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 explored an unconventional aircraft design featuring multiple buried engines, long drive shafts, and aft-mounted pusher propellers.
This concept was applied to various projects, including the experimental XB-42 bomber, the conceptual DC-8 Skybus airliner, and the Cloudster II general aviation aircraft.
While offering theoretical advantages like improved visibility, reduced noise, and centerline thrust, these designs encountered significant engineering challenges.
Issues such as severe drive shaft vibration and engine cooling problems ultimately led to the abandonment of Douglas's pusher-propeller projects, none of which advanced beyond the development or conceptual stages.

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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.