Most Unattractive Aircraft of WW2

[wingnuts]

There is always this fine aeroplane which even saw action as a bomber in 1941.
View attachment 564621

Vickers Type 264 Valentia - Wikipedia

 

[GrumpyOldCrewChief]

Re: the A/C mentioned in post #190 - The YC-125, and its competitor for the contract at the time, the XC-123, were efforts to provide a short-field, short-haul, tactical transport, to take up the space that gliders had formerly held, and helicopters could not yet fill. The promise of turbine power for helos was on the near horizon, though, and these two stout but ugly birds remained as two-or-three build prototypes / service test only. There was also the dust-up between the Air Force and the Army over who got to do what, where, and when, unfolding through this development period, so there was that, too.
And I would like to thank Graeme for finding and sharing a more complete mention of that wretched Capelus attempt, in post #205. I remember first reading of it in an ancient edition of "Air Enthusiast". I stand humbly corrected on the crash part of the statement...

 

[Graeme]

I remember first reading of it in an ancient edition of "Air Enthusiast".

Exceptionally good memory sir!
November 1973 - to be precise.

 

[pgf_666]

By the way, Grant, your Bristol 170 looks quite like the Budd RB-1 "Conestoga" transport.

View attachment 532882

Hey! That beautiful beast was mt Grandmother's design.

Her name was Fransis Walsh, and she was athe ebgineer they assigned to the project at Budd. My Aunt had pix, but I was never able to get copies...

Oh, and sorry for the weird file names, got the pix off the net--in fact, I think it was from this site


Feel free to rename them.... (;^)>

 

[michael rauls]

Wow! Didn't know they could squeeze that much ugly into one airplane.

 

[GrumpyOldCrewChief]

The US designed some ugly cargo aircraft, most of them also attempting to avoid "strategic material" use. The Curtiss C-76 was wooden, and poorly proportioned, to be kind. Wasn't the Conestoga built from stainless steel?

 

[michael rauls]

Sorry for the triple post guys. When I pressed the post reply button it didn't Look like it registered so I kept tapping it but apparently it did.

 

[Airframes]

It did.
It did.
It did.

 

[michael rauls]

Also that post was meant for a plane on a previous page. Didn't mean to poke fun at Pgf 666s Grandmothers design.

 

[Snautzer01]

Well, you should have poked fun at pgf 666 grandmother's design because it is hedious , butt ugly and an abomination in the sametime.

 

[Shortround6]

Companies that build things like this

should probably not build airplanes.

 

[fubar57]

Canadian Car and Foundry - CPTDB Wiki

 

[Shortround6]

Bristol started by building and running street cars..........................which may explain a lot

 

[michael rauls]

Companies that build things like this
View attachment 564936
should probably not build airplanes.

Funny you post that. When I was a kid I had a book with a picture of that very train. I remember thinking it was the ugliest thing on rails I'd ever seen.

 

[Shortround6]

Budd didn't get much better.
1966

proved that with enough power you can make anything go fast. Might still hold the US record for fastest train?

 

[swampyankee]

Just so American aircraft companies don't feel too left out:
XP-79 (which also goes into the category "What the h*** were they thinking?")

and the XF-85, most aptly named "Goblin"

Both images are from Wikipedia

 

[Buster01]

It is not just the wings. You only had so many feet of height between the hanger floor and the ceiling (deck above)
View attachment 563025
The Wellesley was BIG airplane and not just in wing span.

as for the wing, without multiple folds like an origami swan or unrolling like a Goodyear inflatable plane I think you are out of luck.

How about rotating back, like the Grumman design?

 

[Buster01]

Ah, the Beverley. Let's build a barn, and see if it will fly !

Landing gear down and welded.

 

[TheMadPenguin]

The Italians usually have an eye for style, but sometimes they make a dog....

Caproni Stipa Flying Barrel

View attachment 563831

The sound track should have been Yakkity Sax.

 

[Skyediamonds]

True. That's pretty well, ugly. However, was this aircraft if WWII?