Author Topic: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft  (Read 161235 times)

Stargazer2006

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Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« on: December 24, 2011, 07:00:12 AM »
Hi folks! New place, same old faces, or just about... My first post, glad to be here (thanks Logan for the invite!).

I'll be starting this gallery by posting my favorite stuff from past works... Then in 2012 I'll be posting the new stuff!!

But first allow me to introduce myself in a few words for those who may not know me. I'm a 46-year-old Frenchman who knew all the Japanese code names and USAF designations at an age when kids only learn where to place their country on a map. Yes, I grew up surrounded by aircraft models and aircraft books, having a dad completely obsessed by it! But I also had a fondness for doctored photos already: at age 8 I pasted a girl in bikini sitting in the open hands of Pope Paul VI...

As a teenager I was obsessed with US comics and even considered working for Marvel, but I thought I wasn't good enough and shied away from the notion altogether. All the while my passion for aircraft never quite left me, really. After an 11-year stint as an English language teacher in French high schools, I decided to quit and work on websites instead. My first website in 1997 contained an article on the Yak-23 evaluated by USAF, another one on the Boscombe Down crash and a whole section on the Lockheed Aurora . I also did sites on jazz and pop music, Renault cars and much more (so far I have designed about 20 websites for my pleasure or on order).

In 2006 I devoted a lot of time and energy to a pet project that became a reality: an online database on all projects related to Burt Rutan: I called it Stargazer, as an evocation of his reaching for space and constant desire to push the limits further. I had to register the site under the name "stargazer2006" because "stargazer" had already been reserved (though never used). Little did I know at the time that the name "Stargazer2006" was going to become my alias on several forums...

Being probably too lazy to learn my way through sophisticated and expensive software, I've been using an old Paint Shop Pro 5 for over 10 years now! Not the best thing around but it covers most of my needs nicely and I know my way round it so I'll stick with it for more time to come... Combining my taste for photo-montages and aircraft just came naturally. I personally strive to conceive pictures that are "realistic", i.e. aircraft that are plausible, that look real, or that could have existed. I'm never more satisfied than when the invention fits in nicely within the real timeline of events, like a little-known or forgotten part of history...  And the icing on the cake is to know I've inspired someone to turn the dream to plastic!

Enough of this. Watch for the next post and the first images, and pleeeease let me know if you like them (any thoughtful piece of criticism is also welcome!).

Stargazer2006

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2011, 07:48:46 AM »
A bit of Lockheed history revisited...



Lockheed XP-73 Swordstar



After the XP-58 Chain Lightning was turned down by the USAF, Lockheed took the half-assembled second prototype and reworked all the elements to turn it into a single fuselage design for a fast piston interceptor, the Model 39 Swordstar (a mix of "Swordfish", as in the XP-38E test-bed and the usual "star" suffix used by Lockheed). Though unsollicited, the proposal was judged interesting enough for the USAAF to borrow the aircraft from Lockheed and give it the XP-73 designation (serial 43-45315).
However, the Swordstar was sadly lost after only three hours of test flying in mid-air collision with a Culver PQ-8 Dart target drone gone wild, killing test pilot Shane Bolt. The embarrassment was such that the Air Force agreed on a refund of the prototype and all of Lockheed's expenses on condition that the XP-73 be erased from the records, which was done on both sides. It would have remained a lost chapter of aviation history were it not for a set of documents hidden away by one of the project's engineers that resurfaced recently after his passing. Only this one very rare photograph of it has survived to this day.
The Swordstar was a sort of missing link in Lockheed design history, being the last distant grandson of the P-38 Lightning family and also the company's last piston design before the F-80 Shooting Star, which was to incorporate its tail design with very little change.




