Ugly Airplanes

Everskyward said:
I don't think anything's going to beat the mountain range airplane but here is my entry. I have a lot of time in this airplane, probably the most time in any single N-number that I've flown.
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That's not ugly, that's just unfortunate...
 
Steve Foley said:
I hear this one's been repainted:


Checkerbird.jpg
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Too bad. No problem spotting that one in the pattern.

AdamB said:
This one is based at my field, I call it Barney. :D
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Well named, and truly ugly.

maddog52 said:
Our Peregrine. Kind of startling at first, but it goes with the name.
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At first glance it looks like the paint is peeling and bare metal is showing underneath. :D
 
The truly ugly planes I've seen are those old derelict wrecks that always seem to be in some corner of most any airport. Flat tires, peeling paint, yellowed cracked windows, rust, corrosion, layers and layers of dirt all over everything.

I don't know why, but to me, they are kind of fascinating. What happened that they came to such an unremarkable end, yet somehow avoided the crusher? You know it's the end of the line for these wrecks, but you kind of wish you could somehow save at least one of them. Restore it back to it's original glory. If only you had the time and money, and didn't care that it would never be worth the money you put into it.

Then you walk away and see a perfectly good, working and current airplane, who's ascetics and beauty have been destroyed by some brainless, uncreative idiot, who got a deal on purple and green paint somewhere.

God I love airports.

John
 
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The P210 has to be high on any list (my apologies to any P210 owners here):

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The P210 and 182RG look a lot better flying than on the ground. That Silver Eagle conversion is done a few miles from here by O&N Aviation, using a little Rolls Royce turbine in place of the TSIO-520. I've not flown one, but it's a pretty neat setup. It seems to be me that pressurized piston singles are trying to drive a lot off of one engine. That Rolls Royce is a cool little package, too. I saw the 340 they were working on with a pair of Rolls Royce turbines as well.

I don't think P210s are ugly, I just wouldn't want one. A guy flies one into my airport all the time. He owns the P210 and a 414. He says he's pretty sure the 414 is actually cheaper.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The P210 and 182RG look a lot better flying than on the ground. That Silver Eagle conversion is done a few miles from here by O&N Aviation, using a little Rolls Royce turbine in place of the TSIO-520. I've not flown one, but it's a pretty neat setup. It seems to be me that pressurized piston singles are trying to drive a lot off of one engine. That Rolls Royce is a cool little package, too. I saw the 340 they were working on with a pair of Rolls Royce turbines as well.

I don't think P210s are ugly, I just wouldn't want one. A guy flies one into my airport all the time. He owns the P210 and a 414. He says he's pretty sure the 414 is actually cheaper.
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Cheaper? Due to maintenance costs? :eek:

There's a very nice, fully loaded 210 on the ramp in PTD -- the story is the guy bought it so he'd have all-weather capability to fly his wife back and forth for cancer treatments.

I guess that story colors my view of 210s.
 
dmccormack said:
Cheaper? Due to maintenance costs? :eek:
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That's what he's claiming. He's had a LOT of problems with his 210. The 414 I don't hear a lot of issues with. I also think that he's (mostly) joking. He probably also runs the P210's engine harder, so the fuel differential is probably not that much between the two. I notice that with a lot of twins. Most people won't operate them at the same power as they'd operate that same engine in a single, so they actually make a bit less than 2x the fuel burn. For example, I get 10-11 gph a side in the Aztec the way I run it. Each same engine in a single I'd more likely expect 13-14, but run at a higher power setting.

There's a very nice, fully loaded 210 on the ramp in PTD -- the story is the guy bought it so he'd have all-weather capability to fly his wife back and forth for cancer treatments.

I guess that story colors my view of 210s.
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Nothing wrong with that, and I think the plane itself is probably still fine (no personal experience with them). For me, though, when I get to the point of having the capabilities of a pressurized aircraft, I want two engines. I could deal with a single turbine, but I'd still take twin pistons over a single turbine any day.

But that's personal preference, and why they made different kinds of airplanes. :)
 
So heres the question then. Is there a plan that you wouldn't fly just because its Ugly? Me thinkith not!
 
Ooohh the flying bathtub. They have one of those at Grimes airfield. I've seen it a few times.
 
AdamZ said:
Ooohh the flying bathtub. They have one of those at Grimes airfield. I've seen it a few times.
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The mighty 40 HP!!

The page this came from was an airshow site -- the description says this airplane was built in 1945 -- It probably should be 1935.

Here's the link to a pic of the Grimes C-3
 
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I've yet to see a high wing plane that has anywhere close to the beauty of an eagle.
 
dmccormack said:
Yeah... I suppose the 210's function determines its form
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To clarify, 210's aren't too bad, it's P210's that are so...well...portly, with those windows. Other "P" birds have "normal" windows and don't look like a tugboat.


dmccormack said:
Not as attractive as am A36, of course... :D
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You won't get an argument out of me there! Almost all Beechcraft are good lookin'
 
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I still think this has got to be one of the ugliest paint jobs I've seen.
 

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I think this is Tom Beneson's (-sp?) Cardinal. He writes for Flying Magazine. It certainly is a unique paint scheme.



dmccormack said:
Of course no airplane that flies is ugly, but some paint schemes, engine mounting points, whatever classiy some airplanes as visuallly challenging.



Here's one from another thread...
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One Short said:
I'm not sure (:rolleyes:) but I'm pretty sure a graffiti artist wouldn't even claim it.
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Here's one I came across in Africa a couple of years ago. Belonged to an artist, they told me.

Dan
 

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