The Really Bad Ideas Thread

[NARSES2]

I'm currently reading a book about WW1 aviation and have been trying to decide what was the worst aircraft idea of that war.
There were a few options but I think the Spad A2 takes the bikky.

There was a British equivalent to the Spad A2 , the Be 9, and at least you can understand the thinking behind them. There were some even more "what the hell were they on" types then that. Look up the Armstrong Whitworth FK 12, Vickers FB 11 and the "big" Bleriot's, particularly the Type 73.

You can excuse WWI designers I think, but when you start looking at some designs post 1930 you do have to wonder 

I recommend "Back to the Drawing Board" by Bill Gunston if you want to look at more of these "inspired" designs 

[jcf]

Not sure that that's really a bad idea. My understanding is that these things were actually quite effective, and at least the parachuting pilot survives hitting the water, thus at least giving him a chance, however slight, of being picked up.

Not according to Helicopters of the Third Reich, evidently they saw extremely limited use and the
results when they were able to get one in the air were meh.

[zenrat]

I'm currently reading a book about WW1 aviation and have been trying to decide what was the worst aircraft idea of that war.
There were a few options but I think the Spad A2 takes the bikky.

There was a British equivalent to the Spad A2 , the Be 9, and at least you can understand the thinking behind them. There were some even more "what the hell were they on" types then that. Look up the Armstrong Whitworth FK 12, Vickers FB 11 and the "big" Bleriot's, particularly the Type 73...

I like to think of that as the "Stop the Pigeon" era of aircraft design...

[NARSES2]

I like to think of that as the "Stop the Pigeon" era of aircraft design...

And some of them would have struggled to do that 

[TallEng]

How about a steam driven Submarine?
You'd need a long snorkel thingy to let the smoke/steam out? (Might be a bit of a giveaway during the day) perhaps best just to snorkel at night?
Or could you just vent it overboard?
Smoke bubbles?  smoke rings
And I suppose the Coal bunkers would take up a fair bit of room, but you wouldn't be short of water for the boiler....

Regards
Keith

[crudebuteffective]

How about a steam driven Submarine?
You'd need a long snorkel thingy to let the smoke/steam out? (Might be a bit of a giveaway during the day) perhaps best just to snorkel at night?
Or could you just vent it overboard?
Smoke bubbles?  smoke rings
And I suppose the Coal bunkers would take up a fair bit of room, but you wouldn't be short of water for the boiler....

Regards
Keith

british k class of 1913 were steam powered

[scooter]

How about a steam driven Submarine?
You'd need a long snorkel thingy to let the smoke/steam out? (Might be a bit of a giveaway during the day) perhaps best just to snorkel at night?
Or could you just vent it overboard?
Smoke bubbles?  smoke rings
And I suppose the Coal bunkers would take up a fair bit of room, but you wouldn't be short of water for the boiler....

Regards
Keith

british k class of 1913 were steam powered

And a fascinating write up on the Wayback Machine about this kursed class

[dadlamassu]

Just over 2 weeks ago I was at the commemoration of the Battle of May Island in which the K-Class submarines K17 and K4 were sunk, and K6, K7, K14, K22 and the cruiser HMS Fearless were damaged.

http://www.scotlandswar.co.uk/pdf_Battle_of_May_Island.pdf

[Weaver]

Whilst I wouldn't want to shut down any of these interesting discussions, I think people may have missed the point of this thread. The idea is to come up with your own really bad ideas, preferably ones that could be turned into a joke model. Now real life bad ideas are, of course, a very useful source of information, so please keep posting them, but try to use them as inspiration for fictional exaggerated/ridiculous ideas of your own creation.

By way of example, take that Spad A2 and the other oddly-gunned aircraft mentioned in connection with it. Now imagine a WWI aircraft that's designed to fire in ALL directions, so it has half-a-dozen manned gun positions in the unlikeliest of places: in front of, and behind it's two engines, on each wingtip, one at the top of the tail fin and one between the wheels...

[tigercat]

so like a police rapid response narrow boat

[Scotaidh]

so like a police rapid response narrow boat

... or slick-soled boots for the QRF, 'cos everyone knows slicks are fastest, yeh? 

Steam-powered fighter aircraft

[NARSES2]

Steam-powered fighter aircraft

I'm pretty sure the German's were working on this at the end of WWII. They had built and ground tested an engine/boiler that would use lignite, of which they had loads of.

[Scotaidh]

Steam-powered fighter aircraft

I'm pretty sure the German's were working on this at the end of WWII. They had built and ground tested an engine/boiler that would use lignite, of which they had loads of.

Yes, but it was powdered, for use in turbine engines.

[NARSES2]

Right 

[Rheged]

Some time ago I wrote the backstory for the coal-fired aircraft.  It's still there if anyone wants to convert my words into styrene.

http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,43352.msg757316.html#msg757316