Before arguments get out of hand, remember that aesthetics are subjective, it's an emotional response. One man's meat is another man's poison.
Graviman,
I would imagine that as in car design, helicopter design is more or less set up by the package requirements i.e. passenger ergonomics, seating configuration, engine configuration, luggage space, main rotor/tail rotor configuration etc. It's then a case of joining the dots around these 'hard points'.
I am curious however if the designs of Greg Focella improved the aerodynamics of the Enstrom/MD500 if they had already been extensively wind tunnel tested.
The DS is a beautiful car and I am sure that there are other examples of earlier cars that are aerodynamically superior to modern cars. I don't know if the DS was designed with aerodynamics in mind or if it was a happy accident. What I can say is, that at the concept stage of a car's life, in all the companies that I have worked for (most of the major manufacturers), there isn't any aerodynamic input whatsoever! Even for the sports cars. This is probably because you've got to be a pretty ham fisted designer to come up with something that is so bad that it is thrown back at you because of aerodynamics. I think also that engine technology (efficiency) has improved since the days of the DS allowing cars not to have to be so slippery.
Hughes 500,
How many helicopters are there that can take off under MAUW situations? I would like to imagine Eurocopter slotting the EC130 power unit into the EC120. That's not stretching the imagination too much is it?
Revolutionary,
The Bell 47 (along with it's French counterpart, my dream chopper, the Llama/Allouette) may be iconic design, but pretty it ain't.
Silvio,
Well you learn something new everyday. I was unaware of Loewy's involvment with the Jet Ranger. it worked though, they are still using the same basic design today.
Thanks,
dp