The Bold, Bulbous Douglas Cloudster II

This unconventional 1940s twin-powerplant, pusher-propeller GA aircraft design featured a large forward fuselage, room for five, and white wall tires.

Jason McDowell

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 10:14 AM ET

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With both engines buried in the aft fuselage section, the nose and cabin of the Douglas Cloudster II were voluminous. Whitewall tires added a touch of style. [Courtesy: Douglas Aircraft Company]

Key Takeaways:

Douglas Aircraft spent years in the mid-1940s pursuing an unconventional aircraft design featuring multiple internal engines, long drive shafts, and pusher propellers.
This concept was applied to military aircraft (like the XB-42 "Mixmaster"), a conceptual airliner (DC-8 "Skybus"), and a general aviation model (Cloudster II).
While theoretically offering benefits such as improved visibility, reduced noise, and centerline thrust, the designs faced significant engineering hurdles.
The Cloudster II, the only one to fly extensively, suffered from severe vibrations caused by its long drive shafts and persistent engine cooling issues, ultimately leading to the abandonment of the concept by Douglas.

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For a few years in the mid-1940s, the Douglas Aircraft Company pursued a decidedly unconventional design concept.

It would entail multiple powerplants, long drive shafts, and pusher propellers mounted on the extreme aft end of an aircraft. Well-stocked from the war effort with a robust team of engineers and faced with a dwindling number of military contracts, the company tasked a team to investigate and develop the concept.