...for Allies or adversaries of WW1,WW2-[European theater and South Pacific],Korea,Vietnam and Gulf wars.Lots to choose from.

P-51 Mustang. All other answers are wrong. I have spoken.

A-10 and B-52.

A-10 Warthog

Any that don't fall.

F-4U, P-47, FW-190, B-25, UH-1, UH-60, A-10, F/B-111, B-1, F-86. I could go on and on. Anything with round engines does it for me.

F-86 Sabre Jet......

So many to choose from but mine to list just a few from top down would be Boeing B-17, Vought F4U Corsair, De Havilland Mosquito, and the General Dynamics F-111.... and on, and on, and on!


Phil

Yeah.

That A-10 can get in the fight and stay in the fight.

UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter. It brought me home time and time again. She never let me down

I'm with Mickey P-51, although I do have a soft spot for Warthogs.

The majority of post WWII fighters don't go very far without a KC-135...


Just sayin.

F-16 would be my second choice

P-38, F-51, & C-130.

Something about that gull wing.



Photo of my fathers towards the end of WWII from the carrier he served on.

Amen from the corner!

Love the Corsair
Have to respect the Thunderbolt.
I like the FW-190 as well, but especially the long nosed version.

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/430767/n80fr-private-curtiss-p-40c-warhawk/

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/280682/81-0962-usa-air-force-fairchild-a-10-thunderbolt-ii/

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/390926/g-cdvx-patina-republic-p-47g-thunderbolt/

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/412621/n83782-private-vought-f4u-corsair/

http://www.airplane-pictures.net/photo/430996/nx1157h-private-yakovlev-yak-9um/

So do I. I love just about all of them but he axed for my favorite and thass what he got. The Warthog is a killin' machine.

F-4 Phantom II. It is the sexist piece of machinery I have ever seen.

NoCAL

As already mentioned, the F-4U Corsair. As a guy who grew up watching the heroic exploits of Pappy Boyington on TV, how could I choose any other from that era?

I also have a fondness for the A-10. That screaming whine of the twin engines is scary in and of it's self. Then there's the armament...

WWI

Jenny


Sopwith Pup


WWII

Navy Aircraft N-3n - A MUCH more refined plane than the Stearman.


AT-6 - Just because I've not, yet, got to fly a WWII fighter.


C-47 - Too important to Aviation to neglect.


Grumman Duck - I'm an odd duck that likes the ugly old Duck.

Speaking of Pappy, while sick in bed this weekend I re-read his biography about his time with the flying tigers and WWII, Baa Baa blacksheep. A treasured book as I met him at an air show as a kid and it's a signed copy with a pic my father had snapped with me and Pappy.

I also re-read Skunkworks, which reminds me of another favorite plane that still boggles my mind as it was designed and built in the 60's.

A De Havilland Mosquito.

The Enola Gay. She lives 11 miles from me.

UBER COOL !!!

I was going to say P-51 until you reminded me of one the most bad azz jets to ever fly.

Nothing like it before ... nothing like it since.

Mark II Supermarine Spitfire.

P-51 (my wife bought me a ride in one for my 55th birthday.

B-25 Mitchell (The Doolittle influence)

P-61 Black Widow

The mighty F-14D Tomcat!



My old office:


In thrust we trust


72 flights in this one. Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Center

Wart Hog. baddest ass plane bar none

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder! For me, from the jet age, it has to be one of the two below..

P-38.




Travis

Have to add another one, also a skunk works product



I worked at NASA Aimes as a student for a few years, and my office was next to the hanger. Got to wander over and gander at their craft several times. Watching the ER-2 take off was impressive, it seemed like they were at 10,000 by the end of the runway and that GE-F118 would shake the windows.

You guys, how many times do I have to repeat myself?



I will admit that fixed wing aircraft are useful for CAS and generally raising havoc where needed, but...

P-51

For WW2 and Korea, as a kid, my favorite models I built (and hung from my bedroom ceiling) were:

I'll take this one:

My Fighter by Sharps45 2 7/8, on Flickr

From my SEA days.A Thud in "Weasel" config and of course a Sandy.