Lockheed YF-136/R9V-1 Super Constitution (Model 1089)



When the Lockheed Model 89 Constitution was retired in 1953, the U.S. Air Force expressed some interest and decided to purchase the two prototypes. The Military Air Transport Service (or MATS in short) needed large capacity transports that could carry both troops and materiel in large quantities. However, the two R7V-1s were not adapted to the demands of modern transport, and uphauling them proved more complicated than building two new aircraft.
Lockheed was asked, therefore to produce two off-the-shelf fuselages that could receive brand new swept wings with underwing jets on pods and a brand new tail. The Air Force requested that the wing's shape and engine configuration follow closely those of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, which had recently entered service. In effect, the wings of the resulting YF-136 Super Constitution (or Model 1089) appeared like scaled-up B-47 wings with beefed up General Electric J47 jet engines. The bottom deck became all cargo, while the top deck windows were fashioned after those of the Super Constellation. A nose radome was installed and a newer, modern cockpit introduced. The latter would soon serve as a basis for that of the Hercules.
The Navy briefly considered ordering two more examples as the R9V-1, but this plan fell short when they realized they did not possess enough facilities and landing fields adapted to a transport aircraft of that size. Attempts by Lockheed to market the type on the civilian market also failed. The two Super Constitutions were the pride and joy of MATS but were used only from November 1954 until June 1963, a short lifespan which can be explained by the fatigue of the fuselages, conceived just after the war for straight wings and props, and therefore not optimized for jet engines or swept wings.




Lockheed YU-12A Twin Star



The Lockheed YU-12A Twin Star prototype was proposed by Lockheed to the US Air Force as a way to augment the range and autonomy of the original U-2 spyplane. Apparently this was not conclusive and the experiment was halted.




Lockheed Model 98 Super Stardust



The Lockheed Stardust and Super Stardust were revolutionary VTOL passenger transports used by TWA in the mid-1960s and using technology developed for the Bell-Lockheed D-2064 assault transport project. These caused quite a commotion when they appeared and passengers mostly shied away from such revolutionary technology. Consequently, TWA reverted back to more traditional aircraft very soon.




Lockheed CL-1860 Bright Star



The Lockheed CL-1860 Bright Star was an original attempt from Lockheed to produce a naval observation type at a reduced cost using elements of the U-2 spy plane. Though the length of the airframe was unchanged, the fin, rudders and wings were shortened (the latter being hinged for carrier use). 45% of the aircraft were taken directly from the U-2 production lines, and another 25% were modified from U-2 elements, leaving only 30% new, basically the cockpit and dorsal intake. The Navy evaluated the sole prototype in 1973 but tests were not conclusive enough to justify procurement.




Lockheed Raven, a.k.a. "Baby Blackbird"



Ever wondered how the CIA and USAF could have accepted the most advanced aircraft in the world without even a single demonstrator first to validate the technologies? Well, the answer is easy: there actually WAS one. The Lockheed Raven (affectionately known at the Skunk Works as the "Baby Blackbird") was a sub-scale proof-of-concept demonstrator for the Oxcart/Cygnus programs, which spawned the famed Blackbird family of aircraft. It was first flown on August 23, 1961.




Lockheed A-24 Grumbler



The Lockheed A-24 Grumbler (inhouse designation) was an unrequested proposal for a fast, high-flying interceptor which built largely on SR-71 Blackbird technology, using the same engine, fuel and other components. Its original feature was to have a circular air intake all around the rear of the cockpit, not unlike the French Coleoptère VTOL prototype of the 1950s. The sole Grumbler prototype was never acquired by the US Air Force and therefore retained its civilian registration. It is seen here in formation with the classic Lockheed TR-1 (U-2RT) Dragon Lady spyplane.




Lockheed SR-72A Blackbolt



The Lockheed SR-72A Blackbolt was a triangular shaped variation on the famous SR-71A Blackbird stratospheric spyplane. As most information pertaining to the program is still classified, it is not known how many were procured and whether the type is still in active service.




Lockheed C-30A Super Galaxy



The Lockheed C-30A Super Galaxy, a six-engined Lockheed Galaxy with widened fuselage, came in very handy in Yugoslavia and Somalia to deliver relief aid or material (12 armed tanks or two fully assembled fighter aircraft could be carried), but also for mass paratrooper droppings (no less than 200 soldiers could jump in one single flight).




Lockheed YSR-5A 'Senior Pike'



Developed under the 'Senior Pike' program, the SR-5A answered a DoD specification for an Advanced Cruise Rocket Plane (ACRP). It consisted of a scaled-up Raytheon (General Dynamics) AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM), a program that everyone thought had been axed while it actually served as a subscale prototype to this larger rocket plane. The SR-5A has flown in greatest secrecy since 1996, launched from NASA's famous NB-52 mothership, and this is the first time ever that a photo of it is published. No-one knows if the program is still running or if it was abandoned.




