Antimatter's "Your picks for the most famous planes" thread got me thinking about the flipside: What about aviation's biggest flops? What would you include on a list of the least successful, worst conceived, most impractical, or just plain weirdest aircraft?

The Capelis XC-12 is my first nominee for the list. The single prototype ended up as a movie prop at RKO Studios. Its best-known appearance was in the survival melodrama Five Came Back.

Capelis XC-12 Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capelis_XC-12)
http://www.godickson.com/Torberg%20Pix/capelis%20XC12.jpg
That's the revised version above. The original was even uglier:
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Larkins/7727L.jpg

thats nothing.

Caproni Ca.60
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/aircraft-pictures/CaproniCa_60large.jpg
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/mig_exp/caproni-60.jpg
http://pro.corbis.com/images/HU002541.jpg?size=67&uid=1D7968A6-7898-4901-98BE-3D30BB75D082

and yes, it did fly, for a little bit.

google to find the history.

B.O.A.C. de Havilland Comet: one of the worst safety records of commercial aircraft

http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/07/gallery_worstplanes/comet.jpg

Yes, some of the early Comets crashed due to unforseen metal-fatigue problems in the fuselage structure. But later production models were successful in both civil and military service. And besides, it was so damn pretty.

http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~msci301/De%20Havilland%20Comet.jpg

One of the factors that caused the Comet to crash was the use of the big rectangular picture windows seen in the second photo...once they redesigned them to the oval type it went on to be very successful and formed the basis of the Nimrod maritime reconaissance aircraft.

If you're looking for freaky planes, try here...

http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/farmer/120/index.html

B.O.A.C. de Havilland Comet: one of the worst safety records of commercial aircraft

http://www.wired.com/images/slideshow/2008/07/gallery_worstplanes/comet.jpg

and one of the most beautiful airplanes to grace the skies.

What about the Martin-Baker MB5? Better than the Mustang and Spitfire, never got a chance to show it's mettle.

My vote for the most outrageous "flying freak" is the eastern European, jet-powered crop duster biplane, the "Belphegore."

I was searching this forum last night and I saw this interesting thread from two years ago. I saw this XC-12 in an old movie once and thought it was a figment of the prop (pun intended) department's imagination.

It turns out there is a circa 1940 pressed steel toy that closely resembles this "Capelis XC-12" but of course, it does not have that funny biplane tail.

Capelis XC-12 Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capelis_XC-12)
http://www.godickson.com/Torberg%20Pix/capelis%20XC12.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b228/PropMonster/ToyPlanes_PressedSteel/WYANDDefense-bomber3zz.jpg

Wyandotte Defense Bomber, missing wooden bombs.

Antimatter's "Your picks for the most famous planes" thread got me thinking about the flipside: What about aviation's biggest flops? What would you include on a list of the least successful, worst conceived, most impractical, or just plain weirdest aircraft?

The Capelis XC-12 is my first nominee for the list. The single prototype ended up as a movie prop at RKO Studios. Its best-known appearance was in the survival melodrama Five Came Back.

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist.

Regarding that Caproni Ca.60, I'm guessing the model number was actually the altitude- in-feet number. That test pilot was lucky!
Very "steampunk-looking".

Count Caproni's folly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnGZBhrrlMk