{"id":523768,"date":"2026-04-28T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?p=523768"},"modified":"2026-04-26T14:54:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T12:54:47","slug":"the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/","title":{"rendered":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\nIn the autumn of 1942, residents of Stratford, Connecticut, began calling the police to report a flying saucer over the Housatonic River. The callers were not delusional. There was, in fact, a flat, disc-shaped object circling lazily above the Vought-Sikorsky factory at Bridgeport \u2014 cream-coloured, about 23 feet across, and making a distinctive thrumming sound that carried for miles.\n\nIt was not from another planet. It was the Vought V-173, and it was the strangest aircraft the United States Navy had ever funded. The engineers called it the &#8220;Zimmer Skimmer,&#8221; after its designer. The test pilots called it something else. History remembers it as the Flying Pancake.\n\nIt should not have worked. A flat disc is not an obvious shape for an aircraft. But the V-173 flew 190 times over five years, impressed Charles Lindbergh, nearly became a Navy fighter, and proved a principle of aerodynamics so counterintuitive that most engineers refused to believe it until they saw the data.\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4f8;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:18px 0 28px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#333;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;color:#444;line-height:1.8\">\n<li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Vought V-173 (proof-of-concept) \/ XF5U-1 &#8220;Flying Flapjack&#8221; (fighter prototype)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Designer:<\/strong> Charles H. Zimmerman, NACA \/ Vought-Sikorsky<\/li>\n<li><strong>Configuration:<\/strong> Disc-shaped &#8220;all-wing&#8221; with twin propellers at leading edge<\/li>\n<li><strong>V-173 first flight:<\/strong> November 23, 1942<\/li>\n<li><strong>V-173 total flights:<\/strong> 190 (131.8 flight hours)<\/li>\n<li><strong>V-173 stall speed:<\/strong> As low as 25 mph<\/li>\n<li><strong>XF5U design speed:<\/strong> 460+ mph (estimated)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Notable pilot:<\/strong> Charles Lindbergh flew the V-173 during testing<\/li>\n<li><strong>Programme cancelled:<\/strong> March 17, 1947<\/li>\n<li><strong>Surviving aircraft:<\/strong> V-173 preserved at Smithsonian NASM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Man Who Believed in Discs<\/h2>\n\nCharles H. Zimmerman was not a crank. He was a respected NACA engineer who had spent years studying an aerodynamic puzzle: why do flat, disc-shaped objects generate so much lift relative to their size? Frisbees, autumn leaves, spinning coins \u2014 nature and physics were full of examples of flat objects that flew surprisingly well. Zimmerman wanted to know if the same principle could produce a practical aircraft.\n\nHis insight was that a very low aspect ratio wing \u2014 essentially a disc \u2014 could generate enormous amounts of lift at high angles of attack without stalling in the conventional sense. Normal wings stall when the airflow separates from the upper surface at steep angles. A disc-shaped wing, Zimmerman discovered, behaved differently: vortices that formed at the edges actually energised the airflow over the upper surface, delaying or preventing stall entirely.\n\nThe practical implication was remarkable. A disc-winged aircraft could fly at extremely slow speeds \u2014 slow enough to hover or nearly hover \u2014 while also being capable of high-speed flight with enough engine power. It could take off in very short distances and land at walking pace. For the Navy, which needed fighters that could operate from small escort carriers with short flight decks, this was irresistible.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=223514167  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/87\/V-173maidenflight-1942.jpg\/960px-V-173maidenflight-1942.jpg\" alt=\"Vought V-173 Flying Pancake maiden flight 1942\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The V-173 during its maiden flight in November 1942. The disc-shaped aircraft \u2014 with its twin propellers on the leading edge \u2014 prompted UFO reports from startled Connecticut residents. US Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Pancake Takes Flight<\/h2>\n\nVought-Sikorsky agreed to build Zimmerman&#8217;s concept as a proof-of-concept demonstrator. The V-173 was constructed largely of wood and fabric \u2014 lightweight, inexpensive, and quick to modify. Two Continental A-80 piston engines, producing just 80 horsepower each, drove large propellers mounted at the leading edge of the disc. The propellers served a dual purpose: they provided thrust and their slipstream over the disc surface augmented lift dramatically.\n\nOn November 23, 1942, test pilot Boone T. Guyton made the first flight. The V-173 lifted off at a speed that seemed impossibly low \u2014 witnesses later described it as barely above a brisk jog. The aircraft climbed, turned, and landed without incident. Guyton&#8217;s verdict: it flew.\n\nOver the next five years, the V-173 accumulated 190 flights and 131.8 hours of test time \u2014 an extraordinary amount for an experimental aircraft. It was slow (top speed around 138 mph with its tiny engines), it vibrated badly at certain speeds, and the propeller gear boxes needed constant maintenance. But it proved Zimmerman&#8217;s core prediction: the disc wing generated phenomenal lift at low speeds. The V-173 could fly at just 25 mph without stalling \u2014 a speed at which any conventional aircraft of the period would have fallen out of the sky.\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=384799914  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/0\/02\/V-173_Clearly_Showing_All-Flying_Tail_with_Anti-Servo_tabs.png\" alt=\"Vought V-173 showing all-flying tail surfaces and anti-servo tabs\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Detail of the V-173 showing the all-flying tail surfaces with anti-servo tabs \u2014 advanced control technology for 1942. Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\nThe aircraft&#8217;s unusual shape triggered regular UFO sightings over Connecticut. Local police reportedly fielded dozens of calls from citizens reporting a flying saucer. The calls were entirely understandable \u2014 the V-173, seen from below, looked like nothing that belonged in the sky.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Lindbergh in the Cockpit<\/h2>\n\nThe V-173&#8217;s most famous test pilot was not a Vought employee. Charles Lindbergh \u2014 by then serving as a consultant to the aircraft industry \u2014 flew the Flying Pancake during the test programme. His assessment carried enormous weight: Lindbergh found the aircraft easy to handle and was particularly impressed by its low-speed characteristics. The endorsement from America&#8217;s most famous aviator helped maintain Navy interest in the programme.\n\nOther pilots who flew the V-173 reported a similar experience. The disc was stable, predictable, and forgiving \u2014 qualities not always found in experimental aircraft. The unusual appearance was quickly forgotten once the pilot was airborne; the controls responded normally, and the aircraft&#8217;s ability to fly slowly without stalling gave it an enormous safety margin during approach and landing.