nothing wrong with the British designs, as long as they went into production and became operational. i find the Lightning very beautiful design, very ‘British-ish.”
love the cover pic from the special issue of Farborough Air Show Magazine (100th Anniversary Farborough) because the Lightning is on it.
Do not take me wrong, if you like it it`s okay with me in fact i am not trying to impose my views, if you love the Lighting of course is like food or women is a very subjetive matter and there are many different tastes.
The reason why i personally do not like the Lighting is because i think it looks bizarre, lacks symmetry, looks unusual and it is not a trend setter.
In fact its engine arragement of one engine on top of the other i feel is too complex and limits its design potential
Why? for example the wing-fuselage blending is easier on a side by side twin engine arragement, also two lateral air intakes are easier to fit into a side by side twin engine arragement than into one such as that of the Lighting where one engine is on top of the other.
This is very clear because of i can not recall another jet that has the same twin engine arragement of one engine on top of the other except the Lighting, i feel there is something disadvantageous in such engine arragement that has provoked that all the aircraft makers have not used it for their designs
The cabin bulge also is less aerodynamicaly complex on a side by side engine arragement because simplier fairings bulges can be design.
The Lighting also gas a horrible fuel ventral tank bulge in fact looks like if it was pregnant π , its wings are unusual and have had few followers ever since.
If you look at the MiG-21 and J-8, these aircraft are more aesthetically pleasing aircraft in that sense and have better development potential
The J-8 for example also is a twin engine aircraft with a nose inlet with a shock wave cone but its design has better symmetry due to a smoother integration of all its parts and therefore a less draggy design
On the subject of Brittish jets, what about the Lightening? Wow.
My top 5
BaC Lightening
Lockheed A-12
M-50 Bounder
Draken
Mig-15
Man if you ask me to choose between the Lighting and the MiG-21 i will choose right away the MiG-21, but to tell the truth i found them both ugly, i feel only from that time the Mirage III sticks out as a truly beautiful and well balanced aircraft
I like more the old He-111 than the Lighting, camberra or any other british aircraft except by the Harrier and Tornado ADV, their WWII bombers i think frankly were quit ugly
i would rather think the americans have a really beautiful WWII bomber in the nice looking B-29 than all those aerodynamically draggy bombers seen every where except by a few that were quit smooth in lines
However the GermanAR-234 jet aircraft of WWII are my favorite bombers in all their versions but specially in this one 
Brits have made some of the most atractive airplanes of all time…….Hunter, Sea Hawk, Vulcan, Victor, Spitfire, Lancaster……now……what happened with Typhoon? BOTH of them! The French have made some REALLY elegant jets too!
Sorry i did not mean the British made ugly aircraft, no do not take me wrong, i just said Personally i do not like their designs but if some one likes the british design well is okay the ranking to me is personally i just wanted to know which aircraft every body likes
Personally for example i do not like 1950s aircraft except perhaps by the Mirage III and F-4
I rather think the Americans made more constantly beautiful aircraft than the british
For example personally i do not like british aircraft because they look rather too old fashion and with little innovative aerodynamic trends
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