C-130 & AGP-190 (Does satellite maint & etc)

WW I - Fokker D.VII! Sopwith Camel

WW II- many favorites - Spitfire, P-51D, Catalina

Korea- F86

SE Asia- F4, SkyRaider, AC-47, Hun

Gulf Wars- Tornado, F-15E, A10, JSTARS

P-51 Mustang!

Pete we used to have an RAF detachment here back in the 70's.The Vulcan was an ear splitter but the Victor looked like something out of Star Wars..

P- 38 for me

For Vietnam it has to be the T-28 Trojan, since I actually got to fly it.






This one, hanging in the Aerospace Museum in P'cola is in my log book, old "double nuts!"

Of those I've flown, number 1 is probably the F-4(N,J or S versions). It was the first A/C I flew that had afterburner. I probably learned more about operating around the carrier and managing fuel flying Phantoms 'cause you either learned fast or you could find yourself in deep doo doo REAL quick...in more ways than one. We planned for 100 lbs/minute fuel flow on our fuel ladder after launch and at night we were generally "trick or treat" on the ball, i.e., if we "boltered" (missed the wires), we went straight to the tanker.

The Tomcat is right up there too along with the A-4E or TA-4J.

I think the A-10 is the neatest, although I've always been mesmerized by the SR-71.

C-130, because no other airframe is better at this:

And, certainly the Canadian Avro Arrow needs to be toward the top!

+14

F-8

All of them. But if you insist, the Bell UH-1H. The Huey.

kwg

That's cool.



Travis

I have what I suspect is the same book, but in paperback and without the signature.

It's a good read.

The sexiest.

The most lethal.

The baddest at a given point in time.

An engineering marvel.

The most practical.

The most extreme cutting edge technology regardless of when it was made.



Lots of factors.

I always liked the F6F Hellcat. Not glamorous, kind of stubby looking with that big radial engine, but it was the first fighter we had that could dogfight with the Zero. It was also well armored, tough and could take the punishment and get back home.

Like the Jug in the ETO, the Hellcat was the workhorse of the PTO.





For you guys that like the A-10, we have a squadron of them at Gowen Field in Boise. It's very common to see pairs of them out practicing on a Saturday morning. These were taken from the other side of the airport on a hot day earlier this month as I went out to see the B-29 they had on exhibit there.

De Havilland Beaver, it gets me where I want to go.

WWI:

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker's Spad XIII:



Baron Manfred von Richtofen's Fokker DR-1:



WWII:

General Adolf Galland's Me-109F:



P-51D:



General Adolf Galland's Me-262:



FW Ta-152:



USAF F-86 "Dog":

[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x4zR_7D9j...w8/s1600/F-86D-40-NA+Sabre+52-3722+1.jpg[/img]

F-16:

[img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/541395385_3a4f3fcc03.jpg[/img]

This one kept me awake many a night when they flew quals out of NAS Norfolk. Those twin unmuffled radial Pratt an Whitneys were like music to the ears.



An interesting aircraft aero dynamically that should have never gotten off the ground.

Love the A-10 and would've flown one if I had the eyesight...

Also a big fan of the P-47. She would've been my choice if I was a pilot in WWII.

But....

Without a doubt my all time fav...



This is the A-7 version which I think was the best dog fighter. While the long nose was a terrific performer, I never liked the looks as much. Just looks....wrong!

What...!?

Nobody likes this one?



(Bonus points if you can identify it without Google or peeking at the photo file...)

For you Stang worshipers..Our local "Gun Fighter" at our air show a week ago.

Well I'm no good at doing pics, but I've gotta say the P-38. The other that really gets to me is a PBY (Catalina - one of y'all see if you could find a pic).

If somebody were trying to make a case for the greatest bird ever, though, I think you'd be hard-pressed to beat the C-47/DC-3.

It is impossible to not love the P-38. If for no other reason than it was used to kill Isoroku Yamamoto.

Close runner ups in my mind would be the SR-71, the A-10 warthog, and the F4U Corsair.

Another gorgeous jet which had much to do with the development of later aircraft was the Douglas F5D Skylancer.







But if I had the means, the one plane I would acquire and learn to fly would be the F86.

This one lives not far from my home.

