The Stout "Sky Car"

Crew: 1
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 24 ft 0 in ( m)
Wingspan: 43 ft 0 in ( m)
Useful lift: 480 lb ( kg)
Powerplant: 1 &#215; Michigan Rover R-267, 75 hp ( kW)

William Bushnell Stout was a prolific designer of road vehicles and aircraft, including the Ford Trimotor series. He was founder of the Stout Metal Airplane Division of the Ford Motor Company and in 1931 designed the Skycar which was specified for easy handling and provided with automobile-style comfort. Single examples of four variations on the basic design were produced between 1931 and 1944.^[1]
The Skycar I was first displayed at the spring 1931 Detroit Show. The aircraft was a two-seat high-wing monoplane, accommodating the occupants in tandem layout. It had an all-metal steel-tube frame covered with corrugated metal skin. Centre-line nose and tail-wheels plus a standard landing gear were fitted. The rear fuselage was constructed from an open framework carrying a single fin and rudder, inside which was located the rear pusher engine.^[2] Fuel was carried in two tanks in the leading portion of the central section of the engine housing, from where it was fed by gravity to the engine.^[3] At a later date the aircraft was fitted with twin booms carrying the single fin and rudder (see photo of preserved aircraft).

The Skycar I, sometimes referred to as the Model 11-W. It was flown as a personal aircraft by Stout for several years ^[7] and was later donated to the Smithsonian Institution. It is now (2009) on display in the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport Virginia.