So Ugly That It's Cute

[Robbie Stuart]

USAF PHOTO
DESCRIPTION; A Royal Navy Fairey Gannet AEW.3 (serial number XL502) in flight during Air Fete'88, a NATO aircraft display hosted by the U.S. Air Force's 513th Airborne Command and Control Wing, at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk (UK). XL502 was the last Gannet in service with No 849 Squadron, Royal Navy, and the last Gannet in flyable condition. It is now owned by the Yorkshire Aviation Museum at Elvington, Yorkshire (UK). Date 28 May 1988.
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[Dave Hadfield]

What did it give birth to?

Dave

[Bill Greenwood]

I stood right next to one of those at Oshkosh and looked at it carefully. Not only is the overall airplane ugly, but almost every part is ugly, save perhaps the front canopy.
They parked it among the T-28s, but even that could not help disguise it.

I do recall a story of one that had an engine failure just after a carrier launch. It went into the water with the pilot still in it. After being run over by the carrier as it was sinking, the pilot got out alive and was rescued? When the wreckage was found later there were 3 big slices in the rear of the fuselage from the ships prop.

[gary1954]

The British built some beautiful airplanes in the past, I believe this was created when they (the government) lightened up on drug laws, because who ever dreamed this up....... has got to be a dopehead

[Second Air Force]

Hey, I like the Gannet, and the Wyvern too!!!!! Not to mention the Barracuda....... Seriously, the Gannet was kind of like the SB2C in that the customer wanted a huge airplane and the engineers had to figure out how to fit it on the ship.

Scott

[snj-5]

Looks like a Polish crop duster.

Doesn't need any chemicals.... It's so ugly, you just fly
it over any field and the bugs die laughing....

Bela P. Havasreti

[Second Air Force]

Looks like a Polish crop duster.

Doesn't need any chemicals.... It's so ugly, you just fly
it over any field and the bugs die laughing....

Bela P. Havasreti

[Ryan Keough]

What ever happened to the Gannet that Wally Fisk / Polar Air Museum used to operate? I know it was for sale for a while and it very well may still be... but just haven't heard where it is these days.

[Taigh Ramey]

What ever happened to the Gannet that Wally Fisk / Polar Air Museum used to operate? I know it was for sale for a while and it very well may still be... but just haven't heard where it is these days.

Last time I saw it it was sitting in the back of a hangar in Goose Bay. It was on its way to England, so the story goes, and had engine trouble. Then hangar rent was mounting up to cause more financial problems. This was a bunch of years ago so I also wonder what the current status is.

Taigh

[The Inspector]

i always thought it looked like the box an F-4 Phantom was shipped in-

[Fouga23]

I like the Gannet. Kinda cute in a weird way :p

[gary1954]

Looks like a Polish crop duster.

Doesn't need any chemicals.... It's so ugly, you just fly
it over any field and the bugs die laughing....

Bela P. Havasreti

That!!! Is funny, I almost choked on my coffee!
If I could afford an airplane and was "forced" to buy this one if a gun was held to my head, I'd park it in the back of a hangar put a tarp over it, and remove the lights from overhead so no one could see it and deny deny deny.
Ducking now and running for cover!!

[Holedigger]

Perhaps if you had one, or claimed to have one, airshows would pay you to stay away!

[BCalmes]

Looks like somebody pulled the wheels off a handtruck to put on the nosegear. Those are tiny!

[Bill Greenwood]

I am told by Tim Fries of QG Aviation that it,(ex Wally FisK) is in Canada and has an engine problem. I don't have any details.