What was Goodyear's inflatable airplane?

Short answer

The Goodyear Inflatoplane was an experimental inflatable aircraft built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company. It was designed as a rescue aircraft that could be dropped inside a hardened container behind enemy lines. Twelve prototypes were built between 1956 and 1959, and testing continued until 1972.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What was Goodyear's inflatable airplane?

F4U at 2023 Oshkosh

An airplane inside a box

The Inflatoplane was an experimental inflatable aircraft built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company. It was designed and built in just 12 weeks in 1956, with the idea that the military would use it as a rescue aircraft that could be dropped inside a hardened container behind enemy lines. That container, with a volume of 44 cubic feet (1.25 m³), could also be transported by truck, jeep trailer, or airplane.

Rubber, nylon, and pressurized air

The structure consisted of a sandwich of two rubber-like materials joined by a mesh of nylon threads forming an I-beam. In flight, structural integrity was maintained by forced air that the aircraft's own engine circulated continuously. The aircraft could take up to six hits from .30-caliber bullets and still hold pressure. It measured 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) in length, with a 22 ft (6.7 m) wingspan, and was powered by a 40 hp (30 kW) Nelson engine.

From inflation to cancellation

Once the Inflatoplane was dropped by air to the pilot, he would hand-pump it to about half pressure over roughly ten minutes and then start the 40 hp Nelson H-59 engine mounted on the wing to complete the inflation. The process took about five minutes to reach around 25 psi. Twelve prototypes were built between 1956 and 1959, and testing continued until 1972. The project was cancelled in 1973.