ELYTROPLAN de Charles DE ROUGE au 1/66

[CRIQUET]

Charles de Rougé was born in 1892. He is fascinate by the life of insects, especially the observation of “elytra”.

In 1928, Charles de Rougé discovered elevated aerial stability. He built a few prototypes whose particularity was to be equipped with a rudder called "elytra", placed very above the fuselage. This rudder, in two parts, could open like a jaw. Because of his position, he could not be masked by the wake of the wing or an engine spindle, and ensured, even at very large angles, a particularly effective defence. The variation in lift was obtained by a variation in trail and not by the deflection of a rudder located classically at the rear of the fuselage. He named the planes from his research “Elytroplan”.
All this proved to be an illusion that has lost many manufacturers (not always marginal) since the very beginnings of aviation.



In 1937, Charles de Rougé realized this other version of "Elytroplan", with horizontal stabiliser, The plane above the wing had to ensure, by its trail, the stability of the aircraft whose centering was very advanced. This prototype was hidden in 1943, during the last war, at the Neuville sur Oise castle. Count Bertrand de la Poëze Harambure donated it in 1989 to the French Air and space museum of Le Bourget where it was restored by the Association "Les Ailes anciennes".

This model (like my other creations) is in free downloading on my website
Further informations about the history of this airplane as well as pictures about the assembly of the model:

http://www.criquetaero.fr/de-rouge-elytroplan-type-decroix-1938-a135925670

[southwestforests]

Whoa, that's one I can't recall ever seeing before!

[Don Boose]

A really unusual airplane.

Don

[Burning Beard]

Thank You, I will have to build this to go with my Flying Flea for unusual aircraft.

Beard

[SCEtoAUX]

Thank you for the paper model. That is a very weird looking aircraft.

[MichaelS]

That is really a strange looking bird!