Felix Longobardi

It was an Aircraft. It was a Road Vehicle. It was also a Gunboat. It had the very latest in radio antennas. It had air-screws and retractable wings on the front for flight. It had propellers on the underside for added lift. It had one rudder to be used for both flying and sailing, and a propeller at the stern for propulsion when on the water. Four wheels gave it movement on the ground, and three cannons protected it from intruders. It was a remarkable design. Even more remarkable was the fact that it got patent protection !

It is hard to suppress a smile when examining the drawings for Mr. Longobardi's machine. While it might have been floatable, it would have been unuseable on land, and it would never have flown. However, it must be remembered that we have the advantage of about 100 years of accumulated study, knowledge and experience in aerodynamics and automobile design. That kind of information was not availalble to Mr. Longbardi.

The design was, none the less, a first.

The drawing below is a detail to show the positioning of the vehicle's defensive guns.