Early War Birds or Late War Birds?

[TailendCharlie]

Could it handle a slapshot?

What can be more beautifull:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
But - like Smithy - I wote for the early Mark's (This Spit ia a bad example - with clipped wings and all...)
And no matter my username - I tend to love the Hurricane the most. What a sturdy, reliable aeroplane it was. Could take a lot of beating. The bullets went straight through the canvas/wood - and still she flew.

Spitfire,, thought you might like this,across the Detroit river is a OHL hockey team with your call sign;www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/sports/images/hockeypuck/windsor-national1.JPG
cheers tailendcharlie

 

[Spitfire]

Nice:eusa_clap Cheers Tailend C.

 

[TailendCharlie]

Permission to buzz the tower?

Nice:eusa_clap Cheers Tailend C.

www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Aircraft/Fighters/SpitfireMkV.jpg
:cheers1:

 

[Diamondback]

IIRC, wasn't the Marauder nicknamed the "Martin Prostitute", because it "had no visible means of support"?

Museum of Flight owns that B-17 up here, I think they keep it at Paine Field when it's not out and about. It's back flying, every so often Boeing books the bird for various local events. (Let me tell you, it's always fun crashing their parties...)

Me, I wouldn't mind a two-seater Me262 jet fighter, something with a foot (wheel?) in both the "vintage" and "modern" worlds. Although there's just something about a shark-mouthed AVG P-40, fighting it out against hopeless odds over the CBI Theater and still managing to rack 'em up...

Or one of the "Black Cat" PBY's. Being able to land anywhere there's calm water in event of emergency holds a certain appeal...

 

[John in Covina]

P-47 Thunderbolt

The P-47 Thunderbolt is my favorite fighter from WWII, but pretty much all of the warplanes from WWI and on simply amaze me.

 

[TarHeel1911]

I'm a big fan of the early "razorback" style WWII fighters. Some of my favorites:

P-40, especially as flown by the AVG;
P-51 B or C models-I like the ones with the Spitfire-style Malcom hood;
Any of the early Spitfires;
F4F Wildcat.

I'm not up on the model numbers at all, but some of the Soviet YAK and Ilyushin fighters were pretty cool, too.

P-38 and P-39, while not falling into the above category, are both unique and interesting aircraft.

One of my shooting buddies was an AAF pilot stationed in North Africa. He would entertain us with flying stories. I recall inviting him to the Miramar Air Show to see the Blue Angels one year. His reply: "Hmmph. I did all that stuff in 1942. We just did it about 175 mph slower."

 

[aswatland]

I would have to vote for the Hurricane Mk1 and the Spitfire Mk11, which the main fighters in the Battle of Britain. I love the elegant line of the Spit and ruggedness of the Hurricane!

 

[dhermann1]

Typhoon

How about the Hawker Typhoon? Sort of the British P-47. Very similar planes. BIG scoop.

 

[Clyde R.]

I would have to say that the early warbirds are especially interesting to me also.

The only late ones I am really fascinated by are the P51Ds and the B29s...both are supremely beautiful and high performance late war aircraft that just appeal to me for some reason.

As a general rule though, I like the early Spitfire MkIIs, Me-109Es, Wildcats, etc. The Battle of Britain time period, the war in Africa and the desperate early days of the war in the Pacific all appeal to me. Perhaps it is the "underdog" aspect of the allies early efforts, I don't know. But you can't beat the lines and charm of those early warbirds.

 

[oakarff22]

Being former Navy, I've always liked the PBY Catalina. A versatile aircraft that many owed their lives too in regards to Air/Sea Rescue but also with locating the enemy fleet thus giving our forces the first crack in attacking them.

The siting of the Japanese fleet at Midway, the siting of the Bismarck, the attack and sinking of many enemy submarines.

The Catalina was instrumental in helping win WW2.

Sarge

 

[David Conwill]

I’m an “early bird” fellow myself, and I think for much the same reasons. There’s something more romantic in a few brave men in obsolete equipment facing up against a seemingly unstoppable wave of aggressors than in the industrial might of North America and the Soviet Union crushing an outnumbered enemy.

This is why I only really start to like the P-51 when it’s facing MiG-15s over Korea. I also prefer my U.S. markings with red balls in the center and red-and-white stripes on the rudder.

-Dave

 

[Silver Dollar]

The biggest problem with the later aircraft is that they came along in a time where our winning the war was almost a certainty. In the early days on both sides of the globe, we were fledglings up against a well trained battle hardened enemy. It seems the missions were tougher and the successes were almost miraculous. It's almost like the early birds participated in the quest for our air superiority which is a crucial key to winning a war. It's hard to love a P47 N or a B24 H that came along when we already had air superiority.