Most Unattractive Aircraft of WW2

parsifal · Mar 22, 2019

Probably the French am not 143

Greyman · Mar 22, 2019

spicmart said:
The most ugly of all heavy bombers has to be the Avro Lancaster. With it's low-lying stabilizer, the non-retractable tailwheel, the ugly protruding bulb snout that is the bombardier's position, the dihedral, which starts at the inboard engine, and the unattractive wing shape it looks like a flying hunchback.

I assume you've already been banned for this post so there's no sense in responding.

nuuumannn · Mar 22, 2019

The Bristol Freighter; the box the aeroplane came in.

TC-330 01

ZK-CPT Taxi 03

ZK-CPT 04

Whilst not strictly WW2, the specification it was built to appeared in 1944 and it was based on technologies and ideas from the Bristol Bombay.

spicmart · Mar 22, 2019

Greyman said:
I assume you've already been banned for this post so there's no sense in responding.

Sure the Lancaster is a plane of high merits and it was the best plane for the job it did.
Regarding aesthetics alone, to me it just looks butt-ugly.
I don't quite understand why it seems such a holy cow. Maybe you can tell.

michael rauls · Mar 22, 2019

spicmart said:
The most ugly of all heavy bombers has to be the Avro Lancaster. With it's low-lying stabilizer, the non-retractable tailwheel, the ugly protruding bulb snout that is the bombardier's position, the dihedral, which starts at the inboard engine, and the unattractive wing shape it looks like a flying hunchback.
As a comparison the similarly outlined B-24 really looks cool. You could see there that small details matter visually.

View attachment 532768

Oh man, I gotta disagree a bit with that.
I think the Lancaster is a beautiful/ majestic looking aircraft.
Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder so certainly respect your view but.......the Lancaster..........Ugly?

nuuumannn · Mar 22, 2019

spicmart said:
Regarding aesthetics alone, for me it just looks butt-ugly.

Not meaning to bust your balls on this, but I take it you've never seen one in flight?

Lancaster-3 ii

Lancaster-4 ii

My own photos. Michael's comment about majestic certainly applies when you see one flying.

GrauGeist · Mar 22, 2019

I know the Lancaster has quite a following, but I rather like the lines of the Stirling over those of the Lanc.

Then again, for me, the two best looking bombers of WWII were the B-29 and the Me264.

It all boils down to the "beauty in the eye of the beholder" thing.

nuuumannn · Mar 22, 2019

I'd love to see a B-29 fly. Maybe my next trip to Oshkosh?

GrauGeist · Mar 22, 2019

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

nuuumannn · Mar 22, 2019

Ah, great minds think alike! The US version seems to have gotten the loading a bit more efficient, with a rear ramp, and level floor as a result of a tricycle undercarriage layout.

GrauGeist · Mar 22, 2019

nuuumannn said:
I'd love to see a B-29 fly. Maybe my next trip to Oshkosh?

Fifi is scheduled to be at Oshkosh 23 July through 26 July this year and I understand Doc will attending Oshkosh as well.
I know for a fact that Fifi will be providing rides while there, Doc may also.

And you know, when the two are at Oshkosh, they do a tandem fly-by. How's that for a spectacular photo op?

nuuumannn · Mar 22, 2019

Oh hell yeah Dave! That'd be great! Sadly not going to Oshkosh this year; a buddy of mine, a fellow photographer type is heading there and keeps urging me to go with him, but I'm off to Europe in summer for the D-Day anniversary and my engineering wages wont allow me to do two big trips in a year!

As long as they keep Doc and Fifi flying for a few more years...

GrauGeist · Mar 23, 2019

Doc and Fifi are nice and fresh, so they should be good for quite some time.

I know that Eric (evangilder) has been an Airventure regular there for years and I believe he captured the historic flight of the two at Oshkosh in 2017.
Things have been realy hectic for me, so I haven't made it back there yet, but maybe we can all plan on a big get together at Airventure 2021 - like get as many friends from across the pond (and of course, our friends under the Southern Cross, too) and here in the states to converge for a bash!

nuuumannn · Mar 23, 2019

The British love a good tail dragger! Supermarine Attacker, with the wing of a Spiteful/Seafang mated to a new jet powered fuselage.

0307 FAA Museum Attacker

Handley Page Hastings. I remember a story about the Hastings during the Berlin airlift, where one had just landed at some airfield, and the American controller asked the British what type of plane it was. They replied "a Hastings", to which the American said, "they should have called it a Dragon, because it's draggin' its *ss on the ground!" (I may have told this story elsewhere...)

0807 Newark Air Museum Hastings

Neither types would win a beauty contest...

nuuumannn · Mar 23, 2019

GrauGeist said:
maybe we can all plan on a big get together at Airventure 2021 - like get as many friends from across the pond (and of course, our friends under the Southern Cross, too) and here in the states to converge for a bash!

Ooooo, I might be able to manage that! A tentative yes!

michael rauls · Mar 23, 2019

GrauGeist said:
Doc and Fifi are nice and fresh, so they should be good for quite some time.

I know that Eric (evangilder) has been an Airventure regular there for years and I believe he captured the historic flight of the two at Oshkosh in 2017.
Things have been realy hectic for me, so I haven't made it back there yet, but maybe we can all plan on a big get together at Airventure 2021 - like get as many friends from across the pond (and of course, our friends under the Southern Cross, too) and here in the states to converge for a bash!

Sounds like a great idea...........I'm in!

GrauGeist · Mar 23, 2019

nuuumannn said:
Ooooo, I might be able to manage that! A tentative yes!

michael rauls said:
Sounds like a great idea...........I'm in!

Then perhaps we should start an Oshkosh 2021 thread in the events section and get something going.
It's only two years out...so we should get on the ball.

spicmart · Mar 23, 2019

nuuumannn said:
Not meaning to bust your balls on this, but I take it you've never seen one in flight?

View attachment 532875Lancaster-3 ii

View attachment 532876Lancaster-4 ii

My own photos. Michael's comment about majestic certainly applies when you see one flying.

Know what you mean but the B-24, B-17 and B-29 are just as graceful when in the air imho.
As I said I'm just judging on aesthetics, and there those other bombers win by a long shot.

spicmart · Mar 23, 2019

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

View attachment 532882

Funny-looking. . The Cockpit reminds me of the Discovery One from 2001.

pbehn · Mar 23, 2019

The Lancastrian civilian version of the Lancaster hurts my eyes for reasons I cant explain, I suppose a Lancaster looks like a Lancaster.

Most Unattractive Aircraft of WW2

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