Send help

NOTE: This aircraft presents a noticeable pitch-down tendency. Messing with the airfoils solves that problem but results in unacceptable flight characteristics, sometimes sending the aircraft out of control in turns. It was meant mostly as an experiment and as a meme, so it's likely staying like this.

AG1: Drag/Spin Recovery Chute
VTOL Down: Slats Down

"SOMEONE STOP THESE MADMEN" - Engineer from Socrux's Defense Department, again, upon once more seeing the Experimental Research Department folk wasting money

Ah, the Cold War. Research on all sorts of crazy ideas given funding just to see what would happen. Among them, the annular wing is perhaps one of the most unique. After much wind tunnel testing, Socrux Experimental Research engineers decided to construct a full-scale testbed for the concept.

With its tall landing gear and strange looks, the aptly named "Barril" (Barrel) Conceptual Prototype S.C.P-157 was hated by its test pilots. It was difficult to control, and the rudder acted more like an extra aleiron. Some test pilots learned to use this to boost their roll rate, and when elevators were applied alongside this technique, it was easy to depart the aircraft from stable flight. As a safety measure, no less than three drag chutes were installed, to be also used as an emergency spin recovery system.

Overall, the aircraft proved to be unexpectedly agile, with an impressive roll rate and good maneuverability on pitch, but its speed was disappointing and overall it was felt that such a radical concept was not worth pursuing at all, given performance was comparable or inferior to conventional aircraft at the time, with small advantages that didn't really matter much. As such, the Experimental Research Department once again wasted considerable sums of money and effort for essentially nothing, and as a result, after the failure of this project they recieved a major slash in budget and were assigned a board of supervisors from the company's other departments to oversee their actions.