The plane that took off vertically in 1954. Most people think vertical takeoff jets are modern tech, but in 1954, the U.S. tested the Ryan X-13 Vertijet, a bizarre experimental aircraft that could launch straight up like a rocket, hover, then tilt forward and fly like a jet. It had no runway. It was tethered to a mobile platform. Once airborne, it balanced on jet thrust alone, using reaction controls to stabilize. After test flights proved it could take off, maneuver, and land vertically, the mi

Meet the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the jump jet that rewrote the rules of flight. Stand beside its tilting nozzles and you can almost feel the blast that lets it leap skyward from a standstill. Peer into the cockpit and imagine balancing on columns of thrust, hovering like a steel hummingbird before streaking away. Each intake lip looks ready to gulp down clouds, each wing root hints at the controlled chaos of vectored power. Walk around the tail and the heat stains tell stories of countless vert