Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?

[skippydiesel]

DH Hornet - Could be the fastest production piston twin ever and beuuuutiful from any angle. Performance rivalled/exceeded erly jet aircraft. Mosquito heritage obvious but only skin deep, a completely different aircraft. Sadly, as far as I know, not one example remains.

 

 

 

[spacesailor]

The same same with the Fairy RotorDyne.

 

If only the bureaucratic knife wielder's in government hadn't the power's to ruin a company who invented, what possibly was the next leap forward in aviation,

 

we would not be trying at this date to get a vertical take-off passenger aircraft, that was past its trials in the fifties.

 

And yes it had faults, but don't they all at the beginning.

 

The company boss ordered all parts Destroyed by steam-roller, & all paperwork including any pictures burnt, 

 

That's the reason we can't make a new one.

 

spacesailor

 

 

 

 

[naremman]

And we in Australia a few decades ago has the Transavia Airtruck, GAF Nomad and Victa Airtourer to fly he aesthetics flag!

 

 

[naremman]

Australia, a few decades ago gave us the Transavia Airtruck, GAF Nomad and Victa Airtourer as our contibution to the aesthetic stakes!!

 

 

[rgmwa]

Australia, a few decades ago gave us the Transavia Airtruck, GAF Nomad and Victa Airtourer as our contibution to the aesthetic stakes!!

... and the Thruster!

 

 

[kasper]

... and the Thruster!

And the ligeti stratos - the facet opal and of course the facet sapphire.  All easy on the eye to most people.  The real test of Australian beauty from that time is the light wing ... great aircraft to fly and very honest ... but not universally accepted as beautiful

 

 

[derekliston]

For me the Hawker Seafury comes close to perfection, the aesthetics of the clipped wing Spitfire with the beautiful purr of a big round engine!

 

 

[spacesailor]

"And the ligeti stratos"

 

Saw the one in the museum, fantastic design.

 

Would love to see that aeroplane flying again,

 

spacesailor

 

 

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Piaggio Avanti

 

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Folland Gnat

 

 

 

[skippydiesel]

 

 

[derekliston]

C310, prettiest light twin ever.

 

 

[kgwilson]

Piaggio Avanti

Not my favourite. Looks like it has a moustache or is flying backwards.

 

 

[Hargraves]

Look no further than the panavia tornado if you want to see how multination built combat aircraft turn out, a good multi role aircraft for sure but exceptional and standout not, in some engagements royal marines in Afghanistan preferranced american close air support for its accuracy over the RAF tornados.   Hargraves

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Not my favourite. Looks like it has a moustache or is flying backwards.

Perhaps not its best angle, but at 400 knots it must be doing something right if a little unconventional.

 

 

[skippydiesel]

Look no further than the panavia tornado if you want to see how multination built combat aircraft turn out, a good multi role aircraft for sure but exceptional and standout not, in some engagements royal marines in Afghanistan preferranced american close air support for its accuracy over the RAF tornados.   Hargraves

Come on -  all power and harsh angles - probably flown by computer(s)

 

 

 

[kgwilson]

Perhaps not its best angle, but at 400 knots it must be doing something right if a little unconventional.

Yes I believe it is only 3 or 4 knots slower that a Cessna Citation with about half the fuel consumption.

 

 

[spacesailor]

This has to be a laugh.

 

Makeshift - John Michael Kohler Arts Center_files.

 

I don't know if it's hanging on the wall, parked in the art center.

 

Hummel ultra-cruiser.

 

spacesailor

 

 

 

[facthunter]

 I don't see the B 707 as ugly.  On pods under the wing  and forward is the best  place for a jet engine. They are even designed to separate if the engine gets well out of balance. Having them in the wing is costly heavy and dangerous (Compromises the spar).  One failing bigtime would take out the other and the wing  as well

 

      The B 707 was the first really safe and reliable international jet liner based on a standard single aisle fuselage cross section that went on many models. Form has to follow function with an aircraft.. it's a compromise  in many ways without making it look good for a desk model The wingtips could flex 27 feet without structural damage and that's well before Carbon fibre. Their cruising Mach Number is up with the latest. Lots of flap and spoiler action.. High airframe times are common. wthout angst. Nev

