The age of the biplane was short, less than thirty years. A blink in history. But, the biplane has seared itself onto the collective imagination.

Few good ideas disappear forever in aviation, and it is possible that the biplane will return, this time reborn as a wing for supersonic airliners. Qiqi Wang, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT  has been studying the work of 1950s German aerodynamicist Adolf Busemann. Busemann proposed using a delta biplane to cancel out supersonic shockwaves, so the aircraft did not produce a sonic boom. Wang believes that with today’s technology this idea can be made to work. So, our children may fly to New York on biplane Concordes. In the meantime, let’s look at some fruity biplanes!

In choosing the ten best-looking US airplanes, where should you begin? Some aircraft are very beautiful in the real world, but are not so photogenic. The Constellation is wonderful in reality, but looks awkwardly hump-backed in pictures. The F-15 has enormous presence and dynamic lines, but something in the way its sections fit together, give its overall shape a lack of coherency. Several of the aircraft selected have beautifully curvy lines, particularly the sensuous Panther and ‘Moonbat’. The B-1B should be viewed at dawn, when its aquatic body and intelligent face give it an exotic, almost temple-like grace. Some US aircraft are pure Roger Ramjet- these unapologetically brash, flag-waving lunatics are a world of fun, and are typified by the likes of the B-58 Hustler and XB-70 Valkyrie. The Lockheed Electra Junior, the third star of Casablanca, is perfection. I hope you enjoy my selection, I’m sure you won’t agree with all my choices, but no doubt your favourite (or favorite) would have made it in, had I space for eleven.

Once we had made our selection, we sought a second opinion. It would have been too easy to get an expert to describe the aeroplanes. So instead, we turned to a non-expert, in fact we turned to a Hip-Hop musician/croupier/sound engineer named George, to assess our top ten.

10. Northrop YB-35

 George: “This would look cool with jet engines, but those propellers make it look goofy and it has a face like a gerbil (if you put any adjective before the word gerbil it immediately becomes the voice of Jeremy Clarkson, believe me I tried). I imagine the aeroplane factory had a bunch of leftovers lying around and cobbled them into this. Wings aren’t generally the best looking bits of planes. This is the aviation equivalent of one of those internal conjoined twins that is surgically removed and is a wad of flesh, teeth and hair.”

9. North American XB-70 Valkyrie

George: “Boring. Looks like it’s from an 80s kids cartoon. where the animators wanted a plane that would be quick and easy to make Koreans draw again and again. This is probably piloted by two children and a magical comedy creature, is featured heavily in the title sequence but is hardly ever in the actual show. Reeks of disappointment and broken dreams. White should be a cool colour for an aeroplane but to me it looks like a plastic fork.“

8. McDonnell XP-67 ‘Moonbat’

George: “Seems to be very pretty but maybe because it looks like there’s Vaseline smeared on the lens, show me another angle in HD. It’s like watching that old grainy porno of Marilyn Monroe, kind of sexy but there’s always the knowledge that you’re wanking over an unhappy dead woman.”

7. Grumman F9F Panther

George: “It’s got a bum like a dolphin, nature’s smartest and most fuckable mammal. The colour scheme is like a shiny pair of Nikes and the livery is tastefully understated. It also looks surprisingly good sitting on the tarmac which usually knocks a good few points off a plane’s attractiveness. This is the warplane to pick up a date in.”

6. Convair B-58 Hustler

George: “It’s got clown make-up and it’s carrying a rolled up circus tent. Also the name Hustler. Type that into Google images while your boss or spouse is watching.“

5. Rockwell B-1B Lancer

George: “This plane looks terrifying. Which I suppose is a good thing for a warplane. Its nose has barbs on it like a flesh burrowing parasite or a cat’s penis. I would not call this plane good-looking. Unless you think cat’s penises are good looking. Which I generally don’t.“

4. Lockheed 12A Electra Junior

George: “Again a bit of a squinty clown face. I think if you saw this plane on the ground it’d be nothing special but the photo make it look nice. Like the menu at a Welcome Break. I bet at least one person aboard this aircraft beats his wife. Different times, but still.”

