Sunday Things - experimental aeronautical edition

posted in Links by Cargo Cult on Sunday December 16 2012

A Sunday Things with a cohesive theme! That's not space! But lots of weird-looking planes instead, courtesy of Wikipedia's list of experimental aircraft. Here are a few picks:

For something nominally designed without aesthetics in mind, still beautiful.
Fairey Delta 2 - the first aircraft to exceed a thousand miles per hour, this graceful beast certainly looks the part.
The Soviets were experts in funny-looking machinery.
Bartini Beriev VVA-14 - of course we need a version of an ekranoplan here. Take its wings off, leave it to decay, then sprinkle it with snow? Perfect. Note to self: the Russian Central Air Force Museum looks well worth a visit. See also: the Lun-class ekranoplan mouldering somewhere else in the former USSR.
MOSTLY PROPELLOR. MOSTLY.
Bell X-22 - the timeline of experimental aeronautics is littered with attempts at vertical take-off. The tiltrotor is one route which has never quite taken off (ahem) - although the V-22 Osprey seems to have finally escaped its long and troubled development...
Fastest plane imaginable! Actually, a bit slow.
Douglas X-3 Stiletto - like some incredible star-fighter piloted by a testosterone-oozing science-fiction hero, this fearsome beast proved disappointingly underpowered. But, it provided design experience for the actual Starfighter...
HELP I THINK I'M GOING BACKWARDS
Grumman X-29 - even the 1980s weren't immune to assumption-busting redesigns. Swept wings, you say? Let's see how they work the other way round! Of course, the Russians eventually built one too...
The Citroën of the aerial world?
Leduc 0.21 - a gloriously French series of experimental ramjet-powered fighters, unfortunately incapable of supersonic flight despite their gorgeous looks. More imagery here.

Bonus Yet More Funny Planes corner:

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victor's gravatar

1. Hey

Posted by victor at 6:36PM, Monday December 17 2012

Hey ! that blog of yours rocks ! Thanks.

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