autoevolution
 

This 1932 Self-Flying Plane Allowed the Pilot to Get Out of the Cockpit in Midair

Many wonder why people always consider the Golden Age as something in the past. When it comes to the aviation industry, this might perhaps be owed to the fact that the early days allowed daredevils to take all the risks they wanted in the pursuit of public attention.
1932 Self-Flying Plane 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Still, safety has always been paramount, as the adjacent video, which was captured over eight decades ago, shows. The clip introduces us to a prototype for a self-flying plane doing its thing in mid air.

It all happened in Glendale, USA back in 1932 and to prove the aircraft can fly autonomously, the pilot even stepped outside the cockpit during the flight, climbing on the roof.

The aircraft was kept on course by a set of stabilizers, with the video also showing how smooth these operated. Please note the absence of any safety gear whatsoever - yes, those times were Golden, but just as long as you were alive.

Not the best timing for such a clip though

Of course, the fact that British Pathé uploaded the clip (which, by the way, has been released on Youtube before) today has raised more than a few eyebrows - in case you haven’t been on an isolating camping trip, you know about the Germanwings incident that took place earlier this week - a co-pilot of the company is believed to have deliberately crashed an airliner in the French Alps.

All 150 people on board Germanwings Flight 9525 were killed in the accident, with the investigators currently following multiple leads. One of these shows that Andreas Lubitz, the man responsible for the accident, had a medical condition he had concealed from the company.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Andrei Tutu
Andrei Tutu profile photo

In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories