Best designer? Sexiest plane?

L-39 Albatross for me!

You all have covered some good designers for sure. I would like to include the ground breaking designs of Blom and Voss. They designed alot of innovational aircraft for the Reich. Some made it to production, some did not.

[edit on 27-10-2004 by Der Kapitan]

Here's just one example of Blom and Voss' design work.....

Originally posted by Der Kapitan
Here's just one example of Blom and Voss' design work.....

What is the second mini fusalage for? Storage? Bombs? Guns? Nothing?

It look kinds a like one of Burts planes the Catbird.

The second mini fuselage is the crew accomodation while the main body houses the engine and fuel and provides somewhere handy to attach the tailplane. Not immediately obvious is the fact that the aircraft centreline is in fact the space between the two bodies, our eyes are fooled into thinking that the longer body is in the centre.

I personally like the aircraft with the intake in the nosecone. Something about that design gives me the happies.





But currently, its the darkstar. Unmanned, can evade the new Russian S-400, looks like a alien craft!





Or the test bed Birds of prey, got to love the power of stealth.

That particular plane was used for recon. The pilot and the observer were in the glassed area and the engine and fuel were in the main body of the plane.

[edit on 28-10-2004 by Der Kapitan]

Probably the Me 262. The Me 163 was nice looking too and stood for a whole new generation of fighter planes but it wasn't as functional as the 262. Messerschmitt made some revolutionary and interesting designs.

The futuristic Flying Wing was chosen by director Steven Spielberg to represent the ominous and advanced state of aeronautics in Hitler's Germany Production designer Norman Reynolds used a Northrop Corporation prototype of the Flying Wing and drawings by Ron Cobb to design for Raiders of the Lost Ark this strange plane that has no tail and no fuselage. The plane was built in England by Vickers Aircraft Company and painted at EMI Elstree Studios in London. In order to ship the elaborate prop to Tunisia for filming, it had to be disassembled and sent in parts, then rebuilt on location. In the film the Flying Wing is in Egypt (the Tunisian location) for the top secret mission of transporting the sacred Ark of the Covenant. But before the Ark is even aboard the plane, a series of dramatic events results in the fiery destruction of the Flying Wing."

Indiana jones,Raiders of the lost ark! i think this is very sexy!

but i think that huge undercarrage would produce quite a lot of drag "in flight" as theres no where to put it!!!

not real but heh!

[edit on 30-10-2004 by optimus fett]

[edit on 30-10-2004 by optimus fett]

www.skyhawk.org...

The designer of many Douglas aircraft during the Cold War. Fighters, Bombers and research aircraft, he did them all.

The A-4 Skyhawk has been called Heinemanns' Hotrod. That's how well he was respected.

Sidney Camm. This guy did it all.

Hawker Hart/Demon - 30s biplane.

Hawker Hurricane - perfect halfway house that saved Britain in the Battle of...eight-gun monoplane using biplane tech.

Hawker Typhoon ultimate anti-tank terror weapon.

Hawker Tempest - turned into the Hawker Sea Fury. An RAN one shot down a MiG in Korea.

Hawker Hunter - most numerous RAF jet fighter, most numerous Brit export.

but i think that huge undercarrage would produce quite a lot of drag "in flight" as theres no where to put it!!!

It would have...except in the real thing the undercarriage retracted. Oh, yeah, it was real, it flew, it was cool. But the AAF (Army Air Force) rejected it because it couldn't carry the brand new a-bomb.

Talking V-bombers, then it's got to be Vulcan. Valiant just doesn't look it. That double-delta...

[edit on 31-10-2004 by HowlrunnerIV]

Hey howlrunner,are you getting confused-this aircraft i pictured def didnt fly it was just ficticious,are you talking about other nazi flying wings?

It would have...except in the real thing the undercarriage retracted. Oh, yeah, it was real, it flew, it was cool. But the AAF (Army Air Force) rejected it because it couldn't carry the brand new a-bomb.

Regards mate

Originally posted by optimus fett
Hey howlrunner,are you getting confused-this aircraft i pictured def didnt fly it was just ficticious,are you talking about other nazi flying wings?

It would have...except in the real thing the undercarriage retracted. Oh, yeah, it was real, it flew, it was cool. But the AAF (Army Air Force) rejected it because it couldn't carry the brand new a-bomb.

Regards mate

According to this page, the aircraft was built using a Northrop Grumman prototype.

More info on the aircraft: (source)

The futuristic Flying Wing was chosen by director Steven Spielberg to represent the ominous and advanced state of aeronautics in Hitler's Germany Production designer Norman Reynolds used a Northrop Corporation prototype of the Flying Wing and drawings by Ron Cobb to design for Raiders of the Lost Ark this strangeplane that has no tail and no fuselage. Deplane was built in England by Vickers Aircraft Company and painted at EMI Elstree Studios in London. In order to ship the elaborate prop to Tunisia for filming, it had to be disassembled and sent in parts, then rebuilt on location. In the film the Flying Wing is in Egypt (the Tunisian location) for the top secret mission of transporting the sacred Ark of the Covenant. But before the Ark is even aboard the plane, a series of dramatic events results in the fiery destruction of the Flying Wing.

The version of the aircraft built for the movie was never meant to fly, but it was most definately based on a proper flying version.

f-117 for sure sexiest




[edit on 31-10-2004 by denseuno]

That has to be the ugliest thing ever to 'grace' the sky. Works...yes. Ugly....definately. It is pure proof that with the right computer even a piano could fly. The wobbley goblin is UGLY.

The U-2 is ugly, but at LEAST it has an F-104 fuselage.

[edit on 10/31/2004 by just_a_pilot]

For me there is no question the F-23 but it is not active,


Active would be the F-14 D to me...

Its amazing to me that no one has mentioned the B-17. Its amazing that 'fighters' today can drop more bombs and carry more weight than the Fortress.

More airmen died in WWII than in any other service. One bomber goes down and 10 men are gone.

Originally posted by optimus fett
Hey howlrunner,are you getting confused-this aircraft i pictured def didnt fly it was just ficticious,are you talking about other nazi flying wings?

It would have...except in the real thing the undercarriage retracted. Oh, yeah, it was real, it flew, it was cool. But the AAF (Army Air Force) rejected it because it couldn't carry the brand new a-bomb.

Regards mate

Not confused at all. except in the REAL thing...

The real thing was the Northrop (Northrop Grumman was a long way away yet) YB 49 Flying Wing heavy bomber. Jack Northrop designed it to replace the Boeing B17 Fort. The first squadron was practically ready for delivery when the USAAF (United States Army Air Force) canned it for the previously stated reason. Jack nicked a lot of the idea and research from the Germans (Operation Paperclip, where do you think Apollo came from?) but the execution was all American.

[edit on 1-11-2004 by HowlrunnerIV](spelling!)

[edit on 1-11-2004 by HowlrunnerIV]

I STILL say the Supermarine Spitfire.