AF5U Flying Pancake Desktop Model Airplane. Handcrafted from mahogany wood, each scale model's paint scheme and markings are extremely accurate and precise to the actual aircraft. This exceptional AF5U Flying Pancake airplane replica will surely impress anyone who receives this elegant desktop model display as a gift. *In Stock - Ships in 2 Business Days*

The brainchild of Charles H. Zimmerman, the F5U was intended to perform well as a fighter plane while being able to remain in flight at extremely low airspeed, making it easier to operate from carriers. The F5U's unusual appearance owed to a very low aspect ratio wing without a fuselage, which resulted in something looking like a flying saucer. This shape, combined with powerful engines driving large propellers, could plow through the air at low speed (40 mph), since the whole airframe is immersed in the prop wash. The XF5U Flying Pancake was manufactured by Vought. It was a fighter aircraft during World War II. Its maiden flight was on the 23rd of November 1942, and its production was cancelled on the 17th of March 1947.