The Blackburn Cubaroo: Ugly name for an ugly plane
Posted by 13curseyoukhan@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 21 comments
Posted by 13curseyoukhan@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 21 comments
Tbone_Trapezius@reddit
“One day we’ll have an engine with enough power…”
Natural_Stop_3939@reddit
And it was enormous. Another photo that gives a better sense of scale.
13curseyoukhan@reddit (OP)
Holy carp!
Rc72@reddit
I'm always impressed by the consistent division of labor in the British aircraft industry: de Havilland couldn't build an ugly plane, and Blackburn couldn't build one which wouldn't lead you to try to gouge your own eyes out.
iamalsobrad@reddit
That's a bit unfair.
Blackburn could also do genuinely weird, terrible and whatever the fuck this is.
anonymous_follow@reddit
The fuck did I just see
Radioactive_Tuber57@reddit
“Genuinely weird” actually looks OK with the pontoon up and stowed. Pretty clean, but I’d be afraid the thing would bust off if I landed to too aggressively.
”This is” makes zero sense. The pilots’ forward view is blocked for no apparent reason except to further punish the miscreant conscripted to fly it.
iamalsobrad@reddit
Most of that is due to the angle, in level flight the pilot would have a fairly decent view.
What makes less sense is that it was meant to be armed with a 2pdr recoilless rifle that the pilot essentially sat on and there was no obvious provision for dealing with the back-blast.
13curseyoukhan@reddit (OP)
That Iast one...
DaphniaDuck@reddit
That landing gear is so narrow and the center of gravity so high, it's 100% guaranteed that even the best pilot is eventually going to tear the wings off trying to land that monstrosity.
Benegger85@reddit
Or land flat on his face if he hits a bump
iamalsobrad@reddit
Seriously. It's like something you'd expect Dick Dastardly to be flying.
zorniy2@reddit
Stop that pigeon!
isaac32767@reddit
Come on, think outside the box! Where is it written that a biplane fuselage has to be on the lower wing?
beewareeight@reddit
Don't forget highly flammable
Smellynerfherder@reddit
We talk about engineers from the fifties having a wild time with infinite funding, but engineers from the 20s laughed directly in the face of God, physics and aerodynamics.
Radioactive_Tuber57@reddit
Not “Let’s see if this’ll fly”, but: “Let’s see if it won’t kill the pilot this time.”
Oliverorangeisking@reddit
Sounds Australian.
Figgy_Puddin_Taine@reddit
designed by Major R. A. Bumpus
404-skill_not_found@reddit
The Blackburn Blackburn was hardly better looking.
jim_di_griz@reddit
Jeee?! A "torpedo bomber"?!?