.

The steam ornithopter has been re-invented throughout history. Its origins predate the Atlantean culture which used it quite extensively in their world travels. When Leonardo Da Vinci later discovered the blueprints for one in the vaults of the Vatican he tried to create his own version; at which point the Atlanteans stepped in, kidnapped Da Vinci and replaced him with a less intelligent clone. Da Vinci in turn handed his plans for the ornithopter to the Aztecs who dismissed them as useless since they could already fly through telekinesis. By the time Jules Vern discovered that he was actually one of Da Vinci's less intelligent clones he had already created a fleet of ornithopers which he would fly to Mars on a regular basis. The Wright brothers had no connection to the ornithopter and probably didn't know how to spell it either.

The Amiral DuPerre is the result of the French aquiring the technology of the Albatross featured in Jules Vernes "Robur the Conqueror".

Inspired by William Forstchen's Lost Regiment series of novels. This airship has a Sterling Hot Air engine with a hydrogen filled gasbag. It is a prime example of hypothetical engineering in science fiction. "What if a Civil War era engineer found himself with unlimited resources and a horrible war to fight?"

Although lacking in comfortable seating, these two Union soldiers have left the misery of the battlefield and taken warfare into the skies.  

This red seaplane was featured in "Porco Rosso" (The Crimson Pig) a popular anime film by Hayao Miyazaki.  It was flown by the bounty hunter: Porco Rosso, a man cursed to have the face of a pig.

This seaplane was flown by the air pirates and hunted by Porco Rosso in the region around the Adriatic. 

The German aircraft manufacturer, Junkers & Co. had a long standing history of innovative design since its founding in 1915. It produced aircraft for both World Wars and by the 1950s and 60s had laid the groundwork for the aerospace industry.

This Berlin to New York Rocket was a concept developed by Max Valier in 1929. This eccentric ship was originally based upon a jet-plane design, however with each successive iteration Valier reduced the size of the wings in favor of larger side-mounted rockets for steering, eventually giving up on wings altogether.

This concept rocket-plane was developed by Wernher von Braun in response to the day and night bombing raids on German air fields. This craft could be launched straight up from a launch rail at a speed 650mph on takeoff; if it didn't explode, rip its wings off, or come completely unglued. (The Germans did not have an adequate glue formula during the war and many of their planes came apart while in flight.) It was constructed primarily of wood and non-strategic alloys. The entire flight time for this rocket plane was aproximately six minutes after which the pilot was expected to parchute to safety. After the flight, the plane was designed to split in two and parachute the motor back to Earth for reuse.

This airship was created in 1904 by the Thule Hollow Earth Society to help them explore the underworld through the opening at the North Pole. It carried a full accompaniment of weaponry that allowed them to successfully attack and defeat Baron VonClaus' legion of mutant dwarves, thereby taking over his outpost and manufacturing facilities. Utilizing the captured VonClaus anti-gravity drive made possible the creation of the flying saucers that would be later acquired by Adolph Hitler in 1943. Equipped with an anti-gravity drive for propulsion, the Groser Auk was last flown by dwarves that escaped from the VonClaus work camp and were shot down by Nazi flying saucers over Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The survivors were indefinitley detained by the U.S. military and along with remains of the airship, were relocated to the Area 51 facility for national security reasons.

This manned, jet powered missile was a concept developed by the Japanese Special Attack Units ( tokubetsu kôgeki tai ) toward the end of the war in the Pacific. It carried a devastating payload of explosives and could be launched from a relatively small watercraft. However, upon testing, the power behind the rocket engine had the unfortunate side-effect of breaking the pilot's neck on takeoff; making it impossible for him to steer this engine of destruction. Luckily the war ended before the Imperial Japanese Army resolved this minor design problem.

This notorious UFO has been buzzing remote towns and farmhouses throughout North America for decades. Dubbed "The Scream of Night" by the Kansas City Bugle, this aircraft has been spotted by thousands of reliable witnesses (and even more kooks) in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It is rumored to be one of the last great creations of the heroic aviator, Bill Barnes and is assumed to use ram-jet air technology due to the loud screaming sound the engine makes. It has been clocked in excess one-thousand mph. However, it has only been seen flying ten and twenty feet above the ground leaving vast dust clouds in its wake. It is unknown whether this eccentric flight pattern is an attempt to evade radar or the pilot's fear of heights. Radio signals from this UFO pick up only hysterical laughter, "Yee Haws" and someone saying "Ooh Doggies" like Jed Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies.

