What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

[cco23i]

My dad served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam war. He was a crew chief on F4 Phantom IIs, but working the line saw a lot of different aircraft come through. I think the Skyraiders were some of his favorites. He said they were very cool firing up, as you could see an individual puff of smoke from each cylinder as they picked up RPMs.

Dad was exposed to a lot of cool aircraft, because his dad (see my avatar) was career USAAF/USAF. Grandpa and family were stationed at Tachikawa AFB in the mid-1950s and he saw some of the last F-51s and F4U Corsairs in service, and got to ride in a glass-nosed B-25.

After Japan, grandpa went to Forbes AFB near Topeka, Kansas, where Dad was exposed to B-58 Hustlers, another fascinating aircraft. But I digress...

-Dave

COOL! It's great to hear stories from fellow "knuckle busters" I worked RF-4's and F-111's.

Scott

 

[David Conwill]

Dad worked on F-111s too, he called them "Swing Wing Edsel IIs".

He also worked with F-106s, which he really liked, but always referred to himself as an F-4 guy.

-Dave

 

[/|\]

Speaking of F-106s...

http://www.f-106deltadart.com/71fis_PilotlessLanding_580787.htm

58-0787 lands Pilot-less in a field in Montana

On 2 Feb 1970 a 71st FIS F-106A (S/N 58-0787) entered a flat spin forcing pilot Capt Gary Faust to eject. Un-piloted, the aircraft recovered on its own and miraculously made a gentle belly landing in a snow-covered Montana field. In some stories, as you'll read below, it became know as the "Cornfield Bomber". At the time of the incident the tail markings belonged to the 71st FIS out of Malmstrom AFB, however the 71st FIS was later changed to the 319th FIS, Malmstrom. Retired Colonel Wolford (Major at the time) was the Chief of Maintenance at the 71st FIS at the time. His name was stenciled on the side of 58-0787 as the pilot, however, Major Wolford wasn't flying the bird at the time of the incident. Read more accounts of this incident below.

Pics on the page.

 

[Diamondback]

See why us in the Sixer community either love 'em or hate 'em?

(Via my late grandfather--318th FIS "Green Dragons", McChord AFB FTW!)

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

They have boots, how cute! ^_^

I suppose you could say that the Ju 87 Stuka had jackboots. Actually they're pants. Though the wheel fairings were also called spats.

 

[HepKitty]

I suppose you could say that the Ju 87 Stuka had jackboots. Actually they're pants. Though the wheel fairings were also called spats.

okok but they look like boots lol thanks for the info

 

[CharlieB]

For me, the B25 Mitchell has the biggest drool factor.

They usually have one at WWII Days at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum - Reading Airport, Reading PA.

She's just as sharp in person!

 

[cco23i]

Of course, we forgot the B-24J! Turrets and all!

Scott

This from our last bomber fantasy camp!

 

[dhermann1]

re: B-24's.
A lot of people who flew them were NOT very in love with them. They killed almost as many of their crews in accidents as in actual combat. Hard airplane to fly. But a real workhorse nonetheless.
There's a great description in the memoirs of Lord Alanbrooke (CIGS during most of the war) of flying to the Soviet Union with Churchill, et al, via Iran, for a conference with Stalin. The journey was made in a B-24, the aircraft best suited for such a long journey.

 

[HepKitty]

This poor thing is rotting at the airport in Blackfoot, ID. Anyone know what it is?

Check out where the gauges are... Don't bother looking in the cockpit



Time for new duct tape?



And check out that oil leak!

 

[Diamondback]

Boeing Stearman Kaydet family, possibly a PT-13 (Army, PT-17 slightly improved version)/N2S (Navy). Email me the N-number, and I'll go through some back-doors at FAA and look it up...

 

[/|\]

Looks like a Stearman to me.

But it would take another view (a profile would be good) for me to be sure one way or the other.

You don't happen to remember the N-number, do you?

EDIT: I type too slowly. Diamondback beat me to it.

 

[/|\]

I'll go through some back-doors at FAA and look it up...

It's online.

 

[Diamondback]

Exactly what I mean... which is part of why I'll need to set up a "shell corporation" (possibly several in series, one owning another and so on) for asset-management once I'm in the market, so I can preserve my carefully-guarded anonymity.

 

[HepKitty]

Boeing Stearman Kaydet family, possibly a PT-13 (Army, PT-17 slightly improved version)/N2S (Navy). Email me the N-number, and I'll go through some back-doors at FAA and look it up...

I'll see if I can get the tail number the next time I go there. Hey maybe tomorrow, I have to go to Blackfoot for my flight medical

 

[thor]

My favorite aircraft:

Supermarine Spitfire
North American B-25 Mitchell
Douglass SBD Dauntless

Honorable mention: Grumman Goose

 

[DesertDan]

Here we go:

 

[CharlieB]

Here we go:

Beautiful plan. They have a very distinctive sound too. One of my favorites as well.

 

[JimWagner]

The last of the prop bombers.

I think the P-3 is as close as you can get to the old bomber days as far as crew coordination and mission work. Lots and lots of fun.

My favorite as I crewed on one on the 60's. Not especially a pretty aircraft, but it's been quietly doing its job hunting down nuclear submarines for nearly 50 years now. I forget which Russian admiral said it, but when he wanted to know where his subs were he'd find out where the P-3s were operating.

You're more likely to see them inside hurricanes these days.

 

[TheSnark]

Here we go:

I have to go with the Corsair as my all-time favorite. On the other end of the scale, the Gyrodyne DASH gets my vote for "Ugliest Flying Machine Ever Built". Good thing it was remote-controlled... no one would want to be seen actually flying in this thing: