Admiral Beez
Captain
I like the Potez 56. Perhaps the first COD?
Most Beautiful Aircraft of WW2?
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Thumpalumpacus
Major
Better question, what's the non-ugliest? Let's narrow this down a bit, shall we?
FWIW,
SaparotRob
already has the correct answer.
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
Nice looking plane.
A bit "DC-3-esque", but very much its own airplane, too.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Amiot 143Better question, what's the non-ugliest? Let's narrow this down a bit, shall we?
FWIW,
Thumpalumpacus
Major
If my dog looked like that, I'd shave its ass and teach it to walk backwards.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
I just heard that in my head in an old co-worker's best drill sergeant voice.
Thumpalumpacus
Major
GOOD.
Donivanp
Captain
The Havoc, didn't say it was French designed!
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Hey, I started looking up Luftwaffe float planes in Vichy service just to annoy The Admiral but that would've violated my No Research rule.
Thumpalumpacus
Major
i was looking at a video from Rex's Hangar earlier this week about a French floatplane that looked tres cool:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6vgpHkdvGs
The Germans seemed to like 'em.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
While not a multi-engine, there was the French Payen Pa-22...
Admiral Beez
Captain
The Potez 662 is nice. Except for a very few repurposed de Havilland Albatross the British would not have a four engined transport until nearly postwar with the Avro York.
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BarnOwlLover
Staff Sergeant
Still like the LW Mustangs. Michael O'Leary's Book about P-51 Mustang production has some good development shots and such of the XP-51F/G/J and the P-51H (though nothing really on the XP-82/F-82). I think that Boeing (who have for over 25 years owned North American Rockwell/Rockwell) have a lot of the good stuff, like a high res version of this shot:
At least this shot proves that the F/G/J were functional and did fly, since it seems that North American never took any shots of them air to air unlike the H and every other Mustang going back to the NA-73X.
At least this shot proves that the F/G/J were functional and did fly, since it seems that North American never took any shots of them air to air unlike the H and every other Mustang going back to the NA-73X.
Hi
That is a very bold statement, I take it you do not know about the Armstrong Whitworth AW.27 Ensign (14 built) or the earlier AW.15 Atalanta (8 built), Ensign and Atalanta below:
The images are from 'British Commercial Aircraft, Their Evolution, Development and Perfection 1920-1940' by Arthur W J Ord-Hume, details can also be found in 'British Civil Aircraft 1919-1972: Volume I' by A J Jackson (and indeed a lot of other publications). There was only one Potez 662 built, F-ARAY and one earlier Potez 661, F-AQJB, (details from 'European Transport Aircraft since 1910' by John Stroud, page 185. The outbreak of WW2 basically led to a halt in 'civil' aircraft production as the factories were needed to build more military aircraft. However, the civil aircraft that were around were heavily used, image from 'Blitzed!' by Victor Bingham, page 95, showing an Ensign in the Battle of France:
The last passenger trip in the Ensign took place on 3 June 1946, although the type was officially retired in 1945.
Mike
Admiral Beez
Captain
I meant air force aircraft, not civilian use. But these two are new to me.
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Admiral Beez
Captain
Elvis
Chief Master Sergeant
When dad was at Itami, he said that was mainly an A-20 base. Somewhere I've got a few pictures of those sitting on the flight line.
Hi
Well both the Ensign and Atalanta were used by the RAF, the five remaining Atalantas were impressed by the 'Indian Air Force' in 1941 with RAF serial numbers. Two of the Ensigns were on the strength of No. 24 Sqn. from May to November 1940, before returning to 'civil' use, much of which was 'military' in nature. So probably more used as "air force" aircraft than the single Potez 662, if that is the aircraft you want to compare with.
Mike
