Dornier Do-X Flying Boat

Massive for its day and, with a greater wingspan than a Boeing 757, airliner-sized even today, the Doriner Do-X flying boat served as a luxurious means of interconental travel for up to 100 passengers in the early 1930s. Powered by twelve 600-horsepower V-12 piston engines, the 108,000-pound Do-X cruised at 110 mph for up to 920 nautical miles. Were it not for the effects of the Great Depression in 1929, it might have seen success as a trans-Atlantic airliner, but ultimately, only three were built and none survive today.

Dornier Do-X Flying Boat
The McDonnell XP-67 “Moonbat” Represented Ambition Outpacing Engineering
July 29, 2026

The McDonnell XP-67 “Moonbat” Represented Ambition Outpacing Engineering

The McDonnell XP-67 “Moonbat” combined cutting-edge technologies, including a blended-wing body and Continental XL-1430 engines, in pursuit of 472 mph performance. Engine overheating and aerodynamic instability ended the ambitious program before it could reach production.
Grob G600
July 18, 2026

From Business Jet to Spy Plane: How a Civilian Jet Design Nearly Became a Military Surveillance Platform

Grob’s G600 concept would have converted a business jet into a 65,000-foot spy plane with 33 hours of endurance.
Northrop HL-10 Lifting Body Aircraft
June 2, 2026

Northrop HL-10 Lifting Body Aircraft

To help study the science of spacecraft reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, NASA flew and evaluated various lifting-body aircraft.