Sometimes a good idea is just not enough.
Burnelli was certainly a very good designer that was a practical engineer. Why not shape the fuselage like a wing ( a lifting body )? Unfortunately there were so many designs and ideas at that time, that it was difficult to compete. On top of that you need lots of capital and supporters.
Anyhow, I got to see his last design called the CBY-3 Loadmaster built in 1945. The aircraft flew for a few short years and as the other prototypes it never went into production. Burnelli had 8 prototypes from 1925 to 1945.
This example is in the New England aviation museum in Windsor Locks Connecticut ( USA ). I saw it in 2006. I may be wrong, but there was allot of politics at that museum and they may have destroyed this plane on purpose.
Here are some photos I took.
Isaac
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