Most Beautiful Aircraft of WW2?

GregP · Jun 28, 2023

Here is the Lopresti SwiftFury. It was made by the Seminoles in Florida and they moved the wing to get the CG right for the new engine and eliminated a LOT of drag.

Pretty fast!

222 mph on 200 hp or 357 kph on 203 ps.

1,350 ft/min rate of climb or 411 m/min.

MIflyer · Jun 28, 2023

A friend of mine had a Swift and built a new fuselage to mate with Swift wings. It had 2 seat tandem seating combined with a P-40 style faired in cockpit canopy. It was like a T-35, the competitor to the Beech T-34 that was bought by Saudi Arabia. He died before he finished it.

GregP · Jun 28, 2023

Any pics?

wlewisiii · Jun 28, 2023

stug3 said:
The Lewis Air Legends VC-121A Constellation made its first flight in 8 years after restoration.
This is 'Bataan', personal aircraft of MacArthur during the Korean War.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqgZL7z4Nx0&ab_channel=Skyes9

I am glad to see this flying again, you can never have too many classic airliners in the air. But though it's heresy to many, I aways found Douglas' combination of utility, efficiency, reliability and clean lines to be far more beautiful. I'd argue it's a part of why there are still some in revenue service to this day ...

View: https://youtu.be/zlJTOQH6ur4

That's beauty to my eyes.

Elvis · Jun 29, 2023

GregP said:
Here is the Lopresti SwiftFury. It was made by the Seminoles in Florida and they moved the wing to get the CG right for the new engine and eliminated a LOT of drag.

View attachment 727305

Pretty fast!

222 mph on 200 hp or 357 kph on 203 ps.

1,350 ft/min rate of climb or 411 m/min.

I remember that plane. Too bad it didn't work out any better than it did (the company, not the plane. The plane was fantastic!)
I likened it to a modern version of Brokaw's Bullet, if you remember that one.
Fast and sexy as hell (maybe that's the other way around).
Weren't some of those Lopresti's made of Carbon Fibre? I seem to remember reading something about that.

...btw, 1350 ft./min = 15.341 mph. =)

BarnOwlLover · Jun 29, 2023

I know that opinions will probably be split, but these aircraft to me just ooze aggressiveness and speed:

DBII · Jun 29, 2023

I favor the A and B models.

DBII · Jun 29, 2023

There is just something about a F104. My Army Reserve unit had a couple of fly boys attached to our OPFOR group. I don't know why because they mainly worked as liaison between the units we were training and the US ground forces. Several times I was the Air Marshal for the simulator red air forces. Great joy in launching hundreds of birds against a us carrier. One of the zoomies LTC was a F104 pilot. Great stories.

John D. Voss · Jun 30, 2023

Lockheed C-69 Constellation

GregP · Jun 30, 2023

Here's an original C-69:

and here's a Model 1249 turboprop version:

I bet the turboprop version has a higher fuel flow!

Donivanp · Jun 30, 2023

Thought I like the original L-049, my favorite is the L-1049.

GregP · Jun 30, 2023

Mine, too.

Fighter Rebuilders just restored a Model 749, but it has a "Super Connie" nose radome and I like the cowlings better on the 749.

Here it is:

Pretty spiffy.

Elvis · Jul 1, 2023

GregP said:
Mine, too.

Fighter Rebuilders just restored a Model 749, but it has a "Super Connie" nose radome and I like the cowlings better on the 749.

Here it is:

View attachment 727580

Pretty spiffy.

That's very nice!
I wonder how practical it would be to start building a turbo prop version of the Super Connie these days.
Do a passenger and a cargo version.

Admiral Beez · Jul 2, 2023

I don't think the British had a tricycle gear transport plane until the Handley Page Hermes.

MikeMeech · Jul 2, 2023

Admiral Beez said:
I don't think the British had a tricycle gear transport plane until the Handley Page Hermes.

Hi
I think something called WW2 had some effect on that. The book 'Fairey Aircraft since 1915' by H A Taylor, has details on the proposed Fairey F.C.1 which was meant to start production in the Summer of 1940.

Mike

EwenS · Jul 2, 2023

Admiral Beez said:
I don't think the British had a tricycle gear transport plane until the Handley Page Hermes.

The original HP68 Hermes I had a tailwheel when it first flew and crashed in Dec 1945. Development effort then shifted to the HP67 Hastings version for the RAF. It was the HP81 Hermes IV version that got a tricycle landing gear, and first flew on 5 Sept 1948. It entered airline service with BOAC in Aug 1950.

HP-68 Hermes

The Hermes was Built to meet the 1944 Air Ministry Specification for a Pressurised Civil Transport capable of carrying 34 1st-Class or 50 Tourist-Class Passengers, at the same time as the RAF requi…

jamestalbottestpilot.wordpress.com

But the first British tricycle airliner I can think of was the De Havilland Dove which first flew on 25 Sept 1945, entered service in Dec 1946 and remained in production until 1967.

SaparotRob · Jul 2, 2023

MikeMeech said:
Hi
I think something called WW2 had some effect on that. The book 'Fairey Aircraft since 1915' by H A Taylor, has details on the proposed Fairey F.C.1 which was meant to start production in the Summer of 1940.
View attachment 727741
View attachment 727742
Mike

That's beautiful.

Admiral Beez · Jul 2, 2023

Which is France's prettiest multi-engine aircraft of WW2?

SaparotRob · Jul 2, 2023

Sud-Est Leo 451.

Donivanp · Jul 2, 2023

Admiral Beez said:
Which is France's prettiest multi-engine aircraft of WW2?

View attachment 727850

The French made aircraft before WWII? Really?

Most Beautiful Aircraft of WW2?

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Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

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Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII

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