Avro Canada VZ-9 · 1961
The Pentagon spent $10 million on a real flying saucer
The Avrocar, a flying saucer built in Canada, floated on a cushion of air. It wobbled and rose about three feet. The Pentagon cancelled it in 1961.
What is said in this reel
The Pentagon spent $10 million on a real flying saucer. It was called the Avrocar. Built in Canada. Stay and you'll see how high it flew. The Air Force wanted 1500 miles an hour. The Army wanted a flying Jeep. It floated on a cushion of air. So did it work? It wobbled. Engineers call it hubcapping, like a wobbling hubcap. A NASA test pilot said it broke every rule of stability. So how high did it get? About three feet. In December 1961, the Pentagon canceled it. 1500 was the dream. It managed 30. Only two were built. One sits in a museum Ohio. A real flying saucer.
Credits and sources
- Film: National Archives (NARA IDs 68405, 68175, 68170)
- "Avro Canada VZ-9AV Avrocar - National Museum of the USAF" by Alvintrusty, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photos via Wikimedia Commons: NASA Ames and U.S. Air Force (public domain); Avro Canada company literature
- Exploded-view illustration: AI-generated (labelled on screen)
- Music: Industrial Cinematic by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0
- Narration: AI-generated voice.