One of my favorites the Northrup P-61 Blackwidow in it's night dress!!!!

Is that at Ontario airport in Oregon? IIRC some well off guy there has a collection of old jets including a working Russian fighter.

Ask and you shall receive:

The only aircraft I served on was a UH-1H, first as a medic and later as a crew chief.

quit when they switched to Blackhawks

Ha! Thanks, W7ACT.

In a land far away and long ago, about 2500 hours in this in a 2 1/2 year tour.

Seven pages into this and not a single mention of the WWII heavies, and I'm not talking about the P-47. The B-17 and the B-24 were the backbone of our WWII aerial effort. Tough old planes, that could take massive abuse and still bring their crews home. My choice is for the Lib and the Fort.

From a historic perspective, I'd have to go Spitfire or F4U Corsair.

Affirmative,

But Merle Maine passed away a while back and his heirs are disposing of the collection as fast as they can find buyers.

It is really quite sad that the entire collection was not willed to a museum someplace.

I'm surprised nobody has brought this one up.



Somebody will have to do the link as I don't know how.

If money were no object and I was young enough and healthy enough this is the one I would fly around the country in.

Soft spot goes to the JU 87 Stuka.

I think a lot of GI's, European civilians and Russkis might debate you on that one...

Since I learned to fly in one it would have to be the Aeronca Champion. It was forgiving enough to let me fly it by my ownself which is a feeling I will never forget. I could and did dream of great aircraft but this one will forever hold the first place in more ways than one.Plain old orange and yellow Champ. They certainly knew how to name it.

Mitsubishi G4M, as it was Yamamoto's flying coffin when the P-38's killed that Jap SOB.

Now, that is the manner in which I would like to arrive for my next fishing adventure.

How much run does she need to get airborne at 6000 feet elevation on a hot August afternoon? Would not wish to get stranded by landing on a too small lake.

And where do you mount the MinnKota electric trolling motor?

DD,

Delete that link. Too long and it's screwing up the webpage!

Here ya go...

Thanks. That puppy is a beauty.

F-14D Super Tomcat; absolutely one of the most awe inspiring experiences one can have is to see, hear & FEEL a F-14 go full burner vertical.

But the coolest ever still has to be the P-51.

MM

F-14 Demo by Dale Snodgrass

I hope these pics show up. This is my son standing in front of a couple of nice ones at the Fairmont Ne air show in 2009 I believe.

F4U, Spitfire, P-51, ME-109, B-52, A-10, F-14, F-14, SR-71.

Ed

B-29 and F-111

I thought we were judging on aesthetics and design, not dirty deeds.
I think a lot of German and Japanese civilians don't like the B17 or B29.
OK I will change my choice to Air Force One w/Obama on it.
How is that for ruining a beautiful airplane.

It was just meant as a humorous comment.

My apologies if it gave offense.

My apologies. 8 hours in the Phoenix heat every day shortens my temper.
No offense taken at all.
I like any and ALL planes and make a point to stop whatever I am doing to enjoy their beauty.

Take care,
Brad

LMAO
That's funny ....!

I like the Chance Vought F4-U Corsair

I also must add the C-46 as Dad was a radio operator on it as well as a B-29 during WWII. Carrying twenty-two 55 gallon barrels of gas in a C-46 while flying over the "Hump" was spooky to him for good reasons. They were constantly on the lookout for Jap fighters.

Albatros-D-111 but it has to be painted red.

C-119 Flying Boxcar. She wasn't pretty, but she was a worker. My dad was FE during the Korean War.

[video:youtube]v=d-sENOVwi5Q[/video]

F-15E



Few years ago in an unfriendly country. The Hindu Cush does have some nice mountains.



Current trip at a location much nicer.

These two twin-engine fighters were among the best of WWII, and among my personal favorites. I'd give my left nut to fly either of them...

P 47D and P 47N Thunderbolts for Army Air Force...

F4U-1C and F4U-4 for Marine Corp, Navy

FW 190 for the Luftwaffe

Spitfire & Mosquito for the RAF....

Early war 'soldiers'.. Hurricane and P 40

World War 1:

Sopwith Camel...




