Jess Dixon in his flying automobile

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    Local call number: PR75950

    Corporate Author: Kobel Feature Photos (Frankfort, Ind.)

    Title: [Jess Dixon in his flying automobile]

    Date captured: c. 1940

    Physical descrip: 1 photoprint: b&w; 5 x 7 in.

    Series Title: (Print collections. Series/Collection number: M82- 38, Florida tourist photographs, 1880-1945.)

    General Note: Accompanying note: "Built by Jess Dixon of Andalusia, Ala. Can fly forward, backward or straight up or hover in the air. Runs on road or flys across country. 40 H.P. motor, air cooled, speeds to 100 m.p.h."

    Repository: State Library and Archives of Florida, 500 S. Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 USA. Contact: 850.245.6700. Archives@dos.state.fl.us

    Persistent URL: www.floridamemory.com/items/show/17346

    Spaudo, a nameless yeast, Copper Kettle, PhotoJunkee, and 270 other people added this photo to their favorites.

    View 15 more comments

    1. Pleroma 37 months ago | reply

      Extraordinary that his hat stays on. Maybe the down draught is keeping it there?

    2. Rodrigo López1 37 months ago | reply

      hahahha i'd love to fly that thing

    3. ChiaraBurzigotti 37 months ago | reply

      Very interesting.
      Chiara

    4. W10 36 months ago | reply

      way kool...!!!

    5. gene.dare 36 months ago | reply

      Yeah ! For pedal power ! )'

    6. jamica1 35 months ago | reply

      Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Science, Technology, History, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

    7. KWD_IMAGES 34 months ago | reply

      Wow, what an incredibly classic shot!

    8. EdZiomek 29 months ago | reply

      Amazing. Ingenuity. The Air Force actually produced a working model of this aircraft, sans wheels, that had no rear stabilizing propeller, but two counter-rotating, overheads.

    9. fly_guy2 27 months ago | reply

      thats my great great uncle!

    10. fly_guy2 27 months ago | reply

      and that wasnt in florida that was in alabama

    11. fly_guy2 27 months ago | reply

      hey and his brothers name was solon

    12. petsept [deleted] 24 months ago | reply

      De très bons chapeau en 1940 ! Chapeau Jess !

    13. iomarco.urbino 22 months ago | reply

      "One should maintain dignity as well as equilibrium, in the quest for the new."

    14. Flymow 21 months ago | reply

      That is just excellent!
      The layout is entirely logical, too. The main axle intersects with the main rotor and engine shafts, keeping the ever-troublesome transmission compact.
      1940? That is spooky, means that the would have preceded both Hiller in the US and Flettner in Germany.... see: www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/hiller_xh-44.php
      and: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner_Fl_282
      Not sure about the 100 mph and 40 bhp though... when did anything with 40 bhp and
      no streamlining do 100 mph? Never mind a helicopter with its woeful efficiencies.
      I'm not saying it didn't _feel_ like 100 mph!

    15. State Library and Archives of Florida 13 months ago | reply

      What can you do with a flying automobile? Well, make a purse of course. Penny Richards was kind enough to tell us about making the flying car case.

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