The Planes that never were

[A380]

The 152. East Germany’s own airliner. Apparently they built five. One crashed. It was out of date on the drawing board and they couldn’t afford it. But it was all built in the DDR, even the engines. There is a fuselage left at Dresden airport.

 

[Idris2002]

Yo Dawg, I heard you like cockpits, so . . .

 

[steveo87]

The 152. East Germany’s own airliner. Apparently they built five. One crashed. It was out of date on the drawing board and they couldn’t afford it. But it was all built in the DDR, even the engines. There is a fuselage left at Dresden airport.

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Is that bloke in the display case?

 

[A380]

Is that bloke in the display case?

Yes. They are very harsh in German museums.... they cut his legs off at the knees as well, to stop him leaving.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Yes. They are very harsh in German museums.... they cut his legs off at the knees as well, to stop him leaving.

"Ve told you not to breathe on ze display cases, schweinhund!"

 

[Idris2002]

German experimental heavy bomber HE 274, repurposed post-war as a French parasite fighter bus:

From the Facebook group "Obscure Aircraft of World War 2"

 

[pogofish]

The Honeywell proposal for the Space Shuttle:

 

[Idris2002]

Lovely stuff:

(Hawker P1081)

 

[pogofish]

The Convair archive has delivered a few more gems incl this:

The Convair "FISH" (First Invisible Super Hustler)

Which was their candidate for the role that was eventually given to Lockheed's A-12/SR-71

It appears to be a 2-part design with the mothership above and a parasite/drone aircraft that could be launched at altitude to fly over the quarry at high-mach:

And as a stop-gap, it was also designed to be capable of being launched from the B-58 as well.

Needless to say, Lockheed, with their reputation for making advanced designs flyable, in secret and without monumental cost-overruns, won the contract.

 

[pogofish]

I hate to think what this was intended for...?

 

[kebabking]

I hate to think what this was intended for...?

Research into drag?

 

[DownwardDog]

I hate to think what this was intended for...?

It's a rather fanciful imagining of a US ekranoplan/wing in ground effect transport.

 

[Idris2002]

Nicked from the facebook group "British Aircraft Designs and Prototype":

"The Miles M.100 Student was built as a lightweight trainer as a private venture by F.G. and George Miles with development started in 1953. Although not specifically a Miles product, it was promoted as a British Royal Air Force trainer but failed to enter production. The Jet Provost took the contract for which this aircraft was competing."

 

[DownwardDog]

The "car door" would have made egressing the aircraft in an emergency quite exciting. I presume the whole door comes out of the frame like a P-39. Thanks, but no thanks!

 

[Idris2002]

The "car door" would have made egressing the aircraft in an emergency quite exciting. I presume the whole door comes out of the frame like a P-39. Thanks, but no thanks!

"This jet trainer, the only example of its kind, crashed at Duxford on 24th August 1989.

The pilot was Peter Hoare, who was pronounced 'clinically dead' for 20 minutes, but fortunately was resuscitated, and made a full recovery and now flies Airbuses."

Miles M.100 Student

See also here:

https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1955/1955 - 1792.PDF

 

[SpookyFrank]

The Convair archive has delivered a few more gems incl this:

The Convair "FISH" (First Invisible Super Hustler)

That's gorgeous but why give it such a dubious name just to produce an acronym that's not even anything cool? For a start it's not even invisible, I can clearly see it there look.

 

[pogofish]

That's gorgeous but why give it such a dubious name just to produce an acronym that's not even anything cool? For a start it's not even invisible, I can clearly see it there look.

The original name ofr the high-mach interceptor/reconnaissance project was "Kingfish" - so maybe that steered their choice of acronym..?

I also wonder if the relative "low observability"/reduced radar signature - ie a step on the road to stealth of the A12/SR-71 design might have had them redesigning the B-58 to make it less of a (very fast) flying barn radar-wise?

 

[pogofish]

Another interesting proposal that never happened from the General Dynamics archive:

 

[mauvais]

Kind of on this subject, BA have started putting on historic liveries for their 100th anniversary.

Landor next.

 

[mauvais]

And they're not the only ones at it:

 

[A380]

 

[ferrelhadley]

Megaroc

Megaroc, not a plane but a planned British manned rocket derived from V2 to get into sub orbital flight in the late 40s
But bankrupt and struggling to feed people, we had more pressing issues.

 

[gosub]

 

[Crispy]

Conroy Virtus - Wikipedia

 

[A380]

Ryan XV-5 Vertifan STOL .

 

[BigTom]

Goodyear Inflatoplane - Wikipedia

The Goodyear Inflatoplane was an inflatable experimental aircraft made by the Goodyear Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, well known for the Goodyear blimp. Although it seemed an improbable project, the finished aircraft proved to be capable of meeting its design objectives, although orders were never forthcoming from the military. A total of 12 prototypes were built between 1956 and 1959, and testing continued until 1972, when the project was finally cancelled.

 

[Teaboy]

Kind of on this subject, BA have started putting on historic liveries for their 100th anniversary.

Landor next.

Given the age of BA's fleet its probably pretty easy just to peel off the top coat.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Sort of a plane that was the future once, I came across this...I might have to arrange a visit
One of the Last Intact Zeppelin Hangars in the World is in Rio de Janeiro

 

[A380]

Sort of a plane that was the future once, I came across this...I might have to arrange a visit
One of the Last Intact Zeppelin Hangars in the World is in Rio de Janeiro

Ok it’s not quite Rio, but we have two in Bedford. You don’t realise how big they are till you get close. You see them from the road and think, yeah they’re big. And then you see cars at the bottom and realise you need to double the size you thought they were. I’ve been inside a couple of times and they are amazing.

 

[A380]

Not really an aircraft that never was, but a mode of transport that wasn’t.