Flying Platform
01
A type of personal VTOL aircraft developed when interest in vertical take-off and landing aircraft was on the rise, prior to the large-scale use of helicopters.
Anticipated uses included artillery corps impact observation, reconnaissance, patrolling, and transportation of military personnel into trouble spots. The first prototype was completed in 1954 and a successful maiden voyage was made in the following year. Afterward, the flying platform went through a process of trial and error in the United States, but in the end, it was deviated widely from the original aim of being "operable by a soldier without special training", and the project was terminated without the flying platform seeing practical application. The idea was taken over by Granin, who improved it independently, and a flying platform equipped with jet engines was put into practical use.