What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

[Colonel Adam]

If we're talkin' WWII, I'd have to go with the A-26 Invader! I really dig the attack role--taking-out bridges and trains, and strafing folks on the ground, watchin'em scatter! It's hilarious!
And I really feel that "ground support" is not only vitally important but, somehow, very noble! Fighter pilots may get all the glory, but there's no better feeling than swooping down out of the sky just when all of our kids on the ground are about to be overwhelmed, and are beginning to loose all hope, and then--Ring-a-ding ding! Ratta-tat tat! Wham! Bam! Thank'ya ma'am! Then all the unheard cheers and all the uplifted eyes, with uplifted hearts, watching and waving as "Maiden America" flies off into the sunset, from whence she came!
The A-26 didn't serve for long in WWII, but it did a bang-up job--in Korea, Vietnam, and for years afterwards as well. It was built alongside its big brother, the B-29 Super Fortress, with the newest state-of-the-art technology. Small, powerful, and bristling with more 50 cal. gun barrels than a porcupine has quills!
On the other hand, if you mean favorite of any time period, I guess I'd have to go with the B-58 Hustler! Why? It was capable of flying over Mach 2, reaching any target on Earth within hours, and able to drop FIVE nuclear warheads! Yes, five. Besides the well-known bomb in the large fuel pod, four more could be placed under the wings! And just look at one! It absolutely dripped with crome-polished sex appeal! Heff's Flying Bunny should have been a B-58!

 

[Colonel Adam]

The P-40

Because of it's amazing place in history.

A lot of people over the years have criticized the Warhawk, unjustly in my opinion. It's one of my favorites too. Okay, it wasn't lighting fast, but it was built like a tank and could take a beating! And for a plane that wasn't supposed to be very good, they sure made an awful lot of them! George Kenny's kids used them, and he praised them, and his opinion is worth more to me than everyone who never flew one! And besides, they look seriously macho!

 

[Colonel Adam]

DC 3 Not the prettiest but the places it could take you. Bob.

Or military C-47. This was by far one of the most important and most valuable aircraft the US had in WWII! Quick little anecdote: General George Kenny, SWPA, loved the C-47 (DC3)--he had this thing about hauling things. Anything and everything! He used to brag about his men cutting three-ton trucks in half, putting the halfs on two 47s, flying them to places they couldn't be driven in to, and then welding the two halfs back together again. How's that for ingenuity?

 

[Colonel Adam]

I know this is in the WWII genre, but you said all time....
The F-4 Phantom.

A true Muscle Plane!

 

[Nigel B]

The Spitfire, partly because it was a wonderful aircraft, and partly because that's my Dad at the far right in the picture.

Can't fault your choice there my friend. Last September I went up in a Tiger Moth below and we were buzzed by the lovely sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin powered Spitfire also below. The sound of it is just pure music! Second would be the Tiger Moth.

 

[hk47]

Republic XF-12 Rainbow

 

[Otter]

Nice looking bird hk47 ! that even prompted me to go and look up its wikipedia entry.

 

[Colonel Adam]

This is a test

 

[Stearmen]

I lied when I said I don't like Mustangs! I would love to own an early Alison powered Mustang or A-36 Apache/Invader. The British MKI photo recon variants were the First Mustangs to fly over Germany. For civilian use, the Allison is a much better engine then the Merlin, faster down on the deck and smother running!

 

[niv]

DeHaviland Mosquito, followed by the BeeGee racer. maybe the Peashooter.

 

[Kev Agent of The Shadow]

I've always thought the P-61 in all black was one mean looking war machine.

http://www.aviation-history.com/northrop/p61.html

 

[nick123]

My new favorite is now the Beech Bonanza V-tail.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

LFG Roland C.IIa "Walfisch" (Whale)

 

[MisterCairo]

The AVRO CF-100 Canuck is also one of my favourites.

 

[EmergencyIan]

The P-47 Thunderbolt because it was manufactured in my hometown of Evansville, Indiana. They were only manufactured in two locations; Evansville and Farmingdale, NY (on Long Island) at Republic Aviation.

That Republic factory, in Evansville, became a Whirlpool factory after the war. My grandfather spent his entire working career there and was able to raise 5 children on that one salary. Those days are gone, here, it seems, but I digress. Evansville, Indiana also manufactured LST's for the Navy. Evansville is a small city on the Ohio River. Anyhow, now, they have the only fully operational WWII LST. It's well maintained and has become a tourist attraction. I've also seen it in a couple of recent documentaries. My understanding is that they also take the LST on tour via the Ohio river to the Mississippi river, etc.

A very close second is the predictable P-51 Mustang. It's just so darn great!

- Ian

 

[ton312]

F-111 Ardvark

And of course the Sr-71

 

[Oldsarge]

Speaking as an old line doggy, there is nothing in the air I'd rather see when things go badly south than this!

 

[nick123]

Beech Staggerwing

 

[2jakes]

B-52 Stratofortress long-range bombers. Andersen A.F.B.
Guam ~ 1969

 

[Peacoat]

I haven't read all of the posts, but the fixed wings certainly are the favorites.

Surely some of you guys remember the Whop, Whop, Whop of my rotor blades as I came in under fire to get you out before you died of bullet wounds or shrapnel injuries? Surely you do. So, on your behalf, I will vote for the UH-1H, the iconic Huey helicopter of the VN war, by Bell Industries.