Hauksbee 103 Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) After reading jeanba's post about needing some French two-seaters, I started poking about looking at Farmans. None of them had much aesthetic appeal, but the one below, the F.120 Jabiru, has got to be a strong contender for "World's Ugliest". . Edited September 22, 2015 by Hauksbee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 22, 2015 Arrrgghhh!!! Never seen THAT plane before. You are right - ugly as a toad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeanba 1,920 Posted September 22, 2015 It's a matter of taste, but I have some contenders : Blackburn Cubaroo : AD scout : Soviet K-7 : Caproni Stipa : Junkers 287 : Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimAttrill 24 Posted September 22, 2015 That Junkers is new to me - I'll have to go and look it up. It is pretty ugly especially the nose u/c. The Farman is terrible but then most Farmans were. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) The Farman is terrible but then most Farmans were. Most French aircraft are odd. It is strange that the French, renown for taste and style, should go off the tracks so badly when it came to designing airplanes; objects that would seem to cry out for sleek lines and streamlining. ps: 'Love the Caproni Stipa. I think the strategy there was for the enemy to laugh themselves to death. Edited September 22, 2015 by Hauksbee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 22, 2015 I think the strategy there was for the enemy to laugh themselves to death. Mmuahahahahaaa!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 22, 2015 Mmuahahahahaaa!!! There goes one now! Fearing that I may have been a bit harsh on the poor Stipa, I decided to look up what 'Stipa' meant. Turns out that it was from Luigi Stipa, a designer for Caproni. The plane we see here was a test bed for ducted fan technology. It actually flew, but achieved no more than 81 mph in flight due to excessive aerodynamic drag. It is reported to have had a short take-off, a very low landing speed and so much directional stability that it was actually difficult to change direction. The ducted fan was to be used in a large flying wing, but it never happened. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeanba 1,920 Posted September 22, 2015 Most French aircraft are odd. It is strange that the French, renown for taste and style, should go off the tracks so badly when it came to designing airplanes; objects that would seem to cry out for sleek lines and streamlining. It seems that you are not very familiar with planes of the 1918-1939 period, because all countries produced very ugly planes : For the British : You already know the Blackburn Cubaroo : Armstrong Whitley : Type 161 Vickers pusher : Vickers Velo 1927 : Bristol 170 : GA fleet shadower : And indeed, the short stirling was not very nice neither ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 22, 2015 Good point jeanba. Ugly airplanes matched only by their goofy names. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Typhoon 5 Posted September 23, 2015 Here are a couple of mine. The Duck Caponi Triplane Coanda 1910 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 23, 2015 The 'Duck' looks like it's related to Clement Ader's "Avion'. What country (and company) built the Duck? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimAttrill 24 Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) I think the Blackburn Beverley was quite a good aeroplane and did exactly what it was designed to do. At least the riggers didn't have to fix the undercarriage hydraulics. I was a 'scaley brat' back in 57-58 at Abingdon and we used to creep to the end of the runway to watch them landing. And then the snoops would arrive and arrest us Edited September 23, 2015 by JimAttrill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) . The Vedovilli from 1911 has to be a contender in the ugliest airplane contest. . Edited September 23, 2015 by RAF_Louvert Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 24, 2015 Better yet, I'd have to say that the Vedovelli takes the marbles. The only thing that might boot it from first place is the question of whether or not it ever flew. Getting off the ground is not an excessive demand if you want to be called an airplane. A caption to the top picture said, "The only text reference to the Vedovilli I can find is in "Triplanes" by Peter Bower and Ernest McDowell (Motorbooks International, 1993). In it they mention ..."...it went through possibly four modifications and was tested over a three-year period at Issy-les-Moulineaux....The last variant literally fell apart during a taxi run in 1911." Here the aircraft seems to be in its best condition - note that the side panels are fully enclosed at the rear and it has a simple undercarriage. [Paul Dunlop] . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimAttrill 24 Posted September 24, 2015 I think the pilot was lucky that it fell apart before he tried to take off! Not necessarily the ugliest aircraft but possibly the most peculiar... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hauksbee 103 Posted September 24, 2015 (edited) I think the pilot was lucky that it fell apart before he tried to take off! Not necessarily the ugliest aircraft but possibly the most peculiar... It does seem as though the designer went out of his way to make ridiculously complex. ps: Here's the website I gleaned those photos from. It has a wealth of very early pioneer aircraft, ugly and outlandish. http://www.456fis.org/THE_HISTORY_OF_FLIGHT_-_ONE_OF_A_KIND_WONDERS.htm Edited September 24, 2015 by Hauksbee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UK_Widowmaker 571 Posted October 1, 2015 The guy who designed the Stipa must have got a job with Fisher Price Toys after the war Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