Lockheed Martin YA-25A StarViper



The Lockheed StarViper demonstrator was the missing link between the famed F-16 and the F-22 Raptor. It was never procured in quantity and only 22 were built. All but two ended up with the Taiwanese Air Force.




Lockheed X-55 Rising Star



A technology demonstrator for a possible VATOL fighter.




Lockheed Martin QF-35D UCAV



The Lockheed Martin QF-35D UCAV is an unmanned variant of the new multiservice F-35 Lightning II combat platform.




Lockheed Martin A-40A Thunderstar



In 2017 the budget cuts that plagued many a defense program are no longer in order. The war in Afghanistan has been long and costly. The U.S. Department of Defense badly needs some high-flying light bombers to strike repeatedly the mountains hideouts of Afghanistan as a means to end war as quickly as possible. A requirement for a brand new, dedicated attack aircraft is issued, to which Lockheed Martin answers with the Thunderstar, a four-jet, enlarged derivative of the Raptor with side-by-side seating. The company wins the contract over Northrop Grumman and Boeing/Bombardier, and the Thunderstar becomes the A-40A. Eightly aircraft are purchased by USAF, and nearly 200 get exported to Britain and Germany. A naval variant, the A-40B, is also produced in 50 examples for the U.S. Navy, while 40 more examples find their way to Britain.




Lockheed Martin YF-45A Starbolt



Lockheed Martin answered a tender to procure a VLF (Very Light Fighter) by the year 2025 by reusing some of the F-35 experience and engineering. Thus was born the Lockheed Martin YF-45A Starbolt, which will begin production in 2019... that is, unless some clever Congressmen decide to give it the axe...
« Last Edit: December 24, 2011, 08:13:15 AM by Stargazer2006 »

Offline sotoolslinger

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2011, 08:09:37 AM »
Frikken AWESOME :in-love: So glad you are here

Offline Tophe

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2011, 11:19:48 AM »
 :)
Welcome here Stargazer, and thanks for this batch of marvels (my favourite of them I think is the twin U-2: YU-12A TwinStar)

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2011, 01:52:12 PM »
Welcome aboard Stephane.  Great to see you again.

Regards,

John
Regards,

John

Offline Bladerunner

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2011, 02:20:24 PM »
Hi Stephane,

Welcome. :D

Great work as usual.
Love the Blackbolt and QF-35.   :in-love:

Stargazer2006

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2011, 06:51:23 PM »
Thanks for the welcome, folks, and Merry Christmas/Hannoukah/whatever to you all!


Offline Logan Hartke

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2011, 07:50:35 AM »
Great to see you here, Stéphane!  I love the YA-25A StarViper!  Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Cheers,

Logan

Stargazer2006

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Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft: Forgotten aircraft of the Soviet forces
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2011, 11:21:14 PM »
Thanks for the welcome, folks!

Today I'll be exploring the "other side"...


Forgotten aircraft of the Soviet forces




Kocherigin Ko-3 Glupysh



The Kocherigin Ko-3 Glupysh (Fulmar) was a large pre-War transport aircraft of which very little is known.




Beriev R-2 "Foghorn"



This very rare brochure clipping from 1949 depicts the little-known Beriev R-2 (NATO reporting name: "Foghorn"), a patrol flying boat armed with cannons in the nose and machine guns in the dorsal turret. Ten of these machines were built in 1949-50, but three were lost, with at least two on account of seabirds being sucked into the frontal intake. The "Foghorns" were soon struck off charge and replaced by less complicated prop-driven types. The picture shown depicts a somewhat retouched R-2 flying over Petrograd (now Saint-Petersburg).




Lavochkin La-144 Lastochka



In September 1945, the Soviet Union captured a small batch of Messerschmitt Me 262 fighters from Germany. These were redesignated as the Lavochkin La-142 and underwent numerous tests in the latter part of 1945. One of these was modified with a single engine in the nose and designated the La-144. All the Me 262 and their derivatives were known as the "lastochki" (swallows) as an evocation of their original German name "Schwalbe", but the only aircraft that actually carried the name officially was the La-144 Lastochka, seen in this picture over Zhukovsky airfield some time in December 1945.




Yakovlev Yak-16 "Fistful"



One of the many forgotten jet aircraft prototypes built in the post-war years by Soviet manufacturers.




Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-18 "Fatso"






Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-10



The experimental Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-10 prototype shown above was the Soviet counterpart of North American's F-107 (NA-212)  which had the intakes in the exact same dorsal position. The Ye-10 was not known of NATO intelligence services and therefore never received an official monicker in the West.




Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-112 "Fickle"



The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-112 "Fickle" (dubbed "Fickle Sickle" by Western observers) was a "midget" low-cost derivative of the classic MiG-21 "Fishbed".




Sukhoi Su-125 "Foghorn"






Antonov An-222 "Custard"



The rare Antonov An-222 (NATO: "Custard") is seen here doing a low pass over Odessa Airport, in Ukraine.




Tupolev Tu-150 "Crossbow"



In the late 1970s, the Tupolev design bureau fiddled with the idea to use the basic shape of the Tu-160 Blackjack then in development and turn it into a subsonic airliner. This resulted in the little-known Tupolev Tu-150 (NATO codename: "Crossbow"), of which 6 examples only were used on Aeroflot's lines.




Tupolev Tu-218 "Boiler"



An ultra-secret canard bomber prototype that was discovered just before the Berlin Wall fell...




Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum-Q"



The Mikoyan MiG-29RV "Fulcrum-Q"  is an unmanned version of the famed "Fulcrum" fighter. The text of the advertisement says: "It is our greatest asset for the future, and yet none of our pilots can fly it."




Sukhoi Su-27RV "Flanker-Q"



The Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker-Q"  is an unmanned version of the famed "Flanker" fighter. The text of the advertisement says: "Tomorrow's war... today."




Antonov An-94 "Crawler"



The Antonov An-94 (NATO: "Crawler") was a development of the An-72 Coaler with the engines lowered to the bottom of the fuselage sides to make room for an AEW radome. This was tested as an alternate configuration to the An-71.


« Last Edit: December 26, 2011, 11:25:40 PM by Stargazer2006 »

Offline Doom!

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #9 on: December 27, 2011, 01:56:12 AM »
Really cool stuff, I really love the Starviper!!!  :in-love:
Doom!
Jeff G.

Offline Maverick

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #10 on: December 27, 2011, 07:36:37 AM »
Some brilliant stuff there.

Regards,

John
Regards,

John

Offline tsrjoe

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #11 on: December 27, 2011, 09:52:33 AM »
Welcome aboard Stephane, really good to see you here, i love your 'adapted' images, a few of those im sure will cause headaches in years to come when theyre seen as 'real' prototypes

 :D bestest wishes, cheers, Joe

Offline lauhof52

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #12 on: December 27, 2011, 03:47:33 PM »
Nice to see you here Stephane! :)  Lauhof

Stargazer2006

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #13 on: December 27, 2011, 08:16:21 PM »
Forget about Queens and Kings... Barons and Earls... Today we're in for...

A bit of British history




Fairey Faucon



In late 1939, the French government decided it was perhaps too risky to continue building combat aircraft on the French territory, for fear they might fall in enemy hands should the war intensify and Germany seize them. Several foreign types were ordered, among them the Fairey Faucon ("Falcon" in French), the prototype for which had already been built to a strictly French specification.

The aircraft was hastily shipped to France and flight tested at Bretigny airfield, where it demonstrated great performance. The surrender of France in 1940 put an end to several aircraft orders, including one for 200 Faucons. The crewmen at Bretigny decided to set the aircraft ablaze instead of allowing it to fall into adverse hands. That was the end of what could have been France's greatest asset in combat.




Bristol 162H Beaumort I



The most elegant of the Beaufighter family of aircraft was most certainly the Type 162H Beaumort. Not to be confused with the Bristol Bowmore flying-boat, the Beaufort bomber and the Beaumont bomber project (which he reused the basic Type 162 number from), the Beaumort was the only high-wing variant of the family, a stretched Beaufighter with enlarged tail and a gun turret on top. Another unique feature of the Beaumort was the use of two 2000hp Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 engines with the same 4-bladed propellers that were used on the Spitfire PR.19 fighter.
The Beaumort performed remarkably well but the Griffon engines were badly needed on the fighters, and without them, the type was only marginally better than the existing Beaufort so it was decided not to proceed with it.