Fokker TriPlane for Germans: Verner Voss's Fokker TriPlane



Americans & French: SPAD

America's Greatest WW 1 Ace: Frank Luke

Now for something completely different... XB-70 Valkyrie. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but an article in Boy's Life (Flight of the Valkyrie, 1962) inspired my interest in aviation. It was the USS Enterprise of the era.





Favorite cute-ugly/failure, XF-85 Goblin. I sure as hell wouldn't want to fly one. I saw one on static display at Offutt and I can't imagine that the short coupled little thing could be controlled. All before fly by wire so no computer help no less.

I'll be damned. According to that tail number, I worked (okay, cleaned and waxed - a lot) on that N.A. P-51D in the mid 80's. N51 Echo Hotel. It had stars and bars then. It was purchased IIRC from the Dominican Republic Air Force. In return for my expert schlepping, I would get rides in the very small, actually no back seat - you sat on the parachute - of that old bird. I remember at Oshkosh (the one time that he took me) everyone was leaving Sunday afternoon. There must have been 50 planes in que. My buddy radios the tower "we're running hot", up to the front we go and take off. The tower asked for a fly by. He dipped his wings and banked east towards home. That was very cool.

He sold the P-51 to get an L-39C Albatros and flew it back to the States with Bob Lutz, at the time the CEO of Chrysler, who bought one too. Sadly, my buddy, the plane's owner and pilot, died taking off in his L-39 in Alabama in the early 2000s.

My dad marched across Africa and Europe in Patton's infantry during WWII, and when asked which Axis plane he feared the most, it was the Ju-87 Stuka. There ain't an infantryman alive that doesn't hate an opposing ground pounder. Dad talked of the dive whistles they had on them which made them scream. Made the men on the ground scream too-it literally drove some of them crazy. When the Stuka's came in, Dad said they'd throw up so much machine gun, AA, and small arms fire, it'd look like you could walk on the tracers, and most of the Krauts still made it through. One didn't-Dad's unit got straffed and dive bombed one time by the Stukas and they managed to knock one down. When the schidt died down, Dad went and found the wreck and pulled a tail light beacon off it. That, and some trench art, a crude ring fashioned out of some fine German tubular aluminum from that plane wreck are two of my most favored possessions.

B-58 Hustler, F-100 Hun, The Constellation, C-47 Gooneybird, C-130 Hurc, A-10.

Jim

P-51 Mustang - my dream is to get some stick time in one.

A-10 Warthog - absolutely impressive plane. Back in the late '70 in Grafenwoehr during a combined arms exercise we called in A-10's on some old tanks and other hard targets down range from us. They we so quiet that we couldn't hear them over our idling jeep engines until they were right on top of us and then lit up the targets downrange. We had put some excess mortar and artillery charges in the targets to simulate what would happen as the ordinance in a vehicle detonated. All I can say is that I am sure glad that dog of war is on our side. That is an awesome, awesome airplane.

Great aircraft! Got a ride in one out of Dhahran many years ago.

Yes it is !!! Damn shame so much treasure was wasted on the Raptor and F-35 programs when this was always a very capable platform.Vectored thrust and super cruise? I'd rather engage the bad guy from a standoff position,make him have a bad day long before a vectored thrust circus dogfight any day..

P-51 and F-4.....no doubt about it.

I'm goin' with game changers:




No sense in controlling damage:



Stinging sensation

Another that inspired the imagination, and almost killed Yeager, NF-104A. Big brass ones to fly that bird. Must have been a helluva ride.

In the book I have on the history of the X-15 the F-104 was one of the very few aircraft that could come close to keeping up with X-15 as a chase plane.

The F-104 was the first manned cruise missile.

DC3 has always been a favorite of mine.
The Sikorsky HH3F (The Hog Hog 3 Frog)or (Flying Pickup Truck)or (Pelican)

Always loved the P-51, SR-71, and the F/A-18s.

Oh...I can't forget the A-10. Gun guys/gals have to love a airplane designed around one of the meanest guns ever made, and IMO it is a game changer.

My avatar shows my favorite - brought me home many times, and with it my crew and I set the Air Force record for the longest over water rescue in the history of powered flight. I will admit that I do have a soft spot in my heart for the F-4E, my first assignment until Vietnam ended.

