The predecessor of the cutter - Airbus patent for modular aircraft hulls.

[nobby-w]

Interesting little item turned up in the news today - A patent for a modular airframe.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...container-cabins-that-detach-from-planes.html

A step towards the Cutter.

 

[Reban]

Nothing new under the sun

See this article about the Fairchild XC-120 which may well have been the original inspiration for the modular cutter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_XC-120_Packplane

The aircraft was going to be one of the major transport assets for the light and deployable Pentomic Army of the 50s.

 

[whartung]

That thing looks like an early model of Thunderbird 2.

 

[Redcap]

HA! Someone's been watching Thunderbirds

Edit - Just realised Whartung just mentioned it above, D'OH!

 

[Timerover51]

The US Army did use the idea with the CH-54 Tarhe, aka Sky Crane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_CH-54_Tarhe

 

[kilemall]

Traveller prior art!

 

[aramis]

The US Army did use the idea with the CH-54 Tarhe, aka Sky Crane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_CH-54_Tarhe

Traveller prior art!

CH-64 dates to 1962... the side ejector seats, however...

 

[BlackBat242]

That thing looks like an early model of Thunderbird 2.

HA! Someone's been watching Thunderbirds

Edit - Just realised Whartung just mentioned it above, D'OH!

First flight of the XC-120 was 1950 - 15 years before the first broadcast of Thunderbirds.

So who inspired who?