Oddball, Experimental, or One-off

[red750]

I have decided to start this thread to highlight unusual aircraft which come to my notice, which you are highly unlikely to ever come across, and don't really justify a full profile in the Aircraft section. Some I have highlighted in the "Guess This Aircraft" thread. In most cases they will be aircraft developed to compete for a government requirement and were unsuccessful, so never went into full production. While they may be different to the successful tenderer in some ways, they may not stretch the envelope far enough to qualify as "Unique". 

 

The first one I will put up is the Fouga CM.88 Gemeaux, (Gemini), only one built.

 

 

 

 

For full details of this aircraft, click here.

[Area-51]

Looks very fart proof...

[red750]

Boeing X-32

 

The Boeing X-32 is a concept demonstrator aircraft that was designed for the Joint Strike Fighter competition. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35.

 

Full details here.

 

[440032]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_620

[red750]

As above

 

[red750]

The Loire 30 a.k.a.Loire 300 was a French three-seat night reconnaissance monoplane designed and built by Loire Aviation of St. Nazaire.

 

Only one Loire 30 was produced in 1932, but it failed to gain an order and was relegated to experimental use.

Click here for details.

 

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

We easily overlook the need for training aircraft, which is what this one morphed into. During WWII American navy pilots needed a realistic aircraft carrier to train on. Instead of diverting precious warships for the purpose, a couple of old coal-driven paddle wheel passenger ships were quickly converted:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sable_(IX-81)

[red750]

        USS Sable.

 

 

Note to all: Feel free to add to this topic, but it does help if you include an image.

[Marty_d]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

The Loire 30 a.k.a.Loire 300 was a French three-seat night reconnaissance monoplane designed and built by Loire Aviation of St. Nazaire.

 

Only one Loire 30 was produced in 1932, but it failed to gain an order and was relegated to experimental use.

Click here for details.

 

 

 

 

It looks very unstable with the engines that far above the rest of it.  Shouldn't the thrust line be as close to the longitudinal centreline as possible??  

[red750]

Canadair CL-84 Dynavert.

 

Experimental tilt wing. Only four test aircraft built, two of which crashed due to mechanical failure.

Read more here..

 

[red750]

The Arsenal-Delanne 10 was an experimental fighter aircraft of French origin. The plane had a rear cockpit and a distinctive tandem wing.

 

Read more here.

 

[red750]

Blackburn Firecrest

 

The Blackburn B.48 Firecrest, given the SBAC designation YA.1, was a single-engine naval strike fighter built by Blackburn Aircraft for service with the British Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War. It was a development of the troubled Firebrand, designed to Air Ministry Specification S.28/43, for an improved aircraft more suited to carrier operations. Three prototypes were ordered with the company designation of B-48 and the informal name of "Firecrest", but only two of them actually flew. The development of the aircraft was prolonged by significant design changes and slow deliveries of components, but the determination by the Ministry of Supply in 1946 that the airframe did not meet the requirements for a strike fighter doomed the aircraft.

 

 

More details here.

 

[red750]

Stits SA-2A "Sky Baby" (N5K)

 

[red750]

This popped up on one of those Facebook/Twitter clips.

 

https://fb.watch/hAQj0kG__a/

[facthunter]

Do you have to "water" the Skybaby for very long?  Nev.

[facthunter]

It looks as if it would glide like a brick as it is . Nev

[red750]

Blohm & Voss BV 155

 

The Blohm & Voss BV 155 was a German high-altitude interceptor aircraft intended to be used by the Luftwaffe against raids by USAAF Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Work started on the design as the Messerschmitt Me 155 in 1942, but the project went through a protracted development period and change of ownership, and prototypes were still under test and development when World War II ended. Only 3 were built.

 

These are likely the only photos of a near-complete BV 155. A web image search only brings up partly dimantled aircraft or models, or paintings.

 

You can read more here.

 

 

[red750]

Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster.

 

The Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster was an experimental bomber aircraft, designed for a high top speed. The unconventional approach was to mount the two engines within the fuselage driving a pair of contra-rotating propellers mounted at the tail in a pusher configuration, leaving the wing and fuselage clean and free of drag-inducing protrusions. The advent of the jet engine gave an alternative way toward achieving high speed.

 

Only 2 built.

 

[red750]

Avro Lancastrian used as a jet engine testbed. The first jet airliner.

 

[red750]

The Miles M.8 Peregrine was a 1930s British twin-engined light transport monoplane designed by Miles Aircraft Limited.

 

The aircraft performed well but due to the Woodley factory being pre-occupied with building the Miles Magister military trainer, the aircraft did not enter production. One further example was built with two 290 hp (216 kW) Menasco Buccaneer B6S engines for the Royal Aircraft Establishment.

 

For further details, click here.

 

 

[red750]

The Miles Merchantman was a scaled-up and four-engined development of the Miles Aerovan light freighter. It flew in 1947 but the design was abandoned when Miles Aircraft was taken over by Handley Page in 1948. Only one was built.

 

[red750]

The Miles M.39B Libellula (from Libellulidae, a taxonomic family of dragonflies) was a Second World War tandem wing experimental aircraft built by Miles Aircraft, designed to give the pilot the best view possible for landing on aircraft carriers. A scale version of the M.39 design was proposed by Miles to meet Air Ministry specification B.11/41 for a fast bomber. The M.39B was used by Miles to generate data from which the M.39 design was improved, but the M.39 project was cancelled and the M.39B broken up.

 

[red750]

Nord 1500 Griffon

 

The Nord 1500 Griffon was an experimental ramjet-powered interceptor aircraft designed and built by French state-owned aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.

 

The first prototype, named Griffon I, made its maiden flight in 1955 and eventually reached a speed of Mach 1.3.

Its flight testing was terminated shortly after the ramjet-equipped Griffon II made its first flight two years later. This aircraft attained a maximum speed of Mach 2.19 and set a world record for a small closed course in 1959. It was last flown in 1961 and currently resides in the Musée de l'air et de l'espace outside Paris, France. Only the two prototypes were built.

 

[red750]

Narushevich Ring Wing

 

Very little information available about this Belarussian agricultural aircraft.

 

[red750]

I've spent hours going through hundreds of photos looking for a particular aircraft. No idea what it's called, but it's an English WWII aircraft that looks like a combination of the front half of a Westland Lysander with the back half of the Miles Lubellula above. It is much shorter than the Lysander, and has fins at the end of the rear wing. Any ideas?