Synopsis
It wasn't very long after the first commercially viable automobiles came on the scene that ambitious engineers began to dream of vehicles that could travel not only on land but also in the air, or by water. For a century, talented designers have created unique dual purpose vehicles for land, water and air (in various pairings) for both civil and military applications. Sometimes converted from standard vehicles, sometimes beginning as clean-sheet designs, these machines have met the engineering and economic challenges of dual-mode travel with varying degrees of success. This book describes a fascinating array of these vehicles from the United States and abroad, including flying automobiles, roadable aircraft, amphibious vehicles, hovercraft, road-rail trains, and triphibious inventions., Describes the array of vehicles that have been designed to travel not only on land but also in the air or on water - including flying automobiles, roadable aircraft, amphibious vehicles, hovercraft, road-rail trains, and triphibious inventions. Sometimes converted from standard vehicles, sometimes beginning as new designs, these machines have met with varying degrees of success.
