From backward wings to a pregnant guppy, the history of aircraft sometimes goes strange.

Rob Spiegel

May 7, 2021

Amazing that all of these aircraft were able to get off the ground and fly. The only things stranger than these planes are the reasons they were constructed. I suspect part of this history involved engineers saying, “Let’s see if we can get this peculiar shape to fly."

Rob Spiegel has covered manufacturing for 22 years, 19 of them for Design News. Other topics he has covered include automation, supply chain technology, alternative energy, and cybersecurity. For 10 years, he was the owner and publisher of the food magazine Chile Pepper.

About the Author(s)

Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel serves as a senior editor for Design News. He started with Design News in 2002 as a freelancer and hired on full-time in 2011. He covers automation, manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, AI, and more.

Prior to Design News, he worked as a senior editor for Electronic News and Ecommerce Business. He has contributed to a wide range of industrial technology publications, including Automation World, Supply Chain Management Review, and Logistics Management. He is the author of six books.

Before covering technology, Rob spent 10 years as publisher and owner of Chile Pepper Magazine, a national consumer food publication.

As well as writing for Design News, Rob also participates in IME shows, webinars, and ebooks.

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