Certain planes look like they need magic to get out of a no fly zone. But weird as these ten are, they all went into production, and flew, sky high. Don't forget to fasten your seat belts.
10.) Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey
Units built: In production.
GR1M RACER likes all VTOLs, but the one that you're most likely to see in the sky is the Osprey. And what a sight that is! The combined functionality of a helicopter and a turboprop aircraft using a genius tilt-rotor design, the V-22 is definitely not your average plane.
Suggested By: GR1M RACER, Photo Credit: Getty Images
9.) Beechcraft Starship
Units built: 53
The cutting-edge Starship never sold, and there are only a few of these business jets out there today with an active license. A badass plane nevertheless, and quite an experience.
The school I received my A&P certificate through received one as a donation from Beechcraft shortly after I finished my training. I didn't wait long to accept the invitation from the head of the program to come back between their terms and help assemble it.
Suggested By: N2Skylark, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
8.) Piaggio P.180 Avanti
Units built: 200+, in production.
What didn't work out for Beechcraft turned out to be a success in Italy. The P.180 uses two rear-facing and Canadian-made Pratt & Whitney turboprops with a combined output of 1,700 horsepower, so don't get surprised if you find it in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's fleet.
There is one of these owned and operated in my city, I always know when it is overhead as it has a very distinct sound due to the rear facing turboprops.
Suggested By: primalzer, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
7.) PZL M-15 Belphegor
Units built: 175
This is the only way you'll ever see a Belphegor in flight because it was total crap and nobody wants to touch it anymore.
The Soviet's idea was to replace their aging An-2s, so they created the world's first and so far only agricultural biplane jet.
Noise and fuel consumption turned out to be a downer, so after a few years, they got back to their trusty old An-2s.
Suggested By: My hovercraft, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
6.) Savoia-Marchetti S.55
Units built: 243+
One of the most successful flying boats of all time also happens to be a strange looking one. Tons of cargo across the water, speed records or wars, basically whatever history threw at it, the S.55 took it.
Suggested By: HammerHead, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
5.) Blohm & Voss BV 141
Units built: 28
Asymmetrical planes never really caught on, and while the British managed to capture a damaged BV 141, no examples survive today. But next thing you know, NASA is flying an asymmetrical plane in the eighties.
Suggested By: Labcoatguy, Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv
4.) Breguet Deux-Ponts
Units built: 20
England had double decker buses, the French went further (again) and flew double decker cargo planes from the fifties until 1971.
Suggested By: JayhawkJake, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
3.) Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
Units built: 21
This is exactly what Fox Mulder was on about all those years. One thing is for sure, this flying wing is incredibly intimidating. If you see it overhead, duck immediately.
Suggested By: Audistein, Photo Credit: Getty Images
2.) Edgley Optica
Units built: 21
If you can't afford a helicopter but need a low-speed aircraft for observation work, call Great Britain. Then watch Slipstream.
Suggested By: pdthedeuce, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
1.) Dornier Do 355
Units built: 37
The Nazis ran out of time with this heavy fighter. But they did not run out of propellers.
Only one Do 335 survives today and you can see it at the National Air and Space Museum annex outside of Dulles. Its an elegant monster, not unlike the A-10.
Suggested By: zacarious, Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
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