The Coanda 1911 is an extremely curious aircraft, designed and built in early 1911 by the Romanian inventor Henri Coandă, better known as the creator of the world’s first “propeller-less” aircraft with a motor-compressor engine. This was Coandă’s second aviation development, and its appearance was no less original.
Innovative Engineering
Its power unit consisted of two seven-cylinder, 70-horsepower “Gnome-Gamma” rotary engines, installed on the sides of the fuselage. These engines drove one large four-bladed propeller through a conical gear reduction unit. Thus, Coandă could claim to have created, if not the first, then one of the earliest twin-engine aircraft.
The airframe’s design was also highly unusual, featuring tandem four-wheel landing gear supports housed in enormous triangular fairings resembling skirts. The fuselage itself was “suspended” by wires between the wings, and it boasted an X-shaped tail assembly. The frame was constructed from nickel steel and covered with canvas; only the front part of the fuselage, near the cockpit, had a bent plywood skin. Roll control was achieved by warping the wingtips.
Specifications and Trials
The aircraft stood out for its rather large dimensions and weight for its time: a length of 13 meters, a wingspan of 16.5 meters, and a takeoff weight of 1250 kg. The cockpit could accommodate the pilot and three passengers. The designer anticipated that his creation would be capable of reaching speeds of up to 130 km/h.
However, it is unclear whether this prediction was realized, as no data on the results of flight tests has been preserved. In October 1911, the apparatus was tested in Reims by the French military, to whom Coandă offered it as a prototype for a multi-purpose army airplane.
An Uncertain Legacy
But, whether due to the unusual nature of its design or for some other reasons, it was not adopted for service. No civilian buyers for the machine were found either, and its further fate remains unknown.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | Coanda 1911 |
| Wingspan, m | 16.50 |
| Length, m | 13.00 |
| Empty weight | 470 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1250 |
| Engine type | 2 Piston engines Gnome Gamma |
| Power, hp | 2 x 70 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 130 |
| Crew | 1 crew member |
| Payload | up to 3 passengers |
Image gallery of the Coanda 1911
