Here are a selection of the experimental flying oddities dreamed up by aeronautical engineers since the 1950s, many of which were built without the help of the advanced computing technology and sophisticated wind tunnel modelling used today. While craft like the saucer-shaped Avrocar and the Vertijet, an aeroplane with the ability to take-off vertically, were cancelled and others failed to make it past the prototype stage, they nevertheless helped push forward the possibilities of the technology. Above, the M2-F1 aircraft in towed flight. It was the first of five designs of 'lifting body' planes where aerodynamic lift is derived from the shape of the fuselage rather than from wings. The M2-F1 was built in 1963 and towed by a larger airplane in the air before being released to glide back to the ground. Picture: SPL / Barcroft Media

Credit : SPL / Barcroft Media