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:

In the mid-1940s, Douglas Aircraft Company extensively pursued an unconventional aircraft design concept featuring multiple engines, long drive shafts, and aft-mounted pusher propellers.
This design was applied to several projects including the experimental XB-42 "Mixmaster" bomber, the conceptual DC-8 "Skybus" airliner, and the five-passenger Cloudster II GA aircraft.
Despite theoretical advantages such as improved visibility and reduced noise, the Cloudster II prototype experienced significant problems with drive shaft vibration and engine cooling.
Ultimately, development of the Cloudster II was abandoned, and other attempts by various companies to implement similar pusher propeller designs also proved unsuccessful.

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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.