what do you think makes a plane ugly?

[Hai Perso Coyone?]

Only one bird for me, 747-400

You don't like it?

Heck, even me who doesn't like Boeing that much adores that Queen

[Tweek]

Basically anything Russian. They just can't make a nice looking plane to save their lives...!

MiG-29, TU-160, SU-27....

They may not win any beauty contests, but they look excellent

[Jakemaster]

You don't like it?

Heck, even me who doesn't like Boeing that much adores that Queen

And you dont like the venerable tomcat.  Nuff said

[BumInABox]

Back in the 70s or 80s, Boeing made a 747 into some pot bellied pig looking aircraft to be able to carry the Shuttle from airport to airport. I think they nicked named it the humpback whale if not mistaken. It flew low and slow as a lot of yall are fond of saying. It was just an (f)ugly thing to look at.

[Chris_F]

I'm trying to think of a single aircraft I find ugly.  Even the ugly ones are beautiful to me.  In fact sometimes the really ugly are all the more beautiful in their uglyness.  The old crude Soviet aircraft like the Mig 25 have a certain charm.  The A10 even looks purposeful, as does the F117, A7, A6, F4.  Not beautiful, but purposeful.  Certainly not ugly.

But some aircraft are just beautiful.  The Spitfire, the SR71, the DC3.  I find the JSF beautiful from some angles, and I do like the Mig29.  Just about everything that comes off Burt Ruttan's drawing board is stunning.

[flyboy 28]

Just about everything that comes off Burt Ruttan's drawing board is stunning.

That's the Space Ship One guy, right? That thing looks just plain wierd.

[TacitBlue]

He is more than just "the Space Ship One guy", just look at this: http://www.rutanaircraft.com/htmlpages/airplanes.html

Unfortunately this site has been up for years, and they still haven't added the information about each aircraft like it says there under the pic.

[SkyNoz]

Basically anything Russian. They just can't make a nice looking plane to save their lives...!

Lol for some reason I have the same thoughts as you intead, I look at british aircraft ewww ugly, well (just my opinion now...) But otherwise when planes dont look like they can fly I think their ugly. And all the people that are stuck up too and say there nice in one way or the other doesn't make it any better, when they say this and that non-sense lol.

[lilley91]

i dont think that an aircraft can look ugly, they can be very different, but never ugly, well in most cases, only in rare cases do i think that an aircraft can be classed as ugly, they are sleek and sophisticated.

james

[Rifleman]

As far back as I can remember, a Spitfire, Lockheed Constellation, or Hawker Hunter, have been voted as the most beautiful aircraft of their time.......its all about beauty being in the eye of the beholder.......

[Chris_F]

That's the Space Ship One guy, right? That thing looks just plain wierd.

He's also the guy who designed and built the plane that made the first around the world, non stop, unrefueled flight.  The guy's a genius, the Leonardo DaVinci of our time (only I don't think he knows anything about the Holy Grail).

It's amazing how much stuff Burt (and his company, Scaled Composites) has been involved with.  Check out this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites
Check out his

[Jeph]

the shorts sherpa. what a hideous aircraft. if you ever have a chance, look at one from center nose. theres a rivet line that starts at the nosecone and actually veers to one side towards the cockpit.  :-/

the superguppy, the AN-71, A-4, the EP-3, kinda...the S-3 "superhoover" Viking, and the C-2 also are/were ugly planes

and if anyone bashes the F-14 or A-10 for bein ugly, keep in mind, thats the point. enemy pilots FEAR the tomcat, as was proven by the gun camera from the first gulf war. the A-10, well, the plane was built around the gun  8)

[Tweek]

[quote]Lol for some reason I have the same thoughts as you intead, I look at british aircraft ewww ugly, well (just my opinion now...)quote]

You can't be serious!

Hawker Hunter, Supermarine Spitfire, English Electric Lightning, Supermarine Swift, Vickers VC-10, and so it goes on! Fantastic!

[Papa9571]

Its all in how you look at it. To me if an aircraft doesn't look like it is trying to fly, or looks graceful while on the ground its ugly.

IMHO there haven't been to many ugly aircraft, just some that are not as pretty.

[TacitBlue]

Theres also a such thing as "good ugly", take the Wilga for example. It's just so weird looking and definately not pretty, but I love the way it looks.