In the mid-1950s, LOOK magazine published a stunning story about a new "flying saucer" being developed jointly by Canada's AVRO aircraft company and the U.S. Air Force. Purportedly based on German "saucer" technology that had been developed at the end of WWII, this new aircraft -- dubbed the Y-2 "Silver Bug" -- employed a flat radial engine capable of providing the aircraft with helicopter-like VTOL capabilities, yet enough power to boost it up to Mach 2.6 with a ceiling of 70,000 feet.

According to modern conspiracy theorists, the Y-2 "Silver Bug" was not only built, but proved to be an excellent performer. To keep its existence a secret, Avro and the USAF went so far as to build the significantly smaller and less capable Avro VZ-9 to publicly discredit the whole "flying saucer" concept. A classic example of government disinformation!

The reality is, the "Silver Bug" was nothing but an aircraft concept. Although the AVRO VZ-9 was very real, the Y-2 "Silver Bug" never got beyond the proverbial drawing board. Except for one small test model, flat "radial" engines have never been built, and there's no evidence that such an engine could, in fact, achieve super-sonic speeds. In fact, the German WWII "Saucer" technology that's at the heart of this and other super-duper aircraft stories is without any factual basis as well.

Still, it's a fun subject, and worthy of a Sharkit model!