Jujupilote wrote:
To remain on the civilian side, I would say Caravelle was an elegant airliner, short haul though.Sorry, it’s French nostalgy
The Caravelle was indeed very pretty. As was the A310 (also a French design). What puzzles me most about the C series is that it comes from a company which to this date made the ugliest airplanes ever … from the Dash 6, 7, 8 turboprops over the Challenger bizjets to their regional airliners. Especially it’s ultimate stretch, the RJ 900 must be about ugliest thing humans ever built. Therefore it came as a big surprise to me that it’s successor, the C series, is such a cutie 
If you really want ugly you should take a look at the Dorniers and particularly the Do228.
At the end of the day the important thing with aircraft is that they fulfill the mission in the best possible manner, fly well and are comfy (for the pilots). If they do that I don’t see how their look is relevant.
There’s an old saying, mostly used by aircraft engineers designers: “If it looks well, it flies well”. Many people who are into sailboats say similar.
I am absolutely convinced that there’s a lot of truth in this. I think (but I lack the background to prove it) that this is connected to the beauty of Mathematics, Geometry and Nature.
what_next wrote:
As was the A310 (also a French design)
The wing of the A310 however was designed by the Brits, namely by Chief Aerodynamicist Don Dykins. How do I know? He also designed the wing of the Europa Kitplanes
Yeah, the C-series is just another anonymous tube with wings. The only modern airliner I think that is a contender is the Boeing 787, and that’s purely because of its wing. When you watch one taking off looking towards its front, it’s very reminiscent of a glider as the long slender wing gracefully curves up as it takes the load.
Aside from Concorde, the next best looking airliners are the Lockheed Constellation and the Vickers VC-10 (mainly for that beautiful dolphin-like curved tail). Boeings of the Lockheed Constellation’s era just look like sausages with wings bolted on.
Connie:
VC-10
alioth wrote:
Yeah, the C-series is just another anonymous tube with wings.
Yes, certainly. But after 115 years of evolution in powered flight this aircraft layout has proved to be the most efficient when it comes to carry 100+ passengers at Mach 0.8 over several thousand nautical miles. And, as I wrote before, the C series is exceptionally well proportioned and has every part in the right place. For me as an aerospace engineer the basic principle must always be “form follows function” and in this case both form and function are close to the theoretical optimum. This is what makes it so pretty in my eyes.
The Constellation is a spectacular plane in it’s own right (I had a large model of it on my desk for many years) but it sports this aerodynamic atrocity of the triple fin and the generally out of proportion tail section. “Normal” people/pilots won’t maybe notice that so much, but I spent too many years hearing lectures on aerodynamics and aircraft design to be able to overlook it. The same with the tail mounted engines of the VC10. Heavy aircraft pieces belong where the lift is generated and where the airflow is undisturbed.
But the VC10 was “the whispering jet”, because the engines were at the back.
It may have whispered to its passengers, but it shouted pretty loudly at people who lived near airports.
Timothy wrote:
But the VC10 was “the whispering jet" …
Just like Volkswagen engines are “Clean Diesels” 
But the VC10 wasn’t fitted with clean Diesels either…
Timothy wrote:
It may have whispered to its passengers, but it shouted pretty loudly at people who lived near airports.
To be fair every other airliner of the era made an ungodly racket.
alioth wrote:
To be fair every other airliner of the era made an ungodly racket.
But with the difference that the other manufacturers did not call their products “whisper jets” I still remember how I once had to jump off my bicycle to hold my hands over my ears when a B727 performed a go-around overhead. And normally I am not sensible to noise at all… (and the 727 only had 3 of those engines as opposed to the whisper jet!)
