Zipper-Bag Airplane (1958)
Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 6:35AM 
The camping trips of tomorrow will not only include throw-away clothes, but apparently stow-away airplanes. This edition of Closer Than We Think appeared in the October 19, 1958 Chicago Tribune.
Airplanes that can be stowed away between trips, like camping equipment, may be a common sight in the world of tomorrow. They could be folded up like tents, then spread out and inflated to shape.
The secret lies in a new kind of fabric being developed by Goodyear Aircraft Corporation. This material has a network of internal threads connecting the outside surfaces - the longer the threads, the greater the distances between those surfaces. Varying thread lengths could thus make possible any kind of shape, strong enough to be flown when inflated. Rubberizing makes the fabric airtight.
Flying machines constructed of this "cloth" have already been successfully test.
Next week: "Highway Space Wagons"
See also:
Closer Than We Think! Throw-Away Clothes (1959)
Reader Comments (4)
We do have these, they are called Paragliders, and they zip up into a backpack. They are also the least expensive aircraft you can buy.
Gotta love the cap and goggles on the pilot! :)
This is a riff on the Goodyear Inflatoplane, which http://davidszondy.com/future/Flight/rubber_plane.htm" REL="nofollow">David Szondy examines here.
It's the closest aircraft ever, I think, to George Jetson's sedan that folds up into a briefcase...
The guy in the cap and goggles appears more to be a chauffeur than a pilot.