The one that takes me home on crew change day, Sikorsky S-92.

My favourite is a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse "Loach", my initial interest was fueled by a friend who is female Kiowa Pilot out of Fort Rucker and her insistence that I read "Low Level Hell" by Hugh Mills.

My favorite place on Fort Rucker is the Army Aviation Museum, where I have sat and admired Mr. Mills's Loach which is on display. The perfect spot to take a copy of Low Level Hell, read again, and imagine.

View The Collection: http://www.armyaviationmuseum.org/index.php/museum/aircraft-collection

My next would be the Bell OH-58D "Kiowa".

The CH-54A Tarhe scares me to death.

There was a very valid reason why they called it "The Widow Maker!"

162gr A-max........

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

A couple more examples from the aforementioned private collection.

Since I, before, neglected the jets:

The Gnat and the Red Arrows always impressed.


The F20 was a gorgeous and great flying little fighter that didn't get its due.

My favorites:

Sopwith Camel
A6M Zero
FW-190D
Supermarine Spitfire.
F4U Corsair
P47-D Thunderbolt
P-38 Lightning
B-17 Flying Fortress
F86 Sabre
A-1 Skyraider
F-104 Starfighter
IAI Kfir
Mig 29
SU-27
F-16
A-10


Experimentals
F16-XL
XB-70

Ex Air Force and as cool as the SR-71 is, the A-10 is the baddest of the bad IMHO

I'll give PRM his due. Seeing these guys on your wing you always knew they had your back from 100 miles in.



Even if they were sucking down all the gas in sight!


But I'll dance with the girl that brung me. The mighty EA-6B built by the Grumman Ironworks (cripes - I had black hair 25 years ago, no wait, I had hair at all!)

This vid always amazes me with the leaps of technology, in only 25 years...



And frankly, you had to be badazz just to START a Sopwith, let alone fly it!

Cant't forget my old ride as I flew several tail numbers but they always brought me home safely although a tad ventilated now and then.
A good muscle car could flat out run us on take off,we looked a little ancient waiting our turn to the active,weren't worthy of hot chick admiration but did have respect from those in need of our services.

My reunion last week with a special old friend..

1983, Roosy Roads...

Sweet. That lower picture is of us on the VR training route in Puerto Rico. I miss Roosey and another reason for a mighty FU to Hillary and all the black congressional congress.

Showed the Princess your photo, she says "Hello Handsome"!

She just loves me because I have a big missile.

Great pics guys my salute to all for your service.

I'll let you pass that one along!

Whoop whoop!

And you too sir. I had some Beach 18 time and I covet some R4D/DC-3 time.

Dirtbags forever!

No chance Paddles!

I had forgotten about the F-20 Tigershark. A heck of a plane sold mostly to second and third world country air forces. A nice little jet.

+1!!

C130-E Mod. All over SEA and So. and Central America. We toted everything from body bags to Kotex over a span of 4 years. You name it we hauled and/or kicked it out the tailgate.!!

Beauty, as they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder. That being said I have to nominate the P-39 and the PBY Catalina as one and two of the most aesthetically pleasing of all aircraft nominated thus far. The "Connie" would be close in there also. These planes seem to fly on the ground, or water.

SR-71

U-2

F-15

F-14

A-10

I like the WWII F4U-1 CORSAIR ~

=== http://www.die-cast-models.co.uk/images/aa33008-corgi-corsair_350x210.jpg ===

and




and

WWII - F4 Corsiar -

WWII / Korea - P51

I would love to fly in either one, they both were great aircraft, two different sounds but they both make the hair stand up on the back of my neck when I hear one.

F-16 the modern day version of a P-51 - I am surprised at how little mention it has here. A fantastic aircraft at a bargain price and it performs completely off the charts, probably one of the best bargains for the buck in modern fighter aircraft. I was old-school A model and I thought it was great, the newer versions are light years ahead of it.

drover

I'd have a hard time calling an enemy aircraft a favorite, but MiGs are cool. The red MiG 15 is Chinese, and may have been in the action when I was on Taiwan in 1958-59. Grey one is a Czech built MiG 17. Red safety cover is the cannon trigger button on the stick.

