previous post next post  

Something not politics...

By The Armorer on October 1, 2004 | | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (6)

Seems there are some aircraft buffs amongst us. We heard about some favorites, let's go the other way - what are the ugliest?

If you don't know airplanes, you can still play - surf the 'net. Find pictures of ugly planes. Make a nomination.

I'll offer up three, just to get you started. I know their names, but I'll leave 'em blank and let anyone who wants to compete for bragging rights to name 'em. One will be pretty easy, the other two may present more of a challenge.

This is the easy one.

Another view (of a variant)

A hi-res here, if you want it.

These will probably be tougher, except for geeks - though it won't be horribly hard to find 'em on the web.

Run with it!

Share This Article:

Share |

Categories:

6 Trackbacks

TrackBack this entry at http://www.thedonovan.com/cgi-bin/mt41/mt-tb.fcgi/2852

Ugly birds from uruloki's lair on October 1, 2004 1:37 PM

In reponse to the comments in the BONE post, here are my answers to the challenge posed by the Imperial Armorer: 1. Fairey Gannet. Identified by the use in the Royal Navy and the counter-rotating propellers. Info here and here.... Read More

A Change Of Pace from Sworn Enemy on October 1, 2004 7:18 PM

If you're an aviation buff,Castle Aarrgghhh! has an "ugly plane" contest you should enjoy. Read More

Gaumtlets, Gauntlets Everywhere from Cowboy Blob on October 1, 2004 10:19 PM

...Now to find an entry for John's Ugliest Aircraft contest. I'll try to do this without going down the road and snapping a pic of something in the Boneyard. Read More

Show Trial #10 from The Politburo Diktat on October 3, 2004 4:33 PM

Dzerzhinsky Edition Felix Dzerzhinsky was first head of the Cheka. And KGB headquarters is located in Dzerzhinsky Square. (In case anyone cares.) Donovan, for his list of ugly airplanes. The Commissar would offer the Curtiss SB2C dive bomber, aka "Son... Read More

Aircraft Cheesecake 3 from TexasBestGrok on October 4, 2004 9:12 AM

This week's entry is much more of an "interesting" than a "beautiful" plane. In fact, the plane is pretty homely but attractive in that odd way that only straight-wing jet fighters can be. The F-89 Scorpion: This fighter, aside from... Read More

In the Air...On the Air...Whatever. It's Still Not as Ugly as Joan Rivers. from FunctionalAmbivalent on October 4, 2004 3:47 PM

Donovan over at Argghhh! is collecting ugly aircraft. He's building quite a rogues gallery of bad planes. My nominee is the Barling Bomber, pictured above. Not only is it ugly, but it was a terrible plane in every other Read More

19 Comments

By Flea on October 1, 2004 8:15 AM
That last one strongly resembles my plans for an airborne Flea Fortress.
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 1, 2004 8:47 AM
Then I strongly suggest you reconsider the design. That one broke on it's first landing!
 
By MunDane on October 1, 2004 12:02 PM
I nominate the Brewster Buffalo as the ugliest warbird evar! Isn't the third one a LeMay Racer, squishified by the PS job? The contra-rotating RAF jobbie, though...
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 1, 2004 12:19 PM
CAPT H, has, via email, correctly named all three (really four since the it is two variants of the first bird), cementing his geekiness. Master MunDane has yet to win a cookie, but get's credit for a nomination! The rest of you are slackers (thus far, anyway)
   
By Roger Ritter on October 1, 2004 1:44 PM
Woohoo! Ugly airplanes - I love 'em. First, for the ones posted. The flying barrel thing (hard to even call it an airplane) is the Stipa-Caproni. It's a ducted fan, so that barrel-shaped fuselage is hollow and open at both ends. The two-fer is the Fairey Gannet. I recognize the triple-triple-decker flying houseboat, but don't remember what it was called. Now for my nominations. It's hard to beat the French bombers of the '20s and '30s. Pretty much any Farman design from this era, but I call your attention to the F.121 (http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/farmer/120/farman.html), F.222 (http://www.russian.ee/~star/air/france/farman_f-222.html), and F.223 (http://world.std.com/~Ted7/french3.pdf). Then there was the LeO 208(http://www.eichhorn.ws/html/body_liore_et_olivier_leo_208.htm), or the Amiot 143 (http://avions.legendaires.free.fr/amiot143.php), and let's finish up with the Potez 540 (http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/allies/potez-540.htm). I think, of those, my vote would go to the Amiot 143. Roger
 
By Kilabe on October 1, 2004 5:05 PM
A-4 SkyHawkasaurus gets my vote as the u-gliest plane.
 
By wolfwalker on October 1, 2004 5:12 PM
I thought that the second photo was of something from Curtiss... the profile has some similarities to the SB2C Helldiver as well as to Curtiss's small seaplanes. Anyway, I have three nominations for "ugliest airplane:" 1) Focke-Wulf FW-189 Uhu -- http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/fw189.html 2) Supermarine Walrus -- http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Walrus.htm 3) Fairchild/Republic A-10 Warthog -- http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/attack/a10_thunderbolt.htm
 
By wolfwalker on October 1, 2004 5:23 PM
Oh, and we mustn't leave this one out: Tacit Blue, known to its pilots as "the Whale" but personally I think it looks more like a loaf of bread with wings. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf37a.htm
 
By Mythilt on October 1, 2004 10:33 PM
Nah, can't really count Tacit Blue, it was never anything more than a proof of concept vehicle really. Me, Lets see.... The Fisher P-75A was pretty ugly. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/an33.htm But the ugliest of all... The XF-85 Goblin. Short, stubby and butt Fugly. http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap38.htm
 
By Cowboy Blob on October 1, 2004 10:37 PM
Yeah, the Gannet is hideous. Let's add the Nimrod, which has an ugly name to the American ear. http://homepages.tesco.net/~paul.crossley/rafpast/aew-a.jpg
 
By Justthisguy on October 2, 2004 12:09 AM
The Triple Triplane is also a Caproni production. I think it flew, slightly, once, after which they "had a fire." Wonder if it was insured.
 
By illbill on October 2, 2004 12:37 AM
Corsair 2
 
By steveH on October 2, 2004 9:38 PM
Blohm und Voss Bv-141 (assymmetrical) http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/bv141.html Curtiss XP-55 Ascender (It's going the other way) http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/p55.htm There are *lots* more, but for now...
 
By Mythilt on October 3, 2004 12:03 AM
The AF Museum is a nice resource, isn't it? :) Even nicer to visit now that the new hangar has been added. Next year they are supposed to start adding another set of hangars for the presidential fleet and class rooms.
 
By King of Fools on October 4, 2004 8:11 AM
Some find the warthog ugly but I think it is a beautiful example for form following function. And boy are those things ever functional...even so long after they were commissioned. Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
 
By Evan Mayerle on October 4, 2004 12:50 PM
Heh, I'd nominate just about every French fixed gear, multi-engined bomber designed between 1930 and 1938 for the ugly aircraft list; they manaaged to design uglier bombers than any other country during that time period, though the LWS -4,-5,& -6 "Zubr" gives them a run for the title. There've been whole sites on the net dedicated to this subject and there are no lack of contestants. The first two pictures are Fairey Gannets, the third is, if I remember correctly, a Caproni 'tween-wars design, and the last one is the Caproni "flying houseboat" from just after WW I - it never took off to the best of my knowledge.
   
By Air on November 26, 2004 9:14 AM
I would say Amiot 143 is "the best"... It's not just ugly, it's absurdly ugly :)