My vote must go to the  Alekseyev A-90 Orlyonok.....now that's one ugly aircraft

 

Photo credit to  Ilya Morozov

 

On the subject of ground effect aircraft here's a good graphic which includes the Orlyonok and the Ekranoplan - text is in french sorry:

 

 Surely this ugly duckling never turned into a swan.

 They really are this ugly - having seen a couple in New Zealand and Australia.

 

 

 I would go with the TU-4 the russians idea of a B-29

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a front view

 

 I remember once seeing a picture of a Westland Lysander (A good looking aircraft in my opinion) which had been ruined by having what looked like the empennage of a Lancaster bomber (Including the rear gun turret) attached to it but unfortunately I can't remember what its name was. Can anyone who's familiar with it show us a picture or at least tell me what this derivative was called so I can find one myself?

 This is the one I was talking about, the Lysander P.12

Here's another contender for the ugliest aircraft built, the Russians certainly have a feel for this

The Beriev VVA-14 was an experimental ground effect aircraft developed in the developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. and was designed mainly to be an antisubmarine aircraft that could take off from water using the ground effect.

I conceed that freight aircraft are by their very nature functional but that doesn't mean I can't slag them off.

Of particular note is Boeing's Dreamlifter, which looks like a pregnant hippo:

The 787 has to be right up there!

 Its the Fiat Multipla of the skys! As least it will be if they dont keep delaying its first flight!

The 'Janet Street-Porter' of the aircraft world.....

DING! DING! DING!

 

Titch

An airbourne camper van (twin rotors are cool though):

 

 I can't imagine the Kaman KMAX will ever win any beauty prizes.

 

 

Victor:

The 787 has to be right up there!

 Its the Fiat Multipla of the skys! As least it will be if they dont keep delaying its first flight!

Glad to see Airbus employees chip in!

 

GeoX:

Glad to see Airbus employees chip in!

Ok in the interests of equality - here's a nother freaky freighter:

 

No comment necessary.

 The Beluga is quite pretty in comparison to a Super Guppy.

 

 

Do we get prizes for the ugliest? I think I deserve one for this. It looks like quite an ambitious project. It's a Caproni CA-60. How did it ever get off the ground?

It's a passenger flying boat with wings left over from WW1.

 

How about the PZL M-15 Belphegor:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or the Boeing EC-18B:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nimrod AEW:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A serious candidate must be the Britten-Norman BN2A-MKIII 'Trislander'...once described as "a series of doors flying in unison"........

 

bmp

Kent

I had the pleasure of flying on a Trislander a few years back..agree never seen an aircraft with so many doors opening to get passengers onboard...also fold down seats....it's always amused me how they take the engine support rod out of the aircraft to prop the rear fuselage up whilst on the ground...I wonder if at anytime someone’s forgot to remove it when the aircraft's pulled off.... 

How can you say that? I hope to fly this machine (787), and if you love airbus you sould love the fiat multipla for shure. I belive that the 380 is an ugly aircraft but not the ugliest. A god candidate could be the Shorts 360. Just one more thing im still waiting for the presentation date of the Airbus A-350. Be careful up there

 Well here's yet another one to throw into the mix..but is it plane or a helicopter?. The LTV-Hiller-Ryan XC-142A

 since you said 'ever built' not 'ever flown' - the seddon mayfly must be a major contender - it looks

like its already crashed before the 1st flight (attempt)

 

 

Nope, for true ugliness, you have to go to early 1930s France; the guys designing bombers then had a true genius for complete and utter violation of anything resembling aesthetics, and the pinnacle (?) of their creations was the Amiot 143. That thing is horrible to look at. Streamlining? What's that? Even biplane airliners have more appeal. More recently, Boring... er, Boeing came clo