Most Unattractive Aircraft of WW2

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Also known as "The Bitch".

Scan0284.jpg


(The photo shown in #253 is the earlier and smaller Burnelli UB-14 design.)
 
Curtiss built some beautiful aircraft in their time and I always wondered what happened with the SO3C - especially when you look at the SC Seahawk, one of the best, but little-known floatplane of the war.

Curtiss also built some aircraft with reputations for great flight characteristics. The SO3C Seamew wasn't one of them. Neither was the SB2C Helldiver.

I agree the SC Seahawk was a great floatplane, but one wonders if it was just too late to be particularly useful, especially as catapult aircraft, by that time, were being used less for scouting than for SAR.
 
Couzinet seemed to have an unhealthy attachment to trimotors: he made several models with three Pobjoy engines, which didn't come much bigger than 60 hp.
 
Hmmm....Pobjoy. The little engine that could...providing you bolt at least 3 of them to the front of any aircraft that you want to get airborne.
Makes one wonder how many Poboy Niagara's you'd need to get something carrying 1,500 lbs of bombs to over 300 mph at 15,000 feet. Something like 24 engines sharing couplings to six props? But keeping those radials cool will be a designer's challenge.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back