De Havilland D.H.98R Musketeer



The De Havilland D.H.98R Musketeer was a British single-engine fighter prototype whose purpose was to obtain the lightest and fastest possible configuration with a D.H.98 Mosquito airframe. It was not put into production.




Fairey F.30/43 Arrow



The Fairey Arrow was very little-known British prototype of 1944 that resulted from a specification calling for a fast push-pull fighter-interceptor, the Fairey F.30/43 Arrow. This was not put into production.




Westland Woomera I



Here is the Westland Woomera, an asymmetrical fighter for Australia, derived from the Whirlwind.




Westland Wyndham B.II



And here is the Westland Wyndham B.II, a torpedo-bomber with double fuselage able to carry a huge amount of ordnance.




Airspeed A.S.70 Sea Horse



The Airspeed A.S. 70 Sea Horse was the company's swan song before merging with De Havilland in 1951. It was a flying-boat version of the Horsa glider, a concept already obsolete at that time. Towing was typically done by Short Sunderland type flying boats.




Miles M.78 Twinvan



The Miles M.78 Twinvan was a twin-fuselage version of the Miles M.57 Aerovan. The sole prototype was lost when the central wing section broke in the middle while in flight, killing the pilot and three passengers.




General Aircraft GAL.62 Super Universal



The General Aircraft GAL.62 Super Universal was an eight-engine freighter developed at the same time as the smaller GAL.60 Universal Freighter and with capability for combined troop, freight and vehicle transport. It was thought that the GAL.62 would represent a great option for India and the prototype was test-flown there in 1949 (as seen in this ad's picture). However, the company had already been merged with Blackburn, and the recent independence of India made the market opportunities a lot less attractive there. All development of the Super Universal was therefore halted, and the effort was placed on the smaller Universal Freighter, which developed into the Blackburn Beverley...




Fairey Jet Gannet



The Fairey Jet Gannet was a development of the Gannet that was put into production for the Royal Canadian Navy in the early 1950s.




Westland Jet Wyvern



The Westland Wyvern was the most advanced ever of all British piston-engined fighters but it came too late to go to war, and by the time it was operational, the jet age had dawned, so it became obsolete pretty soon. Soon enough, Westland developed a jet version, the Jet Wyvern, which came as an interim aircraft until better types were available. 50 aircraft were built and delivered but were soon sold to India, where they continued to serve for a while.




De Havilland Sea Devil I



In the 1950s, no one was willing to develop forward-swept wing aircraft, but De Havilland nonetheless gave the idea a try. The Sea Devil flew well, but Navy commandment was more than lukewarm about the idea so only 5 aircraft were built and soon retired.




Fairey Crocodile HC.I



The Fairey Crocodile for the Royal Australian Air Force was the only production model of that compound helicopter.




English Electric P.6 Thunder



Started off as an English Electric project, the B.A.C. P.6 Thunder was an interceptor development of the famed but ungainly P.1 Lightning fighter. It was underpowered and performed so unimpressively that it was decided not to proceed with it.




Handley-Page Sea Victor I



Conceived as a seagoing Royal Navy development of the successful RAF Victor bomber, the Handley-Page Sea Victor was no more successful than the Martin Seamaster developed in the U.S. along similar requirements. Only three prototypes were built and they were scrapped in 1965 when the program was cancelled.




B.A.C. (English Electric) P.26 VG-Lightning



The Luftwaffe expressed interest in a variable sweep version of the English Electric P.1 Lightning fighter, and ordered 100 examples of the B.A.C. P.26 VG-Lightning variant, which unfortunately found no other customer.




Short S.500 Skybox

« Last Edit: December 27, 2011, 08:18:33 PM by Stargazer2006 »

Sentinel Chicken

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #14 on: December 27, 2011, 11:36:07 PM »
That Sea Victor is cool!

Offline Logan Hartke

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #15 on: December 28, 2011, 12:08:55 AM »
I LOVE the MiG-18, Tu-218, Thunder, and Sea Victor.  Those all look great.  The Thunder, in particular, is an improvement on the original.  That tandem cockpit on the MiG-18 is more proportional, too.

Cheers,

Logan

Offline Tophe

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #16 on: December 29, 2011, 03:56:01 AM »
I love the twin-boomers and asymmetric one, perfectly "built", while I also love the cargo-eggplane Skybox, thanks for this one too!

