So, my colleague insist that the DH-88 Comet is an ugly airplane.
I think its beutifull and was a nice surprise that they flew it yesterday even though it was very windy.
So Ugly or Beutifull?

Some pictures here https://www.flickr.com/photos/83246699@N00/albums/72157671252977152

[url=https://flic.kr/p/KSKFfj]5J4A1089[/url] by msh_sco, on Flickr

Ugly, the wing shape is too pointy and the fueslage looks too long, no likey

There are certainly prettier planes. But I wouldn’t put it in the pig ugly category.

There was a full size model hanging in a shopping centre round here a while ago. It looks okay in an form followes function art-deco kind way.

It’s very art-deco, as befits a cutting edge aircraft from the thirties. I like it.

It looks very Me262 esque in that pic.

Your colleague is an idiot, it’s beautiful. Like most De Havillands.

what amazes me is how quickly De Havilland could design build and fly these nice aircraft.
Just look at how quickly they also designed and flew the Mosquito.

Its beautiful………. Tailwheel (Tick) , De Havilland (Tick)

also very tricky to fly….those long tapered wings very prone to Tip stall

Looks OK apart from the pointy wings & underslung engines….

but but but its the pointy sleek wings and engines that make it looks so awesome

Mikkel – Member

but but but its the pointy sleek wings and engines that make it looks so awesome

I probably should have said that I like the fuselage, but not a lot else 😆

The wings to me just look ‘wrong’ with a forward & backward sweep & the bulky engine cowlings don’t seem in keeping with the slender nature of the rest of it.
Maybe it’s just the angle of that photo…

@ samunkin
Are you sure it was a model? I thought it was the real thing.
Im assuming you are talking about the galleria here

This one http://www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk/burberry-racer.php

sierrakilo – Member
Its beautiful………. Tailwheel (Tick)

Well, a tailskid, originally at least. Not sure what it currently has though, it seems to have had both at various points in its life.

+ 1 for beautiful.

Yes that must be it. I thought it looked a little small but assumed it was the real mccoy. Thanks for clearing that up.

Its hard to judge without anything else next to it.
I got a growing collection of diecast models and one of the thing i like about it is being able to compare the size of the various aircraft.

what amazes me is how quickly De Havilland could design build and fly these nice aircraft.
Just look at how quickly they also designed and flew the Mosquito.

Only possible in an era of fabulously lax health and safety with zero type certification overhead…

Worth noting that prototypes went spectacularly wrong* quite a lot more often, too.

* or utterly failed to live up to design intentions.

Also, what kiwijohn said.

Obviously beautiful! As for the underslung engine comments… Heathen! 😉

It’s a stunningly beautiful aircraft, but so are the DH Dragon and Dragon Rapide, which follow almost identical design concepts, and there are a number still flying.

Is there still a model Comet outside what was the Comet Hotel, Hatfield. It seems it’s now a Ramada. We always went past it on our way to Grans, back in the 1970’s.

I had a Dinky DH=88 when I was a boy. I thought it was beautiful – it got treated very carefully. Wonder where it went?

That’s a nice looking plane but it is a bit oddly proportioned (engine cowling comment above is probably it).

CountZero – Member
It’s a stunningly beautiful aircraft, but so are the DH Dragon and Dragon Rapide, which follow almost identical design concepts, and there are a number still flying.

I flew in a Dragon Rapide last year!

And look what was flying next to it at the time!

🙂

@ richmars … Yep still there

Though you may need to “track left and enhance” to see it clearly from this

GoogleStreet View

samunkim,
thanks, seeing it was the highlight of the trip!

Talking about beautiful planes, I see the Bugatti X100 replica has crashed on its 3rd proving flight. Sadly the pilot died.