Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by taylorius 83 days ago
And I shall raise you the Stipa Caproni

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/05/13/the-strange-barrel...
2 comments
EdwardDiego 82 days ago
I think this one is winning the inverse beauty contest.

It looks like it really wants to scoop up a large amount of plankton mid-cruise.

link
jodrellblank 82 days ago
See also the Caproni Transaero, which isn't totally ugly but is messy in a "maybe more wings is better? some pushing engines at the back?" kind of way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Ca.60

link
cf100clunk 82 days ago
> pushing engines at the back

Weird aircraft with a pusher engine? Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender, right this way:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss-Wright_XP-55_Ascender

(and check out the list of similar aircraft)

link
EdwardDiego 81 days ago
I had a bloody die-cast toy of that as a kid for some reason, I thought it was just a fake plane they'd invented to justify a toy!
link