Stargazer2006

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Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft: Rare European birds
« Reply #17 on: December 29, 2011, 07:21:18 AM »
The bulk of my work may deal with American and British aircraft, but there are also quite a few "forgotten" types from other countries... So today let's have a look at some of these

Rare European birds




B.A.C.-Heinkel Haukka ("Falcon")



The BAC-Heinkel Haukka ("Falcon" in Suomi) was an exclusive 1963 fighter-bomber design for the Suomen ilmavoimat or Finnish Air Force.




Sipa S.500 Vedette



The French SIPA (Société Industrielle Pour l'Aviation) imagined in 1955 a small twin-jet business aircraft called the S.500 Vedette and developed from the smaller S.300 turbojet-powered basic trainer. The only prototype flew for the first time on June 16, 1956 and showed promising enough for SIPA to start promoting it with several potential customers. However, the Vedette , despite its being a clean and pleasant design, was not looked upon favorably because of its high estimated operating cost and also because of the crash of the S.300 prototype a few months before, so that the project was brought to an abrupt end in February 1957.




Fiat 7500"Treno Volante"



The Fiat 7500 « Treno Volante » or « Flying Train » was an improbable tandem-rotor development of the ungainly Fiat 7002 prototype. Unsurprisingly it never generated any interest from the Italian military or from any foreign customers and was eventually scrapped.




Arsenal VG.200 Aiglon



The Arsenal V.G. 200 Aiglon ("Eaglet") was a beautiful research jet prototype which proved hard to manage with its conventional landing gear. A tricycle V.G. 201 variant was planned but there is no evidence that this was built.




Fokker Dr.II "Doppeldreidecker"



The Fokker Dr.II "Doppeldreidecker" ("Double triplane") was an experimental twin-fuselage variant of the famed Dr.I triplane.




Sud-Est (S.N.C.A.S.E.) SE-8200 Hirondelle II



In 1946, the French Société nationale de constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est (better known as "Sud-Est Aviation" or SNCASE) proceeded to extensive testing of two Messerschmitt Me 262s retrieved in Germany the previous year. Redesignated as the SE-8000 Hirondelle (French for "swallow") they provided a lot of information to be used in forthcoming French jet programs.
In 1955, Sud-Est and SFERMA reconditioned one of the two aircraft as the SE-8200 Hirondelle II in order to test a prototype turbine engine which, if successful, could be used subsequently on light twin-engined business aircraft. With its modified tail and forward protruding turbine engines, the Hirondelle II was not the handsomest of aircraft, but it served its purpose and paved the way for the Turbo Travelair, the Marquis and subsequent turbo-prop-powered French aircraft.




Sud-Ouest (S.NC.A.S.O.) SO-6650 Triton III



Developed from the lessons learned with the original Triton prototype (the very first French jet aircraft), the SNCASO (Sud-Ouest) SO-6650 Triton III was an elegant aircraft but a poor airliner. Air France took delivery of 5 four-jet Tritons in November 1951 for use on short range local lines, but clearly this was a type in search of a purpose, being the size of a business jet at a time when the concept did not yet exist, too small to make an efficient airliner and too costly to make it worthwhile. Seating was only one on each side of the central aisle, and room was ridiculously small, making it impossible to stand up in the aisle for the average passenger. All five Tritons were written off in August 1953, less than two years after entering service.




Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier Beta Jet



The development of the Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier Alpha Jet advanced trainer was done in parallel with that of two differently configured types, the Beta Jet and Gamma Jet. Prototypes of these were built and tested operationally, alongside the Alpha Jet, but none of them proved any better than the Alpha Jet, and they soon disappeared out of sight. Interestingly, the Beta Jet had found one customer abroad, as it was meant to train Iranian Air Force pilots, but this plan never materialized after the Shah's demise.




Saab Sk 50 Kadett



In 1967, Saab studied a reduced size trainer following the success of their Sk 60 (Model 105) trainer. This was designated Model 110 and procured in 15 examples only by the Swedish Air Force as the Sk 50. The Kadett, as it was known, was unarmed and used strictly as a primary trainer, being popular with the pilot trainees because of its forgiving handling and great natural stability. The 14 Kadetts that remained (one had been lost during a ground fire) were exported in 1992 to Sri Lanka, where they continue to train the young recruits of the local air force.




