SNECMA Coléoptère
Encyclopedia
The SNECMA
Coléoptère was a VTO aircraft
developed by the French in the 1950s. It was a single-person aircraft
with an annular wing
designed to land vertically, therefore requiring no runway
and very little space to take-off. There were several prototype
s developed and tested, however the design proved to be very unstable and flying it was dangerous.
Snecma
Snecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft, and for space vehicles. The name is an acronym for Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation .In 2005, the Snecma group, which included Snecma ,...
Coléoptère was a VTO aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
developed by the French in the 1950s. It was a single-person aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
with an annular wing
Closed wing
A closed wing is a non-planar wing planform concept. The term closed wing encompasses a number of designs, including the annular wing , the joined wing, and the box wing...
designed to land vertically, therefore requiring no runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and very little space to take-off. There were several prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
s developed and tested, however the design proved to be very unstable and flying it was dangerous.