Paul

Great thread here!

Have to go with the F-4. From the F4U Corsair to the F4 Phantoms B,C D, E, F, G, J, R, S and probably missing several!

F-4 at air show last weekend. Also P-51C red tail.

Paul, that looks like a TA-4 vs a Phantom. Neat little aircraft designed in the '50's for a one way trip to deliver a nuke. Fun to fly; I was lucky enough to get over 1500 hours in two different versions of the A-4.

Thanks for the correction. You're right, of course. Guess I'm not up on the "4s".

Paul

I agree partially. I would agree fully if the OP's qustion was "which aircraft is the primary reason the entire planet doesn't speak German?"

Three great choices Keith.....

love all 3 of those aircraft, and how well they accomplish their intended missions...

great videos, although the French Skyraider was a little tough to stomach.... great aircraft ruined with French Markings... thought the Skyraider was the most effective support Aircraft of the Vietnam Conflict...same as the Warthog in Desert Storm and the Second Gulf War...

For me, limiting it to personal experience, it's a toss up between the first AC I ever flew in, my dad's Piper J-3 sometime in the late '40's, early '50's, or the Bamboo Bomber, the Beechcraft RC-45-J. I flew aircrew on the last flight of the last RC-45-J in the Navy.

I dont know anything about airplanes, except they are suppose to fly.

Having shown all my airplane expertise in the above sentence... I think the A-10 is the plane that I like the most.

F-4U Corsair

P-47 Thunderbolt.

A-10 Warthog

and finally the ME-109

Any one of em that lands like it takes off, SLOOOWWW AND EEEASYYYY

I don't think people realise what a truly remarkable aircraft the A1 was, especially as its origins was very much a WW2 design.

In its A1-H form, its listed as being able to carry 8000lb of mixed ordinance, and with a top speed of 322mph..

That compares with a B17G which would typically only carry 8000lb load on short range missions, and would usually only carry perhaps 4000lb when flying out of the UK to bomb targets in Germany..

All in all, the A1 was very impressive indeed.

Here's an old favorite video from you tube...

everyone loves the Spitfire, but this is one of the more entertaining videos of one... in a short 30 seconds...





cool huh? really gives ya the feel of any of these WW 2 types at low level...

How about a Pitts landing inverted.

As great as it is in the air; the Pitts is so nasty on the ground that Hoskings joked at an aerobatics seminar, I attended, that it was actually easier to land inverted.

It might have been posted here before but this is a pretty neat site for vintage movies about the old warbirds. Lots of actual WWII and later training films showing flight characteristics, operations, etc. Just in case you were wondering how to properly take off and land that surplus P-51 or P-38 that's been sitting in the garage. Or maybe you and your friends have been wondering just what is the proper way to rendezvous and form up for bomber escort duty, or perhaps you need to know the proper Offensive Fighter Tactics for those pesky Zeros that have been buzzing around your airstrip.

http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/index.html


Lots of DVD's for sale but he also posts a rotating series of videos for free.

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x0Vke_HZtAE[/video]


[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=C_iW1T3yg80[/video]

Too late to see action during the war, the F2G-1 Super Corsair sure came into its' own in later years, as a race plane. With a 50% increase in power using instead of the R 2800 engine, it was fitted with the R4360 engine with 28 cylinders.... and purrrrrty!



Link


Phil

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=52966

I'm not a big aviation guy, hell I live 40 mins from the EAA and have never been there but if I had to chose one -



Mostly because I am/was a squid.

I have not seen those photos before. Very interesting.

A small private plane that I really like and have ridden in is a Helio Courier. Military plane would be a U2. My Son retired after 22years in the Air Force. Except with a year in the middle east with the A10s, he was a U2 crew chief. He retired when he was stationed at U2 Flight Test Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif. He was given one of the windscreens and the flag that flew with his bird when it set a World Altitude Payload record. They reside in my shop.
My Dad was career Air Force and I have a love for all of the military birds.

To be perfectly honest, my favorite airplane is any one that I am not in.

