5 Planes That Flew (But Probably Shouldn’t Have)

Not every airplane is a sleek marvel of aerodynamic brilliance. Some are weird. Some are wobbly. And a few… well, they somehow flew despite every warning sign that said they shouldn’t.

In this post, I’m highlighting five aircraft that actually got off the ground—but probably had no business doing so. Whether it was overly ambitious engineering, downright bizarre design choices, or just some good old-fashioned aviation optimism, these planes defied logic and gravity.

Let’s take a look at the lineup.

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1. Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee – The Flying Manhole Cover

This one-person flying platform from the 1950s looked like something a pulp science fiction artist would’ve dreamed up. Designed by Hiller Aircraft, the VZ-1 Pawnee was built for the U.S. Army as a potential reconnaissance and mobility tool.

It used two ducted fans to hover a soldier just a few feet off the ground. The concept? A flying platform you could stand on and control by shifting your weight. That’s right—no joystick, no enclosure, no seat. Just you, your boots, and a spinning death trap below.

Despite the insanity of the concept, the thing actually worked. It could hover and maneuver—barely—but it lacked stability, range, and, most importantly, safety. The Army gave it a short round of testing before declaring it a fun but impractical idea.

It’s remembered today not as a serious contender for military mobility, but as a brilliant example of mid-century “what if?” thinking.

2. LTV XC-142 – Too Much Tilt, Not Enough Triumph

Now here’s a plane that tried to do everything: the LTV XC-142. Developed in the 1960s, this experimental tiltwing aircraft was a joint effort by Ling-Temco-Vought, Ryan, and Hiller (yes, Hiller again!). The goal was to create a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) transport aircraft that could move troops and cargo from ship to shore or battlefield to base without needing a runway.

The entire wing tilted, engines and all. In horizontal flight, it performed like a turboprop transport. In vertical mode, it acted like a helicopter. And while it managed over 400 test flights, the aircraft never really lived up to expectations.

It suffered from severe mechanical problems, especially in the complex gearbox systems that transferred power between engines. Pilots reported nasty vibration during transitions, and the control system was anything but user-friendly.

Still, it flew—and that’s no small feat. But in the end, the XC-142 proved too complex and too unreliable for military adoption. It helped pave the way for future VTOL designs, but it’s mostly remembered now as a bold and turbulent stepping stone.

3. McDonnell XF-85 Goblin – The Jet-Powered Yo-Yo

When the Cold War was heating up, the U.S. Air Force was brainstorming ways to protect its long-range bombers from enemy fighters. One idea? Carry a miniature jet fighter inside the bomber—then launch it in midair to fend off attackers.

That fighter was the McDonnell XF-85 Goblin. It was tiny, weirdly shaped, and had no landing gear. It was meant to be released from a B-36 Peacemaker bomber and then reattach via a retractable trapeze hanging below the mother ship.

In test flights, the Goblin actually flew fairly well once it was in the air. But docking it back to the bomber proved next to impossible. Turbulence made the maneuver wildly unpredictable, and after several failed attempts—including one that forced the test pilot to crash-land in the desert—the project was quietly shelved.

Only two prototypes were built. The Goblin never saw combat, but it holds a strange place in aviation history as the world’s first—and last—“parasite fighter.”

4. Edgley Optica – The Dragonfly That Tried to Replace Helicopters

Looking like a cross between a bug and a bubble dome, the Edgley EA-7 Optica was a British-built aircraft from the late 1970s designed for low-speed observation work. With its massive forward canopy and ducted fan pusher propeller, it offered panoramic visibility and a whisper-quiet ride—ideal for roles like police surveillance, wildlife tracking, and aerial photography.

The Optica had a cruising speed of just 130 mph, and it could stay airborne for over eight hours. It cost far less to operate than a helicopter and had a stall speed under 70 mph. On paper, it made a lot of sense.

But the real world had other plans.

Despite early interest, the Optica was plagued by production delays and funding issues. Then, in 1985, one of the early models crashed due to mechanical failure, tragically killing both the pilot and passenger. That incident, along with a fire that destroyed many of the company’s aircraft, sealed the Optica’s fate.

A handful of units still exist, and the design occasionally gets dusted off for revival talk. But as of now, the Optica remains one of aviation’s most unusual almost-success stories.

5. Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano – Nine Wings, One Big Splash

And finally, we have what might be the most ridiculous flying machine ever built: the Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano. Designed by Italian aviation pioneer Gianni Caproni in 1921, the Noviplano was intended as a transatlantic flying boat capable of carrying up to 100 passengers.

His solution? Stack three triplane wings on top of a massive boat fuselage. That’s nine wings in total. Nine.

The aircraft was powered by eight engines and looked like something out of a fever dream. On its first—and only—test flight, it took off from Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, climbed to about 60 feet, and then promptly lost control and crashed into the water.

No one was hurt, but the wreckage was a total loss. Caproni had plans to rebuild it, but the damage—financial and emotional—was too great. The project was scrapped, and the Noviplano was never attempted again.

It remains one of the most ambitious, outrageous, and short-lived experiments in aviation history.

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Sometimes the best aviation stories don’t come from the planes that revolutionized flight—but from the ones that nearly did, or at least gave it a very odd shot. Whether it’s a flying platform, a tiltwing transformer, or a nine-wing flying boat, these aircraft remind us that aviation’s progress was never a straight path.

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