Saw that airplane a few times when driving near Hamburg. Very odd, like a zeppelin with jet engines.
Apparently operation of the Beluga air line will stop:
https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/w...nie-was-passiert-mit-den-alten-belugas-1.html
Apparently operation of the Beluga air line will stop:
https://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/w...nie-was-passiert-mit-den-alten-belugas-1.html
Last edited:
I was flying from Hamburg when I saw it. Shame it's going to come to an end. I guess the consolidation of airbus manufacturing means they're flying fewer bits around Europe?
This was after travelling on from Holle (outside Hanover/Hildesheim). The village has a vandalism problem with rogue operators spraying umlauts over the 'o'. Not sure if it was the famous German sense of humour or critique.
A quick search suggests that this is airbus deciding they can't make it pay using their old Belugas as a competitive freight company. Not really suprising as their key capability is making planes. They now have a fleet of Beluga XL so in theory the old planes are surplus, unless of course they are milling out wings in UK so fast that they need all the planes to shift them about.
Personally I have a soft spot for the (now destroyed) Antonov AN-225 mainly as there was a model of one in the foyer at my first job with a space plane on it's back. It really looked like something that came out of the thunderbirds model shop.
Uh, fellas?
Did anyone happen to notice the letters on the plane?
Did anyone happen to notice the letters on the plane?
What the....
Might be a logical explanation for the design. Probably not smoking it, but likely Pervitin AKA = Meth
Be a interesting scratch build if there is no kits for that one. Looks very Junkers type design
Last edited:
Hobbyboss 1/48
The Wikipedia is interesting. Basically big gondola for reconnaissance. Taken to flying prototype stage, performed decently but overtaken by other (better) designs.
Looking at those asymmetric planes, I wonder what the inteention of anysuch decision could have been?
StevenCrook's Wikipedia link explains that the asymmetric design of the Bv 141 reconnaissance aircraft gave an all-round view superior to that offered by parasol wing aircraft such as the Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft (shown below) where the wings got in the way of the view.
The Fiesler Storch (Stork) was rather neat, designed as a low speed 'spotter' plane. They bulged out the cockpit and deliberately had a high wing to make viewing easier.
The Westland Lysander was designed for a similar purpose, high wing, lots of perspex for artillery spotting. It bears a lot of similarities to the HS 126...
The thing that always puzzled me about the BV141 was that you got little or no view from one side. I'd have been more inclined to have tried converting a JU 88 and extended the gunners gondola...
The Westland Lysander was designed for a similar purpose, high wing, lots of perspex for artillery spotting. It bears a lot of similarities to the HS 126...
The thing that always puzzled me about the BV141 was that you got little or no view from one side. I'd have been more inclined to have tried converting a JU 88 and extended the gunners gondola...
Yes, lots of perspex on the Lizzie!
The inboard wing tapers would also have improved the field of view.