Frank's PlanesV3

8/12/2019 Frank's PlanesV3

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A E R O

W O R D S : M I K E D U F F

P H O T O G R A P H Y: R A M A K N I G H T

I L L U S T R AT I O N S : M A K S Y M S H K I N D E R

D Y N A M I C


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THE BEST DESIG NERS TAKE

INSPIRATION FROM EVERYTHING,

AND FOR M C LARENS DESIGN

DIRECTOR, FRANK STEPHENSON,

AIRCR AFT HAVE ALWAYS B EEN

A PASSION AND A SOU RCE OF

CREATIVE STIMULATION. SO WHAT

DO PLAN ES HAVE IN COMMO N

WITH SUPERCARS? WE A SKED

FRANK TO TALK US THROUG H HIS

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

AND REVEAL SOME OF HIS

FAVOURITE PLANES


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rank Stephensons enthusiasm is contagious.Were sitting in a borrowed o ce at the McLarenTechnology Centre (MTC) in Woking his o ce isfull of top-secret sketches and models Im not

allowed to see talking about aircraft. Hes broughtmodels of some of his favourites and frequently grabs one,hoisting it aloft to illustrate a point. Soon Im holding themas well. To anyone passing by the glass-sided o ce it mustlook like two grown men playing with toy planes.

I grew up near an airport in Morocco, Frank explainswhen asked where his enthusiasm stems from. My fatherwas a pilot for Boeing so I was always surrounded by eitherplanes, or the noise of planes. They got under my skin.Its like if youre born by the sea, you always have to

be close to water. I have to be close to planes.

F O K K E R D R - 1 T R I P L A N E

G E R M A N W W 1 F I G H T E R

FFor me, this plane is so inspirational. Theresthe history the Red Baron [famous ghterpilot] ew one but I was struck by the waysomeone thought outside the box when theyneeded more lift and added another wing. Butits a mess visibility-wise. Ive sat in a replica and

couldnt understand how the pilot ew it.


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Planes got under my skin as a boy.The same way that people whogrew up by the sea have to be nearwater, I have to be close to planes


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So what is it about planes? How can something sofunctional look so good? Planes arent designed to lookbeautiful, its not their purpose, says Stephenson. Thewhole idea behind a plane is that it has to work optimally they dont cheat on the performance to make it lookbetter. Thats whats great and inspirational about

aircraft design its so pure its almost innocent in acertain way. Its never fake.

Its an ethos that ts perfectly with the McLaren brand.And thats whats so beautiful about McLaren. For me its

100 per cent purpose. Of course, we make an emotionalproduct and people have to fall in love with the design, but

our cars always have to work optimally just like aircraft.

F 4 U C O R S A I R

A M E R I C A N W W I I F I G H T E R

I love the P-51 Mustang and the Spit re, butthe Corsair was di erent from everything elsewhen it rst came out because the wings had

to be folded up. It was designed for aircraftcarriers and had to be stored on deck. It went

beyond what you expected a wing to look like.


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Frank picks up one of the models from the desk a Bugatti 100P. Look at this, he says. This plane never

ew its an incredible story. It was built to set a speedrecord, but the Second World War broke out and they hadto hide it in a barn. It had swept-forward wings, primarily tokeep the main spar further to the rear, and allow more

room in the engine compartment. It had two engines, bothbehind the pilot, and two contra-rotating propellers, whichmeant they could have a smaller Y-shaped tail, as theydidnt need to counteract the yaw. Just look at it its likeit came out fty years from now. A couple of geniusvisionaries have been building a replica, as close to the

original as possible, which will y later this year.

B U G A T T I 1 0 0 P

P U R P O S E - B U I L T R A C E R

They knew that to get speed from apropeller plane meant minimal frontalsurface area, and this fuselage was anevolution of that idea making it a teardropshape, pretty much. They didnt even

have wind tunnels.


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9/13

Franks zip-up tie is anexample of his creative

approach: I thought thedesign of the traditional tie

is too conventional, so Icame up with this, andhad it specially made


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So, getting practical, what have modern cars taken fromaircraft design? So much. You get a huge amount of

inspiration from features such as the cockpits of modern jets. And the aerodynamic challenge is the same forcars and planes to shrink the frontal surface area tomake it more e cient, says the designer.

One of the things were pushing for is to have more ofa canopy, to have glass around you, so the area feels big

even if its not. Thats why the McLaren P1 has the moonroof, the glass above you, to let in more light.

And right now, for example, were looking at details ofexhaust pipe nishers and what they should look like, saysStephenson as he picks up and examines a scale modelof an F-22 Raptor. Its very easy to look at something like

this and get inspired by the design of the jet nozzles.

B L A C K B I R D S R - 7 1

C O L D WA R L O N G - R A N G E

R E C O N N A I S S A N C E P L A N E

I cant believe the Blackbird is from the 1960s.If you saw it for the rst time today it would

still freak you out like it had come fromouter space. This reconnaissance plane

out-manoeuvred missiles by going faster and

higher. It has a rawness I really appreciate.


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Frank feels strongly that formequals function: If somethingworks well, then it has a beauty

that comes from that

Thanks to TAG Farnborough and Gama Aviation


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So does all this mean that, like an aircraft, a cars formshould follow its function?

No. I hugely disagree with that, says Frank, his gesturinghands communicating nearly as loudly as his voice. I thinkthat has always been misinterpreted. Actually, I believethat form equals function.

If something functions properly then the form looksgreat. If something works well then it has a beauty that

comes from that. For me its like nature, my other greatsource of inspiration. The beauty of an aeroplane comesfrom its e ciency and its function, and thats the samewith animals timeless beauties. No one looks at horsesfrom 30 years ago and says they look old-fashioned,that the new horses look better. Its timeless, and thats

what all designers strive for.

S U K H O I S U - 3 5

M O D E R N S T R I K E F I G H T E R

This is the best fourth-generation jet andits pure aggression. It looks absolutely lethal.Look at them on YouTube performing at airshows they do manoeuvres that seemimpossible. It would be the ultimate thrill

to ride in one, like a roller coaster times 10.


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Hear Frank Stephensontalk about bio-mimicry andhis design inspirations on

the McLaren website

Go under the skin andnd out more about

the groundbreakingMcLaren P1

Next, McLaren customerAndrew Claxton triesthe Pure McLaren GT

Performance Driving Course

GO TO M c LAREN AUTOMOTIVE VISIT M c LAREN.COM NEXT ARTICLE

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