{"product_id":"hiller-flying-platform","title":"The Hiller Flying Platform","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStanley Hiller Junior’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eFlying Platform\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e appeared at a time when nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons were proliferating around the world and U.S. Army infantrymen seemed particularly vulnerable to attack. Small, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft appeared to offer the soldiers an ingenious method of escape from these weapons. Hiller founded the Hiller Aircraft Company at the end of World War II specifically to develop innovative approaches to helicopter design. The Hiller Flying Platform is flown by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ekinesthetic control\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e a term that was coined by Charles Zimmerman.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo control the Flying Platform, the pilot shifted his weight in the direction that he wanted to go. Control of the Flying Platform was also accomplished via the throttle controls of the two engines.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn September 17, 1953, the Office of Naval Research issued a flying platform contract to Hiller Aircraft for what became the Model 1031. By September 1954, construction was finished on the Model 1031. Hiller’s chief test pilot, Philip T. Johnston, made the first test flights. With little to protect the pilot in case of engine failure or loss of control, technicians tethered the flying platform to a high wire suspended between two towers. The Model 1031 proved relatively stable and easy to handle when hovering. In horizontal flight, the vehicle exhibited an automatic, self-righting tendency. This effect made the platform almost impossible to topple. Unfortunately, it also limited the forward speed to a mere 26 kph (16 mph) and caused erratic handling in windy conditions.\u003cbr\u003eHiller was awarded with a contract to build three Platforms for the Army, however these later designs were not as successful as the original machine. The project was eventually abandoned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tinker Source","offers":[{"title":"Digital Plans Download","offer_id":47944179744996,"sku":"THE-HILLER-FLYING-PLATFORM-PLAN-1","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Printed Plans","offer_id":47944179777764,"sku":"THE-HILLER-FLYING-PLATFORM-PLAN-2","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0783\/0100\/4004\/files\/Hiller-Flying-Platform.jpg?v=1771775243","url":"https:\/\/tinkersource.com\/products\/hiller-flying-platform","provider":"Tinker Source","version":"1.0","type":"link"}