What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

[Stearmen]

The F4 Phantom, a Triumph of Thrust Over Aerodynamics! Or, how American engineers could even make a brick fly!

 

[Luftwaffles]

The Focke-Wulf 190. I personally consider it one of the best Axis fighters of the war, and I feel the Me-262 is overrated

 

[rocketeer]

I have a few I'm afraid, all from different eras so here goes:-

WW1, SE 5A ties with Fokker Triplane, Albatross.

Inter war, Hindenburg Airship,

WWII, Curtis P40, B17F, Spitfire, Me 262

Post war cold war,Lockheed SR 71 Blackbird, F86 sabre, Mig 15, Convair B36

Vietnam era, English Electric Lightning, F4 Phantom, B52 Stratofortress.

Post 1980s, Hawker Harrier

And a few commercials
Concorde, Boeing 747, 707, Lockheed Constellation, Vickers VC10 and finally the De Haviland Comet.

There are so many more I could add to the list but if I could fly in just 2 of them then it would be the SE5A or the Phantom.
John

 

[GHT]

De Havilland Chipmunk.
It may not be as romantic as the other choices on this thread, but I absolutely love this little aircraft. The joining age for The ATC that's Air Training Corps, or RAF cadets, as they were sometimes called, was eleven, I think, although it might have been twelve, but as soon as I was of the correct age, I was in.
Twice a year, sometimes more, we would spend a week at one of the RAF bases, where we polished our military skills. Among them was flying. As soon as the plane was airborne, you would be invited to take over. I never did know how much the pilot was involved, but I do remember the aircraft's response as I banked, first one way and then the other. Wow! I feel like I am that young teenager again.
The de Havilland Chipmunk was originally designed as a post World War II primary trainer, a replacement for the venerable de Havilland Tiger Moth training biplane used by the air forces of the British Commonwealth throughout World War II.

Original de Havilland Chipmunk
The Chipmunk was an all-metal, low wing, tandem two-place, single engine airplane with a conventional tail wheel landing gear. It had fabric-covered control surfaces and a clear plastic canopy covering the pilot and passenger/student positions. The production versions of the airplane were powered by a 145 hp in-line de Havilland Gipsy Major "8" engine.

One of the best treats I had during my time in the ATC was to win a flight in a plane called A Twin Engined Meteor. It was a training aircraft, I can't remember much about the plane, I've looked it up on the internet, The Gloster Meteor looks very familiar, but I just can't remember. The year was 1959, so perhaps military aircraft aficionados may switch the light on in my head. I do remember the ten minute flight, the amazing thrust on take off, reaching 30 thousand feet in about three minutes, I realised then, why my pre-flight medical was so vital. But what an absolute experience for a young tenage boy.

 

[Stearmen]

Who could ever forget the late great Art Scholl, and his Super Chipmunk. He was a really nice guy to.
[video=youtube;B06YtngsplE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B06YtngsplE[/video]

 

[DavidJones]

JU-87 STUKA late war tank buster version.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

In no particular order. Avro Lancaster, Supermarine Spitfire MK IX and the Hawker Typhoon 1B and the Hurricane.

Can anyone confirm the the stories about Lancasters meeting B17's in the air? Apparently it was a bit of a Lancaster trick on meeting a B17 in the air to pull along side, wave to the B17 crew, feather the outboard Merlins, open the throttle on the two inboard Merlins and pull ahead of the Fortress?

Heady days in British aviation!

 

[GHT]

Heady days in British aviation!

Talking of heady days, I have just watched Concordes Last Flight on the Discovery Channel. It's been on Channel 4 previously, but I missed it. The programme showed, among many things, a group of plane spotters in New York, actually in tears as the plane took off for the last time. Heady days indeed.

 

[Hopalong]

My favorite too especially since I got a ride in one in 2011.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Some more footage of the Russian Tu-95 Bear.

[video=youtube;ou87i6Oq5M0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou87i6Oq5M0[/video]

 

[Otter]

Dons flame proof nomex Anorak

I would beg to differ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XF-88_Voodoo

The B version was powered by Allison T-38 turboprop and exceeded Mach 1.0 but never went into production. I will give you that the Bear is the fastest prop powered production aircraft.

 

[Stearmen]

Dons flame proof nomex Anorak

I would beg to differ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XF-88_Voodoo

The B version was powered by Allison T-38 turboprop and exceeded Mach 1.0 but never went into production. I will give you that the Bear is the fastest prop powered production aircraft.

The XF-88B doesn't count, it got most of it's thrust from the two jet engines, not the turboprop engine! Joe DeBona, flying a P-51C, averaged 561.72mph, (904 km/hr) from Los Angeles LAX to New York Idlewild (3981 km in 4.405 hours) on 30 March 1954. His plane was owned by actor Jimmy Stewart.

 

[wyiauta]

I've always been partial to WWII era aircraft. It's impossible for me to narrow it down to just one so I'll list my faves.
Fighter: P-38 and P-47.
Medium bomber: A-26 and B-25.
Heavy bomber: B-17
Cargo: C-47
Seaplane: PBY Catalina
As far as the real world, a plane that I could conceivably own and fly myself, I'd have to go with the Piper PA-18 Super Cub. So versatile, wheels, skis, floats, it'll go anywhere limited only by range. Plus it's a whole lot cheaper to operate that a warbird.

 

[ChiTownScion]

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Not a WWII plane, but the roar of that huge radial at full bore is awesome.

 

[Stearmen]

I've always been partial to WWII era aircraft. It's impossible for me to narrow it down to just one so I'll list my faves.
Fighter: P-38 and P-47.
Medium bomber: A-26 and B-25.
Heavy bomber: B-17
Cargo: C-47
Seaplane: PBY Catalina
As far as the real world, a plane that I could conceivably own and fly myself, I'd have to go with the Piper PA-18 Super Cub. So versatile, wheels, skis, floats, it'll go anywhere limited only by range. Plus it's a whole lot cheaper to operate that a warbird.

The Piper L21 Super Cub was used in Korea, and of course, the mighty L4 Grasshopper was used every where in WWII. So yes, they are Warbirds!

 

[Blackthorn]

Over the weekend my wife and I got to visit a B-29 Superfortress in Mather field, Sacramento. This is the only B-29 that can still fly. It was very, very cool (the plane, I mean...we waited more than two hours in 102 heat, but it was well worth it):

this old guy was a gunner on a B-29 in Libya during the early fifties:

 

[Bingo]

It has to be the B17.
I quite like the ME 210, as well as the Macchi 202.

 

[Smithy]

Probably done this several times over the years here but what the heck:

Biplane - Hawker Fury. So pretty it gives the Spitfire a serious run for her money in the looker stakes.

Prop monoplane - Spitfire and especially the A winged models without the cannon armament to disrupt that beautiful elliptical wing. Beautiful and iconic.

Jet - F-86 Sabre. It looks so damn good and like it means business. And all the added cachet of its history of hunting MiGs over the Yalu.

 

[nick123]

The T-28 Trojan. Or the B-36. Or the F-9F Panther.

 

[Cocker]

*Bragging mode*

The one I had the chance to pilot for four and a half hour, North American SNJ-5:

*Bragging off*

Apart from that, P-40B, Skyraider, and the mighty F-8 Crusader! And of course, the Hawker Typhoon!