The NOT-so-best looking fighters of all time

Driftless

Donor
Inspired by this thread.....

How about a not-such-a-beauty contest for your favorite active duty "mutt" fighters of all time? Planes that served, but were are not renowned for their good looks..

For example: the 1934-1940 French Loire 46

190324d1327167350t-armee-de-air-pre-war-aircrafts-loire-46-003.jpg


Every country had a few of these beasties.
21_2.jpg
 
I present to you the Vought F7U Cutlass, a plane almost universally hated by Navy flight crews with a reputation as a flying coffin. At least Starfighter pilots crashed and burned in style.

Vought_F7U-3_Cutlass.jpeg
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
I present to you the Vought F7U Cutlass, a plane almost universally hated by Navy flight crews with a reputation as a flying coffin. At least Starfighter pilots crashed and burned in style.

But. to be fair, Vought made up for it with the Last Great Dogfighter, the F-8.

Outof_f8.gif
 
Brewster Buffalo... In an air force that knew how to use it, it was quite a capable fighter, but it still looked like its own comic caricature.
 

Driftless

Donor
The Vickers Type 161 C.O.W. Fighter - appears to have been designed by a committee that didn't like each other much; and eventually built with spare parts from the farm implement dealer.

vickers-161_7.jpg
 
I present to you the Vought F7U Cutlass, a plane almost universally hated by Navy flight crews with a reputation as a flying coffin. At least Starfighter pilots crashed and burned in style.



Oh yes the " Gutless Wonder " :p, I've always thought the Seversky P-35 is an Unprepossessing mess of a Fighter. But that's just my opinion, I know they're worst examples in existence.
 
The Saab J-29, yeah it's an ugly cuss alright :D. But you got to hand it to the Sweds, that sucker is suprisingly good performing fighter.
 
Oh yes the " Gutless Wonder " :p, I've always thought the Seversky P-35 is an Unprepossessing mess of a Fighter. But that's just my opinion, I know they're worst examples in existence.

Indeed, the unprepossessing P-35 was the hottest airplane of its day, beating the P-36 and Northrop N3A for a fighter contract, starring in a movie with Clark Gable as a test pilot, winning racing trophies, and setting speed records. It was a time when the times were a'changin. The last P-35 became a prototype of a newer faster, better airplane, but it didn't win contracts. This year's engine has 850 hp, and next year's engine has 1200 hp. That's just the way it was.

I read that for a time in 1937, the Gloster Gauntlett was the fastest airplane in the RAF. That changed too. Sometimes, the fastest aircraft of its day is just that. And then, another dazzling new dawn.

test2.gif
 
The Koolhoven F.K. 31. Not only was it ugly as hell, it was also one of the absolutely worst aircraft the Finnish Air Force ever had the misfortune of buying. 17 were manufactured in total, 12 purchased by FAF. Not one of them flew over 6 hours in Finnish service.

1017-14-1-4.jpg
 
Top