For more information on Bill Barnes go to http://home.att.net/~dannysoar4/BillBarnes.htm

This machine a D IIIa, was made by the German firm of Pfalz  and was taken over after WW1 by the newly reborn state of Poland. It was later used in the fight against Soviet Russia in the 1920 war. The Polish pilot had an extra machine gun added to give his plane more firepower but the mechanic knew nothing about the synchronizing of the gun and propeller. As a result, the first time this brave fool used his guns in action, he blasted his propeller into splinters and shot himself down!

This bomber was dreamed up as a shell spotter for the Kaiser Cannon display. Its design is a composite of several different German R class planes. I like the monoplane wing with the biplane tale.

Based on the movie The Blue Max, the Fokker DVIII prototype would serve as an advanced monoplane fighter that was being tested by the Germans. As a plot device it would allow the high command to take down the hero and cover up his affair with the leading lady in the film. Yeah, it doesn't make much sense, but I like the lines and I needed a fighter plane to go with the R plane bomber.

This twin engine plane was a experimental one-off created by Vincent Burnelli. It was one of the first plywood monocaulk designs in the U.S. based upon the German Albatross fighters. Its failure to go into production at this point in history was due to the U.S. and British military favoring a bi-wing design.

The honorable Screaming Pig is a concept for a Japanese troop transport/cargo carrier for the Pacific campaign in 1944. It was designed to be a high speed glider that could get past Allied blockades and fighter cover.

Once the glider was towed into range of its destination the pilot would ignite three Walther rocket motors. With a boost from these rockets which were imported from Germany; this plane could attain speeds of up to 550 mph which would sufficiently outrun most of the U.S. fighters of the day. 

Unfortunetly, the power only lasted three minutes and then the speed dropped to gliding speed of 200 mph, making it a sitting duck! The fuel for the rocket motors was no prize ether being the deadly Tstoff and Zstoff it would blow up if handled wrong or right or just looked at in a funny way. The name for this one is from the noise three Walther motors make when running; a sort of a whinning scream. the blunt nose and fat Betty bomber body.

The plan was to tow the Pigs behind Betty bombers and when near the drop zone unhook and glide until spotted by the enemy then light the rockets and zoom in for a fast landing on the target dump the troops and run for cover before the damn thing exploded!.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO DRIVE SUPER-INTELLIGENT SCIENTISTS INSANE AND SHOULD ONLY BE READ BY DIMWITS OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY LOST THEIR MINDS.

This steam-powered vehicle was built in 1889 by French entomologists working with the theory that the wing-size to body-mass ratio makes flight for insects impossible. Upon startup it was found out immediatelty that the theory was indeed correct; insects can not fly. The vibration of their wings however, generates a spherical field of extradimentional energy that shifts matter in the space-time continuum allowing them a full range of effortless movement. In essence: the insect remains still and the world moves around it.

The concept proved to be too big for any rational mind to comprehend and drove most of the observers permanently insane. What was thought to be a simple study in aerodynamics proved beyond the shadow of doubt that it was the flapping of trillions of tiny insect wings that generated all movement in the universe.

While the scientists were shrieking in mindless horror at the abomination that they created, a couple of the cleaning crew members decided to hop into the Dragonflier and take a quick cruise across the universe. They were never seen again and the French authorities quickly covered-up all information concerning this project.

Could this aircraft explain the UFO sightings in the upper peninsula of Michigan? Not aliens from another planet; just aliens from Canada! Buzzing unwary U.S. citizens in a super advanced aircraft.

The story is that the U.S. Air Force and the Avro Aircraft company in 1952 hired John C.M. Frost to design a conada effect aircraft of a disk layout with the hope of getting VTOL and Supersonic flight in the same craft. The result was the Avro aircar, which would seem a dismal failure. It lacked the capacity to get higher than 12 inches off the ground and was not what you would call stable. Yet was it a failure? Later designs looked more promising and some say that Mr. Frost kept at the work until he had gotten all the bugs out.

So, if you Canadian scientists are testing this "flying saucer" high over northern Michigan, please stop now. Give the UPers a break and buzz the country folk on your own side of the border. 

This is one of only two such objects to be captured although it is estimated that they may exist in the thousands. Even though the Flying Beta measures only three inches long it is capable of moving at blinding speeds and vast distances. The few that have been captured on film have been mistaken for the "Flying Rod" phenomenon.

The Flying Beta utilizes a dazzling variety of micro circuitry and nano technology that is beyond any nation's known manufacturing capabilities. Its power source is also as mysterious as its origins but scientists have confirmed that at the nose of this vessel is a tiny camera and microphone capable of recording information and transmitting it to some unknown receiver.

A great debate rages over the possible threat to humanity that the Flying Beta represents. Is it the work of a mad genius, aliens or a secret surveillance project sponsored by our own government? Only when its creator chooses to step forth will we know his nefarious plan.

Every site needs a mascot, this is mine. An iron techno spirit to inspire my work.