Most Ugly Aircraft

[Themanwho]

Off track, sorry. I once spent around 38 hours in the back of a Herc, added another NBC state "NBC Freezing my fecking tits off", every piece of clothing I had, Noddy Suit, '58 pattern gonk bag and still cold, the Aircrew had heated suits, I don't think I stopped vibrating for weeks!.

Been there, done that, got the frostbite. As a young Cfn with 1PARA I was dicked for Baggage party on EX CALTROP FORCE held in California, the route was Lineham - Keflavik - Goose Bay - Some midwest shithole - Fort Ord, IIRC. Wasn't even allowed to suspend a hammock in the tail, as a lowly hat crow. I think the only thing that kept me from losing my tootsies was was the trial Combat Assault Boot goretex sock/booty/ slipper things, and the the newly issued goretex bivvy bag. The R&R was excellent though.

 

[Soluton Architect]

The Canadians called it the Digby - well before Dan Dare, so I have no idea why!

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Just maintaining the RAFish tradition of naming bombers after Commonwealth towns. In that case, Digby in Nova Scotia.

 

[Skunkmiester]

How the hell did he (I am assuming) get away with that? I imagine there was an interview without tea and biscuits on landing.

That was back in the day when flying displays were fun. Before that twat in the hunter ruined them for everyone.

 

[gorillaguts981]

Just maintaining the RAFish tradition of naming bombers after Commonwealth towns. In that case, Digby in Nova Scotia.

And RAF Digby 20 miles or so from Lincoln.

 

[Egg on Leggs]

That was back in the day when flying displays were fun. Before that twat in the hunter ruined them for everyone.

I think it was the twats in the Aermacchi MB-339PA at Ramstein in '88 that did that.

 

[Maalox]

Arado 232

 

[Goldbricker]

the flying apartment block

Breguet 460

 

[Lardbeast]

There’s a Bronco II now:
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Some SA designer has a hard on for that configuration of twin boom (lots of drag) and single engine pusher (airflow issues off the fuselage). To my mind, low and slow in a single is not the way to survive a battlefield.

 

[Lardbeast]

Off track, sorry. I once spent around 38 hours in the back of a Herc, added another NBC state "NBC Freezing my fecking tits off", every piece of clothing I had, Noddy Suit, '58 pattern gonk bag and still cold, the Aircrew had heated suits, I don't think I stopped vibrating for weeks!.

Interesting. Bleed air in the Herc is diverted to run the aircon packs to cool pressurisation air entering the cabin. If you want a bit of extra pressurisation because you're a bit leaky or are doing HALO, what they call underfloor heating goes on and it gets bloody toasty in the back with uncooled pressurisation straight from the bleeds going in.

Haven't flown one for 20 years but it was always easier to heat the thing than cool it.

 

[Stovepipe]

Arado 232

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This thing could taxy across a ploughed field.

 

[Lardbeast]

This thing could taxy across a ploughed field.

Mighty Twotter walt.

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

Some SA designer has a hard on for that configuration of twin boom (lots of drag) and single engine pusher (airflow issues off the fuselage). To my mind, low and slow in a single is not the way to survive a battlefield.

Depends on the ‘battlefield’ I suppose.

 

[Lardbeast]

One might say that, but it would severely limit capability to restrict use to non kinetic environments. May as well use something cheap and off the shelf then.

 

[Nimbus]

Interesting. Bleed air in the Herc is diverted to run the aircon packs to cool pressurisation air entering the cabin. If you want a bit of extra pressurisation because you're a bit leaky or are doing HALO, what they call underfloor heating goes on and it gets bloody toasty in the back with uncooled pressurisation straight from the bleeds going in.

Haven't flown one for 20 years but it was always easier to heat the thing than cool it.

Sounds like the Westlands approach... P2 air, on or off = feckin’ hot or feckin’ cold...

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Sounds like the Westlands approach... P2 air, on or off = feckin’ hot or feckin’ cold...

Head roasting, feet freezing.

 

[Nimbus]

Head roasting, feet freezing.

Scout High Alt air test in Detmold in the middle of winter: -20° on the ground, DALR -1.5° per 1000‘ and heater off... -40° in 2 parkas with a parachute over the top.
Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be...

 

[Goldbricker]

Some SA designer has a hard on for that configuration of twin boom (lots of drag) and single engine pusher (airflow issues off the fuselage). To my mind, low and slow in a single is not the way to survive a battlefield.

Nostalgia for the Rhodie AF Lynx

 

[Taffwob]

In the tradition of Dutch twin boom pushers; one that only made it to the prototype stage.
The De Schelde S21.

Only one built, so ugly they couldn't find a pilot who could get it up.

 

[Lardbeast]

Nostalgia for the Rhodie AF Lynx

Lynx was a Vietnam stylee solution to CAS in the bush war. SA had an opportunity to do better but some hairyback has a bug up his arse about that configuraton so a number of prototypes were built and tested since the '80s, none of them a roaring success. They just can't seem to let go of it.

Most recent was a horror called the AHRLAC, upon which the Bronco II was based in something of a joint venture from what I recall.

I much prefer the OV-10D. Fast, agile and has that extra engine to get you away from those you've just pissed off if they get lucky with ground fire.

 

[robinrocket111]

Lynx was a Vietnam stylee solution to CAS in the bush war. SA had an opportunity to do better but some hairyback has a bug up his arse about that configuraton so a number of prototypes were built and tested since the '80s, none of them a roaring success. They just can't seem to let go of it.

Most recent was a horror called the AHRLAC, upon which the Bronco II was based in something of a joint venture from what I recall.

I much prefer the OV-10D. Fast, agile and has that extra engine to get you away from those you've just pissed off if they get lucky with ground fire.

As the old saying goes, “ if it ain’t broke......”
I don’t know why the don’t upgrade the AV-10D, build new airframes and give it new Engines and avionics.
Same with the A10, they want to replace it sometime WHY best Ground Attack ever built! Yet the keep plodding on with the B52, you have to question the septics mentality sometimes.