TWA Terminal, Eero Saarinen, architect - Photo byRoland Arhelger [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Several sources inspired this blog post: First, I recently read an article in the Architectural Review entitled Life on the ocean wave: Why architects are drawn to boats by English architect Edwin Heathcote. Heathcote’s piece recounts how the early Modernists looked to ocean liners as default monuments of modernity—the designs of which were driven (supposedly) by function and not tradition—to escape the tethers and confines of history and place. The AR article in turn prompted me to pull out and reread my dusty copy of Towards a New Architecture. The book—a collection of essays first published in the magazine L’Esprit Nouveau—was Le Corbusier’s strident call for a fundamental change in the way architects designed buildings. Corb looked not only to ocean liners but also to cars and planes as works that embodied the spirit of the Machine Age. He saw in their forms an expression of needs properly determined and solved.
I coincidentally made a trip this past weekend north to
McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Air & Space Museum and take in some airplane porn. I’ve been an
aviation buff since I was a little kid, having attended many airshows over the
years and seeking out aerospace museums wherever I travel.(1) The Evergreen museum (home to Howard Hughes
mammoth H-4 Hercules flying boat, more famously known as the “Spruce Goose”) has fallen on hard times recently(2), but its collection generally remains
excellent.
My guess is, like Le Corbusier then and me today, many architects
are drawn to functionally and aesthetically beautiful aircraft, if not also
beautiful automobiles, boats, or trains. This attraction is in part instinctual
but also intellectually grounded. We appreciate well-designed objects of all
types because we immediately sense and also recognize upon examination the
skill, insight, and patience demanded by the processes necessary for their
successful realization.
Aeronautical engineers generally cannot separate appearance from
utility. They find beauty in the elegant resolution of problems, wherein the
maximum effect is achieved with a minimum of means. We’re fittingly awed by the
genius and talent displayed by the designers of great aircraft.
In the essay Eyes That Do
Not See included in Towards a New
Architecture, Corb argued why it is only after the “question” of need is
properly posed that the suitable solution is determined:
The War
was an insatiable “client,” never satisfied, always demanding better. The
orders were to succeed at all costs and death followed a mistake remorselessly.
We may then affirm that the airplane mobilized invention, intelligence, and
daring: imagination and cold reason. It is the same spirit that built the
Parthenon.
Let us
look at things from the point of view of architecture, but in the state of mind
of the inventor of airplanes.
The
lesson of the airplane is not primarily in the forms it has created, and above
all we must learn to see in an airplane not a bird or a dragonfly, but a
machine for flying; the lesson of the airplane lies in the logic which governed
the enunciation of the problem and which led to its successful realization.
When a problem is properly stated, in our epoch, it inevitably finds its
solution.
Le Corbusier reasoned the work of engineers (whether associated with
the design of airplanes, ocean liners, automobiles,
or other products of the Machine Age) was a more suitable design paradigm for
architects to follow, as opposed to approaches primarily founded upon stylistic
considerations; however, it is for more than “cold reason” alone that we find
the Parthenon or certain airplanes beautiful. Aesthetics are a factor, bringing
into play sentiments of subjective judgment and taste. Le Corbusier may have
openly regarded such sentiments in 1927 as outdated and irrational but he would
later become famous for designing some of the most enigmatic and emotive works
of architecture to be found anywhere.
So beyond utility and performance, what makes a particular
airplane beautiful? Aesthetics is most definitely a factor. Regardless of how
well it may fulfill its functional brief, our judgment of a plane’s beauty relies
heavily upon the non-utilitarian pleasure it provides, in some instances more
so than its history of objective performance (or lack thereof) would warrant. Robert Goyer, Editor-in-Chief for Flying Magazine, may have said it best: “Beauty in an airplane comes from a
symmetry of components, a coherent identity, and a compelling presence.”
Many aviation enthusiasts have created lists of the planes they
consider most beautiful (examples: https://newatlas.com/most-beautiful-airplanes/54548/
and https://www.aviationcv.com/aviation-blog/2017/top-beautiful-airplanes-all-times).
Coming up with my own list was tough. While several of my favorites regularly
appear on others’ “most beautiful” rolls, some of my selections betray a
preference for idiosyncratic and less-than-classically gorgeous models. All of
my selections are ones I have seen in person, either as static displays or in
flight. Unfortunately, I cannot claim to have actually flown in any of them.
In
no particular order, here is this architect’s list of the ten most beautiful airplanes
to have ever flown:
Supermarine Spitfire - Photo by
Bryan Fury75 at French Wikipedia. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Supermarine Spitfire
The Spitfire is famous not only for its role in helping win the
Battle of Britain during World War II but also for its good looks, featuring
its distinctive elliptically shaped wings. The smooth lines and elegant curves
of the wings are central to our perception of the Spitfire’s beauty. It’s
telling that its clipped-wing variants are hardly considered beautiful at all,
but rather mutilated and ill-proportioned.
Douglas DC-3
Beyond its principal role in revolutionizing the air transport
business during the late 1930s and later serving with distinction as a military
transport, the Douglas DC-3 is admired for how pleasant its proportions are, a
perfectly formed expression of an all-metal, modern airliner. I particularly
like the appearance of examples of the DC-3 without paint, in gleaming,
polished aluminum.
