A ‘genius ahead of his time’ reads the inscription on Robert Bartini’s tombstone at the Vvedenskoye Cemetery just outside of Moscow. Today, the Italian-born Soviet aircraft designer is celebrated for his extensive contribution to the development of numerous successful and experimental aircraft projects. Many of Bartini’s concepts were truly wondrous. Some were unquestionably bizarre. Perhaps his most ambitious concept was for a 5000 ton flying ground effect aircraft carrier. Designed to carry a crew of 430 and up to 25 combat aircraft at 600 km/h, Bartini’s ground effect aircraft carrier would have been the largest object to ever fly. Onboard, it’s crew of 430 sailors and 25 combat aircraft would travel at speeds of 600 km/h. While a ground effect aircraft carrier’s speed and tactical mobility could give the Soviet Union an enormous tactical advantage, it was a concept so fantastical, it could have only ever existed in the eccentric mind of Bartini