Always thought the P-38 Lightning was really cool

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative stagger (the lower wing is further forward than the upper wing), that first flew in 1932.The Staggerwing's retractable conventional landing gear, uncommon at that time, combined with streamlining, light weight, and powerful radial engines helped it perform significantly better than other biplane designs. Setting the standard for private passenger airplanes for many years to come. It was considered, during its time, to be the premier executive aircraft flying, much as the Gulfstream executive jets are considered in contemporary times.

You needed to watch the video further

but maybe this will make up for it...

oh, I watched the entire thing Keith...

Like the Limey waving the British Flag out of the cockpit of one in US Navy Markings...

I use to love Air Shows on base as a kid, where at times they would have one, with a full weapons store loaded on it... sure it was stuff that was decommissioned and dummy, but they sure looked cool fully loaded... the Skyraiders were able to carry more bomb load than a 4 engined B 17....

In Vietnam, they sure had a long loiter time on target...

A-10 and SR-71.

That's okay.. I am more than making up for it, to fill the void...
and have been since I was 12 years old...

Speaking with people who flew them the F-104 was very good inside the curve, but monumentally unforgiving. The thing with the NF-104 was that the rocket would push you to altitudes where the aerodynamic surfaces were ineffective, essentially you were flying a missile controlled by reaction jets. Hopefully.

Just needed a pic.

In that realm I guess my favorite would be the Fieseler Storch (stork) mainly because it looks so, um, ungainly with the extended landing gear. Excellent STOL characteristics. Looking up close at the gear you can see it was designed to handle rough fields very well. Of course STOL and rough fields was what it was designed for, and all the glass for recon visibility. Sure wasn't looks!

I am a fan of about anything that flies but there are a few that when I see them, I have to stop, listen, and watch. I have a thing for the sounds they make. Pretty much like anything that takes to the air but a few that stand out to me.

P-51 I'd give my left nut for a 30 min flight.

B-52 Big hurt that just sounds vicious.

C-47/DC-3 Love those big radials. Get to see them often heading out to the bush doing cargo runs up here.

C-5 The big GE turbofans can't be mistaken for anything else.

UH-1 Huey Who doesn't like the sound of one?

F-22 Much maligned but still a very impressive aircraft that I get to watch fly nearly daily now that the F-15s have been reassigned. Their turbines make a howl that gives me goosebumps.

A-10 If I had been a pilot I would have loved to fly a flying tank.

SR-71 Never got to see one in flight but was an airframe that is still ahead of the times.

A3J/A5 Vigilante, the prettiest plane to fly off a carrier deck IMO.

F-14

Grumman F7F Tigercat

For the fan of the P-38 AND the fan of the P-51, North American introduced the P-82 just a bit too late to see service in WW II.

Two Allison V-12's with a top speed in excess of 450 mph

Just a note; Baffled flaps allowed the Stork to fly at 19 mph.

It's been a long damn while but, when I got out of the service and for a few years after I made a few jumps from these two.

A Norseman, only picture I could find is this military one, or those with floats.



and a Cessna 195




Phil

Back in the day the C-130E's and H's that carried me to alot of drinking establishments in foreign lands were my favorite planes. Now any airliner serving the same purpose will do.

My favorite aircraft is a glider that I got a chance to fly (with a flight instructor) when I was in air cadets at cadet camp.

Probably one of the best times of my life.

Vought F4U Corsair.

In the 70s the guy that fathered me and I flew search and rescue and also top cover for the Baja and local desert races in his 170B. Full stol equipped, 215 Franklin w controllable pitch prop. That hotrod could land and take off from just about anywhere and fly at 32 mph indicated hanging on the prop.

Anyway one day there was a little aerobatics competition at the Jacumba airstrip and there was this beautiful Swift with a controllable prop tied down not competing or on display. Well he may as well been on display cause it drew alot of attention. It looked like a tiny baby fighter. After a bit he taxied out and took off and was airborne after a very short roll, "Dad" said it sounded like an IO 360. So he's gone about 5-10 min and then HERE HE COMES absolutely hauling azz right down on the deck and does a perfect double barrel roll before pulling up and heading in the direction of SD. The announcer was PISSED!, "who was that"? "did anybody get his N-number"? I don't think anybody came forward even though several of em had his pics. He and his plane stole the show, It was a beautiful sight.