  3. Convair F-106 Delta Dart

George: “Yes I like this. Arrowhead windshield, triangle wings and pinched waist. Looks like it was designed by a committee of 10 year old boys, but that is by no means a bad thing. Also isn’t that the exact same colour scheme as the rebel forces in ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘? “

2. North American P-51 Mustang

George: “Ugh no! These are so fugly they have to paint distracting childish nonsense on them. One of them is called Scat VI which is a decent film, but not as good as Scat I through V and definitely not good enough to name a plane after. The air intakes look like flappy doggy dicks and the whole thing is a mess of straight lines and uninspiring curves. Also, either these planes are tiny or they’re only flown by men with big fat bobble-heads. A plane designed to be flown by the young and the lithe, now exclusively flown by the old and the fat.”

1. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

George: “I completely agree. Looks dangerous, without looking brutal. Nimble without looking fragile. Monstrous engines that look integral to the airframe. Long curves with that angular cockpit. I’ve never seen an unflattering angle of this thing. Plus being unencumbered with ugly weaponry helps.“

Juan Manuel Baiutti asked a panel of Latin-American aviation enthusiasts to choose the ten best-looking aeroplanes from the region of romance; the results were surprising indeed, with many obvious choices ignored in favour of some rather more exotic beasts. I hope you enjoy this fine selection of ten wonderful aeroplanes.

10. Embraer/FMA CBA 123 Vector

9. IA 50 Guaraní II

8. FMA I.Ae. 27 Pulqui I

7. Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano

6. DINFIA IA-35 Huanquero

5. Embraer Phenom 300

4. I.Ae. 30 Ñamcú

3. FMA IA-63 Pampa

2. I.Ae. 33 Pulqui II

1. FMA IA-58 Pucará

If you enjoyed this, have  a look at the top ten British, French, Swedish, Australian, Japanese, Soviet and German aeroplanes. Wanting Something a little more exotic- try the top ten fictional aircraft.

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Of the many aeroplanes Japan has produced, few are ugly. This is at least partly due to the importance placed on aesthetics in this nation. As well as attractive airframes, Japanese aircraft have longed received the most magnificent colour schemes. I hope you enjoy our tribute to the beautiful aircraft of Japan.

10. Mitsubishi T-2

9. Kawasaki Ki-61

8. Nakajima Ki-44

7. Fuji T-1

6. Aichi M6A

5. Yokosuka P1Y

4. Mitsubishi Ki-57

3. Mitsubishi A6M

 

2. Kawasaki Ki-100

1. Mitsubishi Ki-46

 The judges were: Hush-Kit’s Joe Coles, Combat Aircraft‘s Thomas Newdick, the RAF Review‘s Paul Eden, The Aviation Historian‘s Nick Stroud and the artist Ed Ward.  If you enjoyed this, have  a look at the top ten British, French, Swedish, Australian,  Soviet and German aeroplanes. Wanting Something a little more exotic- try the top ten fictional aircraft.

Follow my vapour trail on Twitter: @Hush_kit

 

When Khrushchev met Nixon in 1959, he was typically belligerent. He told the future American president “Soon we will equal the US, and when we pass you, we will wave bye-bye.” The USSR pursued technological advancement with incredible tenacity, and one of the most visible displays of its technical achievements was its aerospace industry. From the brutally accelerated industrial revolution to the record-breaking flights of the Cold War, the Soviet Union built an enormous number of spectacular aeroplanes. Often the most agile, fastest or biggest, they were also among the toughest and cheapest, here’s a tribute to some of the engineering marvels of a dead Empire.

Or you can jump to see the top ten American aircraft here:

10. Tsybin RSR

9. Antonov An-225

8. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3

7. Myasishchev M-50 

6. Tupolev Tu-22

5. Beriev 200

4. Tupolev Tu-114

3. Sukhoi ‘Flanker’-series

2. Tupolev Tu-160

1. Polikarpov I-17

The judges were: Hush-Kit’s Joe Coles, Combat Aircraft‘s Thomas Newdick, the RAF Review‘s Paul Eden, The Aviation Historian’s Nick Stroud and the artist Ed Ward.  If you enjoyed this, have  a look at the top ten British, French, Swedish, Australian,  Japanese and German aeroplanes.

Want to see more stories like this: Follow my vapour trail on Twitter: @Hush_kit

Help us bring you unusual article about aircraft by donating here, the more we get the more we can give you. Many thanks dear reader! 

