The two propeller shaft fairings emerging on either side of the round fuselage give the Vought V-173 a creepy sea-creature look, something like a manta ray. It featured two massive 16.5-foot-diameter wooden propellers, each powered by an 80-horsepower air-cooled engine. First flown on November 23, 1942 in response to the Navy`s need for a fighter that could be deployed from tankers, cruisers, and other ships to counter Japanese kamikaze and submarine attacks, the Vought V-17, or flying pancake, could take off straight up from the deck of a ship in a 25 knot headwind. The Pancake made more than 190 flights and accumulated 131 hours of flight time (with Charles Lindbergh taking it for at least one flight). But with World War Two now over, the Navy cancelled the flying pancake in 1947. (airspacemag.com)
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