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From Pancake to Flapjack<\/h2>\n\nEncouraged by the V-173&#8217;s success, the Navy contracted Vought to build a combat version: the XF5U-1, nicknamed the &#8220;Flying Flapjack.&#8221; This would be a full-size, all-metal fighter with Pratt &#038; Whitney R-2000 engines producing 1,350 horsepower each \u2014 nearly seventeen times the power of the V-173&#8217;s little Continentals.\n\nThe XF5U was designed to reach speeds above 460 mph while retaining the V-173&#8217;s extraordinary low-speed capability. If the concept worked, the Navy would have a carrier fighter that could take off in a fraction of the deck run required by conventional aircraft, fight at high speed, and then land at speeds low enough to eliminate the most dangerous moments of carrier operations.\n\nBut the XF5U arrived too late. By 1947, when the prototype was finally ready for flight testing, the jet age had arrived. The Navy was transitioning to jet-powered fighters that were faster, simpler, and backed by enormous government investment. A propeller-driven disc, no matter how clever, was not going to compete with the FH Phantom or the F9F Panther.\n\nThe Navy cancelled the programme on March 17, 1947. The XF5U prototype \u2014 which had made only brief taxi hops and never achieved sustained flight \u2014 was ordered scrapped. The demolition crew reportedly had enormous difficulty cutting through the aircraft&#8217;s robust metallic structure, a final ironic testament to how well it was built.\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What Remains<\/h2>\n\nThe V-173 survived. It was preserved and eventually transferred to the Smithsonian&#8217;s National Air and Space Museum, where it resides today \u2014 a cream-coloured disc that looks more like a prop from a 1950s science fiction film than a serious piece of aeronautical engineering.\n\nCharles Zimmerman&#8217;s disc-wing concept never became a production aircraft, but his work influenced decades of research into low-aspect-ratio wings, VTOL designs, and unconventional lift-generating configurations. The V-173 proved that aerodynamics does not care about aesthetics: a flying pancake, given the right engineering, can fly just as well as a sleek fighter. Sometimes, the weird idea is the right one.\n\n<em>Sources: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, War History Online, US Naval Institute, Pacific Paratrooper<\/em>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-coleoptere-frances-insane-annular-wing-vtol-jet\/\">The Col\u00e9opt\u00e8re: France&#8217;s Insane Annular-Wing VTOL Jet<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-lopsided-genius-blohm-voss-bv-141\/\">The Lopsided Genius: Blohm &#038; Voss BV 141<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the autumn of 1942, residents of Stratford, Connecticut, began calling the police to report a flying saucer over the Housatonic River. The callers were not delusional. There was, in fact, a flat, disc-shaped object circling lazily above the Vought-Sikorsky factory at Bridgeport \u2014 cream-coloured, about 23 feet across, and making a distinctive thrumming sound [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":523778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-523768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the autumn of 1942, residents of Stratford, Connecticut, began calling the police to report a flying saucer over the Housatonic River. The callers were not delusional. There was, in fact, a flat, disc-shaped object circling lazily above the Vought-Sikorsky factory at Bridgeport \u2014 cream-coloured, about 23 feet across, and making a distinctive thrumming sound [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MiGFlug.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:960\/h:555\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"555\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db\"},\"headline\":\"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1228,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/04\\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Aviation World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/04\\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/04\\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/04\\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":555},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug.com Blog\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db\",\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tamika Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Tamika finds the human story behind every headline. A political science graduate with a passion for aviation history, she writes about the people who shaped the skies \u2014 from the Night Witches to modern-day female fighter pilots. Her pieces read like narrative journalism: vivid, emotional, and impossible to put down.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/tamikajohnson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog","og_description":"In the autumn of 1942, residents of Stratford, Connecticut, began calling the police to report a flying saucer over the Housatonic River. The callers were not delusional. There was, in fact, a flat, disc-shaped object circling lazily above the Vought-Sikorsky factory at Bridgeport \u2014 cream-coloured, about 23 feet across, and making a distinctive thrumming sound [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/","og_site_name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","article_published_time":"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":555,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:960\/h:555\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tamika Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tamika Johnson","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/"},"author":{"name":"Tamika Johnson","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db"},"headline":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew","datePublished":"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/"},"wordCount":1228,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg","articleSection":["Aviation World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/","name":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew | MiGFlug.com Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-28T06:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/vought-v-173-flying-pancake.jpg","width":960,"height":555},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/the-flying-pancake-the-flat-disc-that-actually-flew\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Flying Pancake: The Flat Disc That Actually Flew"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"MiGFlug.com Blog","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/a3b0f1b2c017dca146d1474d88a7f2db","name":"Tamika Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tamika Johnson"},"description":"Tamika finds the human story behind every headline. A political science graduate with a passion for aviation history, she writes about the people who shaped the skies \u2014 from the Night Witches to modern-day female fighter pilots. Her pieces read like narrative journalism: vivid, emotional, and impossible to put down.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/tamikajohnson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523768"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":523782,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523768\/revisions\/523782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}