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What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

Clyde R.

One of the Regulars
Messages
164
Location
USA
There are so many I am in love with...both in the looks and performance department and history. The Spitfire of course, that's a breathtaking craft. The P38 Lightning has always looked quite fetching and exotic to me as well, and its L configuration was hard to beat. I also love the classic B17s and even the ol' DC3s/C47s...they all are neat.

Overall I would have to go with the rather boring but smashing P-51D. I know, I know...not the most original choice for a favorite WWII aircraft. I simply love the looks of the D model and its teardrop canopy, even though I usually prefer early model WWII aircraft. The P51Ds' superb performance, range AND good looks make it my favorite. What a ship!
 

Smithy

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,139
Location
Norway
Here's my big faves in no particular order:

The jaw-droppingly beautiful Hawker Fury, this really gives the Spit a run for its money in the beauty stakes (I slipped this in as there were still training aircraft of these at the beginning of WWII)

Fury1_1.jpg


The wonderfully tough Hurricane I

hurricane_g.jpg


And last but by no means least the Spitfire I

spiti-b.jpg
 

52Styleline

A-List Customer
Messages
322
Location
SW WA
locobuster said:
Hands down, the P-38 Lightning & the B-17 Flying Fortress, to me both symbolize American airpower in the era.

Glad to see a vote for the P-38 lightning. It is by far my favorite WWII airplane.
 
Oh, forgot to mention the 'classic' B-52. It's Golden Age (barely, but still...), and properly cared for, it's more durable than any of us! I think I saw something once where it's possible to have had three generations work on the same airframe...

Almost nothing makes me shed tears, but seeing those old birds getting chopped at the Boneyard never fails to do the job.
 

52Styleline

A-List Customer
Messages
322
Location
SW WA
WH1 said:
the one which has always intrigued me is the Northrup flying wing. Conceptually it was way ahead of its time in the late 40's.

Although I associate it more with the 50's the flying wing was certainly ahead of its time. I remember in the old "War of the Worlds" the flying wing delivered the A bomb against the Martians. Too bad computer flight controls weren't available then or it might have changed the face of jet flight.
 

Herr Hitman

One of the Regulars
Messages
105
Location
Denton (DFW) Texas
In no particular order.

pby_lg-1.jpg

PBY Catalina

p51_mustang_lg.jpg

P51 D Mustang

P38Banking.jpg

P 38 Lightning

ME109.jpg

Me 109

il2.jpg

IL 2 Sturmovik

DesktopFordTriMotorAT-5.jpg

Ford Tri Motor

geebeez.jpg

Gee Bee Racer

Speaking Of Racing:


sdf.jpg

The coolest trophy ever
 

carter

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,921
Location
Corsicana, TX
Favorite Flying Machine

Military - P38 Lightning - they just looked fierce!

Civilian - the Pan AM Clipper - not around long but ya gotta love the romance!
 

dhermann1

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,154
Location
Da Bronx, NY, USA
Boeing Monomail

This is another favorite, the 1930 Boeing Monomail. It's the first large airframe, all metal, low wing, retractable gear monoplane they built. There was a mail and a passenger version. In the passenger version, the passengers sat in the cabin, behind the engine, while the pilot sat in the open cockpit, above. This is the direct ancestor of the B-17, the 707, 747, 777, etc., etc. Very cool plane, not to mention IMPORTANT.
mono6cv7.jpg
 

vonwotan

Practically Family
Messages
696
Location
East Boston, MA
Another vote for the clippers. I would love to experience service out of Marine Air Terminal in NY for a European or Pacific adventure (although the latter left from that other coast...;) )

bncarter said:
Military - P38 Lightning - they just looked fierce!

Civilian - the Pan AM Clipper - not around long but ya gotta love the romance!
 
dhermann1 said:
This is another favorite, the 1930 Boeing Monomail. It's the first large airframe, all metal, low wing, retractable gear monoplane they built. There was a mail and a passenger version. In the passenger version, the passengers sat in the cabin, behind the engine, while the pilot sat in the open cockpit, above. This is the direct ancestor of the B-17, the 707, 747, 777, etc., etc. Very cool plane, not to mention IMPORTANT.
mono6cv7.jpg

There was only one of each version, with different model #s. The original was Model 200 (registry NX725W, think it was later NC725W), while the "stretch" rebuild was Model 221 (registry NC10025).

BTW, both aircraft were later rebuilt to a further-stretched Model 221A standard.

I could give a mini-seminar about Golden Age FAA registration codes, but don't want to bore y'all.
 

Cobden

Practically Family
Messages
788
Location
Oxford, UK
Another vote for the Spitfire here; the most beautiful machine ever created. The fact it doesn't look right when on the ground just adds to it's appeal - they were born to be in the air.

Another favourite of mine is the Fairey Swordfish. Outdated even at the beginning of the war, with an open cockpit and yet forced to fly in all weather extremes, these things had a suprisingly specatacular war, crippling the Bismark, destroying the Italian fleet at Taranto (and giving the Japanese the idea for Pearl Harbor), and sinking a record amount of enemy shipping- a classic example of the underdog winning over, which I just love:

fairey_swordfish.jpg
 

silhouette53

One of the Regulars
Messages
212
Location
Birmingham, England
WW2 Warbird

I love WW2 fighters in general, but my favourites ( apart from the Spitfire which has to come top of the list for a 'Limey' ) are the Mustang and the P40 Kittyhawk. In fact we have one visit the airfield which I fly from ( Wellesbourne Mountford ) every so often. Its based at North Wield and in return for waiving the £10 landing fee, the pilot always does a low pass over the field on departure complete with a 'victory roll' - quite spectacular.

Here's a pic of the plane in question with yours truly alongside. With a fuel burn of around 30 US Galls / hour, its hardly in your average PPL territory, but what a sight and sound !!

DSCF0016.jpg
[/IMG]
 

TraderRic

One of the Regulars
Messages
133
Location
Dubai, UAE...for a little while.
Heavy bomber

For me it's the PB4Y-1 (the Navy's version of the B-24J). My Grandfather flew in these in WWII from Clark Field in the Philippines with VPB 104.

PB4Y-1.jpg


It carried a bigger payload than the B-17, but with nick-names like "Flying Boxcar" and "Flying Coffin" you just don't get the press that you do with a sexy name like "Flying Fortress".

PB4Y-1top.jpg
 

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