Have a look at 10 worst British military aircraft, Su-35 versus Typhoon, 10 Best fighters of World War II , top WVR and BVR fighters of today, an interview with a Super Hornet pilot and a Pacifist’s Guide to Warplanes. Was the Spitfire overrated? Want something more bizarre? The Top Ten fictional aircraft is a fascinating read, as is The Strange Story and The Planet Satellite. The Fashion Versus Aircraft Camo is also a real cracker. Those interested in the Cold Way should read A pilot’s guide to flying and fighting in the Lightning. Those feeling less belligerent may enjoy A pilot’s farewell to the Airbus A340. Looking for something more humorous? Have a look at this F-35 satire and ‘Werner Herzog’s Guide to pusher bi-planes or the Ten most boring aircraft. In the mood for something more offensive? Try the NSFW 10 best looking American airplanes, or the same but for Canadians. 

At dawn on 18 March 1910, escapologist Harry Houdini became the first person to fly an aeroplane in Australia (like many aspects of Australian aviation history, this is the subject of fierce debate, and some claim that it was actually Colin Defries or Fred Custance). Earlier, in 1856, one M Pierre Maigre had attempted to demonstrate a hot air balloon in front of a crowd of 6,000, who had paid to watch ‘the first flight in Australia’. The balloon failed to take-off, and many of the onlookers rioted. In the ensuing chaos, somebody knocked Maigre’s hat off, and fearing for his life, he ran from the site, chased by an angry mob of thousands (he found refuge in a government building). Meanwhile, the crowd set fire to the balloon and “created a bonfire from the tent and seats”.

The first flight by a truly Australian aeroplane took place in 1910, piloted by John Duigan. Since then, Australia has built a variety of fascinating planes, let’s have a look at the ten best-looking…

10. Government Aircraft Factories Nomad

9. Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Boomerang

8. Genairco Biplane

7. Genairco Seaplane

6. Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Woomera

5. Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-16 Wirraway

4. Silver Centenary

3. Victa R2

2. Tugan Aircraft LJW.7 Gannet

1. Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-15 ‘Kangaroo’

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Guten Tag. In the 19th Century Otto Lilienthal studied birds, built his own hill to jump off and fathered aerodynamics. Since then Germany has remained a big name in the development of aviation. Not all their aeroplanes have been beautiful- in fact, most have veered wildly between appearing utilitarian, evil or comically cute (with a large handful utterly insane). We managed to find ten pulchritudinous planes for you to enjoy. Tough decisions had to be made, but we’re certain we have a delicious selection.

Be part of Hush-Kit! Donate using the buttons above or below and get even more. Many thanks.

10. Friedrichshafen FF 33

9. EWR VJ 101

8. Focke-Wulf Fw 187

7. Hamburger Flugzeugbau HFB-320 Hansa Jet

6. Albatross D.V

5. Heinkel He 70

4. Heinkel He 119

 

3. Horten Ho 229

2. Messerschmitt Me 262 ‘Schwalbe’

1. Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor

The judges were Hush-Kit’s Joe Coles, Combat Aircraft‘s Thomas Newdick, the RAF Review‘s Paul Eden, The Aviation Historian‘s Nick Stroud and the artist Ed Ward.

 

Be part of Hush-Kit! Donate using the buttons above or below and get even more. Many thanks.

Follow my vapour trail on Twitter: @Hush_kit

You may also enjoy 11 Cancelled French aircraft or the 10 worst British military aircraft, Su-35 versus Typhoon, 10 Best fighters of World War II , Su-35 versus Typhoon, top WVR and BVR fighters of today, an interview with a Super Hornet pilot and a Pacifist’s Guide to Warplanes. Flying and fighting in the Tornado. Was the Spitfire overrated? Want something more bizarre? Try Sigmund Freud’s Guide to Spyplanes. The Top Ten fictional aircraft is a fascinating read, as is The Strange Story and The Planet Satellite. The Fashion Versus Aircraft Camo is also a real cracker. Those interested in the Cold Way should read A pilot’s guide to flying and fighting in the Lightning. Those feeling less belligerent may enjoy A pilot’s farewell to the Airbus A340. Looking for something more humorous? Have a look at this F-35 satire and ‘Werner Herzog’s Guide to pusher bi-planes or the Ten most boring aircraft. In the mood for something more offensive? Try the NSFW 10 best looking American airplanes, or the same but for Canadians. 10 great aircraft stymied by the US. 

You may also enjoy top WVR and BVR fighters of today, an interview with a Super Hornet pilot and a Pacifist’s Guide to Warplanes. Want something more bizarre? The Top Ten fictional aircraft is a fascinating read, as is The Strange Story of The Planet Satellite. Fashion Versus Aircraft Camo is also a real cracker.