UGLIEST Aircraft Built and Flown

[Steve Pace]

Two of the ugliest aircraft that were built and flown is the pair of Boeing X-32 JSF Concept Demonstration Aircraft. -SP

 

[Kiltonge]

A carrier-load of X-32s still wouldn't compete with a single Blackburn Blackburn.

 

[Steve Pace]

That was an ugly airplane alright! -SP

 

[Kiltonge]

It was a clever psy-ops aircraft, enemy sailors would go into convulsions of laughter and / or horror at its approach.

On those occasions when the headwind wasn't too strong it could even approach within a mile or two of the target ship and drop its torpedo, which actually departed from the aircraft at considerable speed due to the revulsion effect.

 

[Steve Pace]

LOL! But the X-32 was hit by the proverbial Ugly Stick! -SP

 

[Mat Parry]

Fairey Gannet

 

[AeroFranz]

I submit the Parnall Prawn flying boat with it's tilting shaft kluge and tiny airscrew. Unsurprisingly, it never flew.

 

[robunos]

LWS-6 Żubr (PZL.30 Żubr)...

cheers,
Robin.

 

[CostasTT]

Any French Multiplace de combat up to the mid thirties.
Also, the Blackburn Cubaroo and many of the strange and fugly planes found here:
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aviation/planes-only-mother-could-love-37305.html

 

[Hanse]

LWS-6 Żubr (PZL.30 Żubr)...

cheers,
Robin.

You could paint Hell Boy on the nose of that thing.

 

[Triton]

The Boeing X-32 is a looker compared to the Bennett PL-11 Airtruck.

 

[Steve Pace]

Makes one wonder how such critters - that have to sneak up on a glass of water to get a drink - actually get off the ground! -SP

 

[saintkatanalegacy]

Two of the ugliest aircraft that were built and flown is the pair of Boeing X-32 JSF Concept Demonstration Aircraft. -SP

hey! it's not that bad. Only needs minor touch ups

 

[Triton]

IAI EL/M-2075 Phalcon conversion of the Boeing 707.

 

[Triton]

Gwinn Aircar

 

[Triton]

Filper Beta 200

 

[Hanse]

Filper Beta 200

Hey now, that was going to be the "helicopter in every garage" when I was a kid. ;D

 

[Arjen]

Loire 301 'La Lessiveuse'

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,22128.msg222734.html#msg222734

Short Sturgeon SB.3

 

[kcran567]

I agree with other's who said x-32 not too bad. At least it looked somewhat sea-gull like.


But some of these:

 

[YerJokinArnYa]

Nimrod AEW3 wasn't much of a looker either

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

The Boeing X-32 is a looker compared to the Bennett PL-11 Airtruck.

Transavia PL-12 Airtruk wasn't much better

 

[circle-5]

Boeing EC-135E (ARIA)

 

[CJGibson]

'Nimrod AEW3 wasn't much of a looker either'



It flew better than the MR.2 though.
I would make a rule for this thread that AEW types are NOT included and their being less than handsome goes with the job.

Chris

 

[Steve Pace]

There's just an incredible amount of UGLY aircraft in the world! -SP

 

[WJPearce]

Farmen F.120 Jabiru

 

[Stargazer]

The Fiat 7002, I agree... I think the Filper Beta was a beauty though... (the eye of the beholder thing).

So many ugly aircraft! How about the Pemberton-Billing P.B. 31 Nighthawk? The De Lackner Cloudster? The DeKallis Air-Truck? The Koun Kouns-Craft ? The Kutnar Rotorplane? The O'Neill Pea Pod? I have lots more, but I'll have to go and dig them...

 

[Archibald]

Dyle and Bacalan produced a string of extremely ugly aircrafts
http://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=4849&ID_CONSTRUCTEUR=450&ANNEE=0&ID_MISSION=0&MOTCLEF=

 

[phrenzy]

My money would have to be on the previously pictured guppy.

The x-32 isn't that bad from a top and side planform, just from in front where it looks like a basking shark.

Is it true that the USMC did a touch up on the harrier just to make it look a little more appetizing?

A few years ago I would have added in the x-21a but it's grown on me over the years and now I rather like it.

Surely the me-323 qualifies, that is one ungainly looking bastard of a thing. The fact that you could strap engines on that thing and make it fly challenges everything I intuit about aerodynamics.

 

[Triton]

...was a beauty though... (the eye of the beholder thing).

Indeed. I guess we can say that an aircraft is "ugly" if it doesn't do the job well for which it was designed.

 

[yasotay]

As a Cobra guy... posterior ugly! It's no wonder Apache pilots have an inferiority complex and compensate with big watches and egos!

 

[JohnR]

Percival P74

Only managed a few inches of the ground, but surely one the ugliest and most stupid looking aircraft ever!!

Regards.

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/percival_p-74.php

 

[CostasTT]

As a Cobra guy... posterior ugly! It's no wonder Apache pilots have an inferiority complex and compensate with big watches and egos!

To quote Jerry Scutts: "It seems that current technology pays little heed to cleanliness of line, but the AH-1S still retains something of the sleekness of the original HueyCobra, far more so than its successor, the dramatically ugly AH-64 Apache."

Still, the Apache has a special kind of beauty, IMHO.

 

[phrenzy]

I forgot to add the b-24. Not as bad an offender as some here but for me it's definately to ugly sister of the US ww2 bombers.

It's funny seeing all these aircraft that if put along side traditionally accepted ugly aircraft would make them seem pretty streamlined and cool. The BUFF and double ugly etc. You think they are growing on people?

 

[GTX]

I forgot to add the b-24. Not as bad an offender as some here but for me it's definately to ugly sister of the US ww2 bombers.

How can you call something that pretty ugly?

 

[Arjen]

Shiny.

 

[phrenzy]

I forgot to add the b-24. Not as bad an offender as some here but for me it's definately to ugly sister of the US ww2 bombers.

How can you call something that pretty ugly?

Those are some nice paint schemes but if you put it next to a polished aluminium b-17 or b-29 I don't think you'd get many votes for the liberator in a beauty contest.

 

[Rickshaw]

Beauty, as they say is skin deep. I'd prefer the B-24 over the B-17 any day and a Lancaster over them all.

 

[phrenzy]

The Lancaster is my favourite ww2 bomber, though maybe not my favorite looking (unless you count the mosquito which would win on both counts).
The B-24 looks good from a top view plan form but it's more boat than plane from most angles for me.

 

[thefrecklepuny]

How about the Yak 38U (Forger) twin seater? A worthy contender.

 

[Stargazer]

Just a word to say that contrary to what I wrote further up, the Kutnar Rotowing (NOT Rotorwing) was only built in scale model form. :-[