EADS Airbus Super Transporter (U.S.A.F. C-58A)



With the C-5 Galaxy nearing retirement and the insufficient length of the C-17 Globemaster III, the USAF issued in 2013 a specification for a ULMT (Ultra Large Multitask Transport). Quite naturally, EADS/Airbus submitted a cargo version of its A380 airliner, which they called the A380M Super Transporter. Boeing declined to bid as the company didn't think it could produce a rivaling design and fly it within the three years allocated by the Air Force. The A380M was accepted on June 6, 2014 and was designated the EADS C-58A Airbus ST.




Grob D-600 "Egrett One" (U.S. Government VU-32A)



A passenger derivative of the Grob G-500 Egrett is the seven-seat G-600, used in small numbers by the U.S. Government and military as the U-32A. A special example was assigned to presidential transport as the VU-32A "Egrett One". The story goes that the crew casually refers to the plane as "Grobama"...




Saab JA 38 Hermod



Next to the canard AJ/JA-37 Viggen fighter, the Swedish Air Force also used a few examples of a more conventional delta winged variant designated the Saab JA-38 Hermod.




AMD-BA (Dassault-Bréguet) Mirage 1000A



In an attempt to offer a complete range of fighters in various sizes, Dassault developed the diminutive Mirage 1000 alongside the 2000 and 4000, but eventually only the 2000 was proceeded with. The "A" suffix indicated the Air Force variant, while the second prototype in the Aéronavale version was designated the Mirage 1000N.

« Last Edit: December 29, 2011, 07:23:13 AM by Stargazer2006 »

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    • My Photobucket Thread
Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #18 on: December 29, 2011, 08:00:32 AM »
Some brilliant stuff there Stéphane.

Regards,

John
Regards,

John

Sentinel Chicken

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #19 on: December 29, 2011, 09:46:10 AM »
It's shocking just how plausible some of these photos are! Good work, Stéphane!

Offline Tophe

  • He sees things in double...
  • twin-boom & asymmetric fan
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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #20 on: December 29, 2011, 11:03:14 AM »
Once more, many ones are delicious (my favourite being of course the Fokker twin-fuselage)

Offline Brian da Basher

  • He has an unnatural attraction to Spats...and a growing fascination with airships!
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  • Hulk smash, Brian bash
Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #21 on: December 30, 2011, 05:54:14 AM »
Those are some really wonderful, imaginative and humorous "could've-beens" (and my, what lovely spats you have too!). I like your light-hearted approach and I'm sure I'm not the only one smiling.

Brian da Basher

Stargazer2006

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Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft: Lavochkin "Samolyet 335"
« Reply #22 on: December 30, 2011, 09:10:50 AM »
It really means something to read such encouraging compliments from seasoned whiffery experts like you guys, so thanks a bunch!!!

Probably my last whif for 2011 (and the first since I joined the BTS forum) here is Lavochkin's "Samolyet 335".



Developed from the unbuilt Do 835 project, an unbuilt jet derivative of the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, this undesignated Lavochkin was only refered to as "Samolyet 335" ("Aircraft #335") by Lavochkin engineers and pilots (rumors make it a possible candidate for the "La-16" designation but this was never circumstanciated). The aircraft remained a prototype and Lavochkin was required to work on combat types while most jet transport programs were assigned to Tupolev.

Offline Maverick

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Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #23 on: December 30, 2011, 09:19:20 AM »
Once again, a superlative shot.  Many happy returns for the New Year and another year full of wonders.

Regards,

John
Regards,

John

Stargazer2006

  • Guest
Re: Stargazer2006's imaginary aircraft
« Reply #24 on: January 02, 2012, 02:29:34 AM »
HAPPY 2012 everyone !!!

Today's work is less personal in the sense that I pretty much reused an existing profile, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same.
I started with an Aichi M6A1 Seiran painted in fake US colors to deceive US pilots (see attachment) and added bits and pieces to make it look like a genuine reverse-engineered Nanzan as produced by Vultee, the TB2V-1 Weevil torpedo bomber. The US recognized the superiority of the Aichi design, and after capturing a couple of aircraft, decided to have the type produced at home by an American company, improving on it whenever possible (differences being mostly structural and not visible on the outside).



Bad news is I accidentally saved the master file as a JPEG instead of a multilayer format and therefore lost all possibility to rework it easily for other profiles. Blast!