2026 Crusader AG-4, Sky's the Limit #30

is the thirtieth in the "Sky's the Limit" series. The American Gyro AG-4 Crusader was a small, twin-engine aircraft with an advanced, weight-saving aluminum half-shell construction, designed by Thomas Miles Shelton, in 1933, as the "Shelton Flying Wing." This ornament is as flashy as the aircraft was unconventional, shown in metallic-orange paint, to represent the distinctive copper color of the prototype, which was so high-tech that looked like it came from the future. Famous for it's unusual teardrop-shaped fuselage, it had two tails connected by a horizontal bar, engines and 25-gallon fuel tanks mounted on each wing, and luxurious, green-leather seats. The wings used trailing edge flaps, which made the aircraft highly adaptable, drastically increasing lift, to allow for slower flight and creating drag for a safe landing. Intended to be mass-produced, as a sports and touring plane, there was only one ever built and it was destroyed in a fire, in 1941. An incredibly ambitious endeavor, the plane's promising future was derailed by a massive financial scandal when Crusader Aircraft Corporation, a parent of the American Gyro Company, claimed bankruptcy in 1938, under securities fraud investigations, before the Crusader could go into production. But, you can have one of own, and honor the true spirit of creativity in aviation, right in your home! Fun Fact: Despite its civilian classification, the aircraft was incredibly fast and surpassed some some military airplanes, which caught the attention of famous pilots, like Amelia Earhart. When tested in 1935, in Denver, Colorado, it achieved a top speed of 233 mph (375 km/h), making it considerably faster than many military fighter aircraft in the US arsenal at the time.

Artist

Lynn Norton

Material

Plastic and metal (eyelet)

Box Size

4" H x 1.5" W x 3" D box