Which plane could turn into a road trailer?

Short answer

The Boeing L-15 Scout, a small liaison aircraft: it could be disassembled and turned into a trailer that rolled on its own wheels. The main wing split into two halves mounted on the sides of the fuselage, and the wheels rotated 180 degrees on their legs until the gear width matched that of a normal vehicle.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which plane could turn into a road trailer?

Boeing YL-15 N4770C, Anchorage, AK, 6Aug89Peter Garwood (CC BY), vía commons

A plane that turned into a trailer

The most unusual feature of the Boeing L-15 Scout was that it could be disassembled and turned into a trailer that could travel on the aircraft's own wheels. To achieve this, the main wing was split in half and each section was mounted on one side of the fuselage, with the flaperons folded so they formed a kind of roof. The wheels could rotate 180 degrees on their legs, so they ended up on the inner face of the struts, and the width of the landing gear was reduced to that of an ordinary vehicle. The aircraft was also rated to be towed by another aircraft at speeds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h).

Flaperons and military trials

The aircraft's most advanced feature was its flaperons, a combination of flaps and ailerons. Work on the XL-15 began in July 1946. The two prototypes were followed by ten service test aircraft designated YL-15. The Army put them through trials but did not select them for series production.