 

 

[skippydiesel]

 I don't see the B 707 as ugly.  On pods under the wing  and forward is the best  place for a jet engine. They are even designed to separate if the engine gets well out of balance. Having them in the wing is costly heavy and dangerous (Compromises the spar).  One failing bigtime would take out the other and the wing  as well

      The B 707 was the first really safe and reliable international jet liner based on a standard single aisle fuselage cross section that went on many models. Form has to follow function with an aircraft.. it's a compromise  in many ways without making it look good for a desk model The wingtips could flex 27 feet without structural damage and that's well before Carbon fibre. Their cruising Mach Number is up with the latest. Lots of flap and spoiler action.. High airframe times are common. wthout angst. Nev

I am a voluble advocate for Function befor Form  - however I started this conversation to elicit responses from admirers of  Aircraft Form. Function has little to do with it. 

 

 

[spacesailor]

" to elicit responses from admirers of  Aircraft Form."

 

I found one of my favorites in an Art Studio's pictures !.  Not once but twice

 

So someone thinks they'r beautiful.

 

check it your-self. : Makeshift - John Michael Kohler Arts Center_files. :

 

GO  HUMMEL LoL

 

spacesailor

 

 

[planedriver]

The Comet was leaps and bounds ahead in terms of performance at the time, but like most things, it is not always wise to invest in the Mk1 version of what is on offer.

 

However, iv'e flown in Comet 4C many times, and i'm still around to haunt you.

 

I recon it looked pretty slick in it's BEA livery.

 

 

[facthunter]

 I have great difficulty" admiring" anything that is stupidly unsafe just to make a style statement as happens a lot in Europe with some U/L planes design.. Might be a selling point with  some, but not for me.. 

 

   As for generql good style The ME 262 ,Mitsubishi zero, FM 190  and a Lockheed  1049 C  Constellation and quite a few flying boats look OK to me Catalina and Short Sunderland for example.  If been up close and personal with Concords but they look better from a distance and without the cockpit drooped. Close up they are all ripples and dents but it's a n iconic shape.

 

   The Ryan STM looks cute. and some of Howard Hughes racers too.

 

   Some aero  engines look good and some look fugly .Radials where you can see the cylinders etc the fins on some of the heads are a work  of art.. But I can't separate what engineering goes into them from the shape. If the fins are in a useless place, it looks crook.. A plane has to fly as well as it can be made to.  that's it's prime aim .The way it flys is what makes it beautiful..  They belong to the air Not the ground.. Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

Some planes are exceptional flyers.

 

The Hummel Aviation stable seems to be one of the better designers.

 

Probably the only Part 103 all metal aircraft.  Not the same specs as the faster or more frugal ones they have.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[skippydiesel]

 I have great difficulty" admiring" anything that is stupidly unsafe just to make a style statement as happens a lot in Europe with some U/L planes design.. Might be a selling point with  some, but not for me.. 

   As for generql good style The ME 262 ,Mitsubishi zero, FM 190  and a Lockheed  1049 C  Constellation and quite a few flying boats look OK to me Catalina and Short Sunderland for example.  If been up close and personal with Concords but they look better from a distance and without the cockpit drooped. Close up they are all ripples and dents but it's a n iconic shape.

 

   The Ryan STM looks cute. and some of Howard Hughes racers too.

 

   Some aero  engines look good and some look fugly .Radials where you can see the cylinders etc the fins on some of the heads are a work  of art.. But I can't separate what engineering goes into them from the shape. If the fins are in a useless place, it looks crook.. A plane has to fly as well as it can be made to.  that's it's prime aim .The way it flys is what makes it beautiful..  They belong to the air Not the ground.. Nev

All good stuff Nev however I believe that form can & should compliment function. For a long time now I have been of the opinion that aircraft (& sports cars) designed on the right side of the Atlantic tend, to to my eye, to be more elegant than those on the left. There are many exceptions for sure but in my completely biased opinion the trend is clear.  Our cousins in the not so United States of A tend towards size & power, where our brothers/sisters in Europe favour economy & elegance.