Eshelman “Flying Flounder“ preview...

Cheston Eshelman was an American inventor, aviator, manufacturer of aircraft, boats, garden machinery and small automobiles In 1941 Eshelman developed, built and repeatedly demonstrated a wingless pancake-shaped airplane, the NX28993 But first hit the headlines in 1939 when, as a 22 year-old airplane mechanic and novice pilot, his rented airplane crashed into the Atlantic. When rescued, he was reported to have been carrying a pistol, sandwiches, two chocolate bars and 55 cents. Eshelman made the papers by telling police that his intent was “not to fly to Europe, but rather to fly to Mars“... The officer handcuffed him to make sure he would “remain on this planet.”