A question of aesthetics
 

A posting over at the RoF forum (http://riseofflight.com/Forum/viewto...p?f=74&t=23950) had the temerity to describe the Spitfire as 'ugly'. Clearly deluded, but nevertheless requiring a response - and given the suggestion that a leading British WWI fighter was more beautiful, I pointed out that, to the contrary, if you cross one of these...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...reet-08833.jpg
...with one of these...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e0/Wilton2.jpg
...this is the most probable offspring:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...SE-5E_USAF.jpg

Now, I'm all in favour of variety, and there is a certain charm to flying in RoF (apart from the Gotha bomber, which has no sense of direction, a rate of climb measured in feet per week, and an instrument panel evidently made from bits salvaged from an old tramp steamer, along with the rejects from an alarm-clock factory), but I'll never accept that anything made out of wood, wire, and old bedsheets can be as beautiful as something sculpted out of aluminium alloys. But am I right? Can anyone nominate a WW2 aircraft as ugly as a SE5a? I suppose one could cite Blohm & Voss's asymmetric efforts - but then what do you expect from an aircraft designed by shipbuilders, but otherwise, I'd say that the case is closed. I'd like to see the opinion of others though. Can you name a symmetrical WW2 aircraft as ugly as a SE5A?

This one is hard to beat :)

Westland Lysander P.12

http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine...0/lysander.jpg

For even more: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/farmer/120/ (ugly aircraft of all eras)

What about this?

http://www.aero-pix.com/geneseo10/mo...es/img_024.jpg

IamNotDavid, I'll not deny that Geoffrey de Havilland managed to make the 'recycled bedsheets' style of aircraft aesthetically pleasing eventually - that wasn't the question though: did anyone (other than German shipbuilders) ever make an aircraft out of aluminium that was as ugly as a SE5a?

Mustang.
Spitfire.
No, I'm serious.

I have obviously stumbled into a thread populated by people with no taste whatsoever.

The SE5a is a beautiful aircraft. A blend of simple lines, brute power (We're talking 1917 here remember!) and plain functionality.

The De Havilland DH-89A Dragon Rapide (or similar) is a work of art!

I'm not into windmills or trains but as far as they go they look functional and not out of place in their period.

The Spitfire is also a beautiful aircaft so is the 109!

Cheers!

http://www.ww2incolor.com/d/324620-2/aa101

lol... wtf?

http://www.unrealaircraft.com/hybrid...lysan_mod.jpeg

another wtf?

Many of above examples are typically of British taste, like:

http://www.jessandjer.com/i/bus.jpg

http://www.jessandjer.com/i/cab.jpg

http://img.joke.co.uk/images/product...mall/11326.jpg

:)

Sokol1

Hands of off the Dragone Rapide! Had a fly around with her at the Hahnweide Oltimer meet. Wonderful, elegant airplane perfectly fitting to the grandeur of the vaning Empire days.

But if you want something ugly, take this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0a67GongyH...Natter1111.jpg

Turbo driven P51 with tiptanks is "maximum penalty"... :)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...orcer_USAF.jpg

The italians often makes gorgious machines but sometimes...

The Caproni Stipa

http://blog-imgs-26.fc2.com/a/k/i/ak..._110212_04.jpg

I'm sorry, but the French win (lose?) this contest hands down...

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/5300/mb200400f.jpg

Gentlemen, meet the Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-co...60-500x242.jpg

http://www.aviastar.org/air/italy/caproni_ca-60.php

Frankly I like the Enforcer myself :confused:

I think it's down to what each one considers good looking. As far as i'm concerned, "beautiful" in terms of warbids means brutish, business-like, functional looking, menacing, or any combination of the above.

As such, i prefer the Se.5's looks over the Spit, just like i prefer the looks of German aircraft in general for the same reason. I also rank the P-47 higher than the Mustang and the Hawker line of fighters (hurricane, typhoon, tempest) above the Spit series.

VVS fighters are another story, because even though some late war designs might share similar traits to the Spit, they do exude the necessary feeling of "crude" to make me like them in other departments :-P

I think it's because Spits and Mustangs look somewhat elegant and it gives me a mental image of girly frailty, like they were made for a race-course and not war. I'm not debating performance here mind you, just how their shape and outline influences the first word that pops in my mind when i see them.

I might know i'm in trouble when i see a P-51 diving in on me, or a Spit doing its trademark climbing turn, but i can't help but smirk when thinking that a couple of well-placed hits can turn it into an expensive glider. I think i just despite elegant in general, the only somewhat "pretty" aircraft i'm fond of is the Mosquito. :-P