North American P-51 Mustang - Photo by Arpingstone [Public domain]
North American P-51 Mustang
To me, the P-51 Mustang is the definitive U.S. Army Air Force
fighter aircraft of the Second World War. It’s hard to define, but there’s
something characteristically American about its appearance. For its time, it
just looked advanced: the rounded, clear bubble canopy; the sharp geometry of
its wings and tail; its forceful stance. Its superior performance certainly added
to the Mustang’s deserved reputation.
Lockheed Super Constellation - Photo by Mike Lehmann [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]
Lockheed Super Constellation
Commercial air travel in the years following World War II was
glamorous. The beauty of the Lockheed Constellation aptly suited those halcyon
years. Instantly recognizable, the “Connie” was famous for its sensuously
curved and streamlined fuselage and triple-tailed design. During its time
before the advent of the jet age, it was the embodiment of fast, futuristic,
and exciting travel. My parents flew aboard a Constellation to and from their
1957 honeymoon in Hawaii.
Piaggio Aero Avanti - Photo by Tibboh at French Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Piaggio Aero Avanti
The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is to Italian aviation what the sexiest
Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati models are to Italian sports
cars. Even today, more than three decades after its genesis, the Avanti’s
unusual twin-pusher engine and canard configuration appears futuristic. Like
its beautiful motorcar cousins, the turboprop-powered Avanti’s performance is
phenomenal, rivaling that of many small business jets.
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (my photo)
de Havilland Canada DHC-2
Beaver
This is one selection some of you might find odd, given its
prosaic bearing, but I find the DHC-2 Beaver beautiful for reasons beyond
appearance alone. The sight of Beavers taking off and landing in Burrard Inlet
was commonplace during my years growing up in Vancouver, B.C. The sound of
their Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. radial engines was unmistakable.
Interestingly, I don’t find the later turboprop-powered versions
of the Beaver attractive at all, especially the Mk 3 model with its angular vertical
stabilizer and tailplane. The original Beavers, with their stubby nose and
curved control surfaces, are simply perfect. It was, and is, the quintessential
bush plane, designed for flight in rugged and remote areas of the world.
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (my photo)
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
I think the SR-71 Blackbird looks like the otherworldly airplane
Darth Vader would fly if he did not live a long time ago in a galaxy far, far
away. Like Vader, it’s sinisterly clad in black. Its imposing size, combination
of angular and smoothly curved geometries, and air of mystery make it menacingly
beautiful. The Blackbird’s spectacular ability to cruise at more than Mach 3 and
service height of 85,000 feet are unmatched to this day, an astonishing 55
years since its first flight.
Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing - Photo by Ahunt [Public domain]
Beechcraft Model 17
Staggerwing
There’s just something about many of the planes designed during the years
of the Great Depression that is undeniably classy and sophisticated. The
aerodynamic design of some of the most interesting influenced the Streamline Moderne
variation of the Art Deco style. In turn, airplane designers incorporated aspects
of the Streamline Moderne aesthetic to enhance the impression of efficiency,
dynamism, and speed. Many consider the rakish Beechcraft Model 17--a textbook example
of vintage Art Deco aircraft design--to be the epitome of aviation beauty,
de Havilland Comet - Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
de Havilland Comet
The Comet was the world’s first commercial jetliner. Despite its
troubled history (which included several tragic accidents), the Comet is
beloved for its sleek appearance, attributable in no small part to the
incorporation of its four turbojet engines within the wing roots (as opposed to
being mounted in pods).
Ironically, the Royal Air Force ordered a specialized maritime
patrol variant of the Comet (the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod) that was notable for
its ungainly protuberances and the consequent clumsiness of its proportions, as
ugly as the Comet was beautiful.
Concorde - Photo by Eduard Marmet [CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL 1.2]
Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde
With its ogival delta-wing, streamlined fuselage, and needle-nosed
profile, the supersonic Concorde is instantly recognizable. Yes, it was wildly
expensive to design and build, costly to operate (and thus accessible to only the
wealthiest travelers), and noisy (limiting where it could actually operate),
but it is undeniably beautiful. I saw one fly overhead one day and was
awestruck by its alien appearance.
Concorde does raise the question of whether a plane’s beauty
should be considered irrespective of its shortcomings. Framing it in architectural
terms, is a building truly beautiful if it fails to perform as expected? Looks
aside, should we honor designs that are dysfunctional, unsupportive, or unsympathetic
to their inhabitants and surroundings? The answer to these questions is clearly
“no.”
* * *
* * *
What do you think? Do you agree with my selections? Do you have
your own favorite airplanes and if so, why are they your favorites? One of the
great things about being architects is that we enjoy a heightened appreciation
for beautiful things, whether they’re buildings or other marvels of design and
engineering, such as aircraft.
(1)
In addition to the Evergreen Museum, I’ve
visited the following (I know I’m forgetting others)
- Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley, BC
- Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, Anchorage, AK
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island, FL
- Pacific Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor, HI
- Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York, NY
- Oregon Air and Space Museum, Eugene
- Tillamook Air Museum, Tillamook
- Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA
- National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
(2) The museum has struggled financially, and lamentably did sell off key pieces of its collection to help pay bills, including the Vought F4U Corsair, P-51 Mustang, B-17G Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, Messerschimitt Bf 109G, and Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI. https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2018/09/air_museum_landlord_crashes_to.html
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