What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

[Peacoat]

The US Air Force has taken delivery of its new light attack aircraft, the Wolverine. To my eye, it looks a bit like a WWII fighter aircraft (a little). Throw in the new retro army uniforms, WWII inspired, and it's "back to the future"!

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...rst-new-at-6e-wolverine-light-attack-aircraft

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Interestingly, when what became the A-10 Warthog was in the planning stages, the Air Force was told it needed a prop plane for the mission requirements. AF was having nothing of it, and demanded a jet aircraft. I think this plane, with a variable pitch propellor, will have more flexibility than the A-10. We'll see how this plays out and if the AF gets more of the prop driven LAA. I don't get the impression that they are intending to replace the A-10, but more to supplement it.

 

[Tiki Tom]

I don't get the impression that they are intending to replace the A-10, but more to supplement it.

I think you are on the money. I’m a fan of the A-10, but I think in certain situations, the Wolverine will be able to supply tighter support. We will see. (I remember joking with a French guy I work with: “what’s the biggest Air Force in the World? The USAF. What is the second biggest Air Force in the world? The US Navy.”)

 

[Peacoat]

Hah, good comment.

I did a lot of medivac missions and rescue missions in RVN. My favorite fixed wing aircraft for giving me support was the A1-E Skyraider. It could deliver as much or more ordinance than the jets and stay on station longer than the jets–usually the F-4s out of Phan Rang, which is what we had in the Central Highlands. Seems like as soon as the jets got there and made one or two passes, they had to go home to refuel and rearm. Most frustrating. I only saw them at a distance. They were fast and pretty, but not that useful. And we never saw them again after they went to rearm and refuel; Hillsboro always had another mission for them. I know that was frustrating for our Coveys (Air Force forward aircraft controllers) as well.

I still had to go in and make the rescue without the jets to keep the heads down. Of course, I had the Army gunships coming in on my wing, but it was nice to have the big bombs drop in front of me as I was going in. The jets couldn't do this as they were expended, out of fuel and too fast. The A1-Es could do it all.

Where I worked, the VNAF (Vietnamese Air Force) flew most of the A1-E missions. As I remember, their call sign was Sandy. They were absolutely fearless, as were the VNAF helicopter pilots.

So, give me Army gunships and prop planes for close in support.

 

[Tiki Tom]

My older brother was a UH1 pilot with the Americal Division. I was EW crew on a U21, Guardrail, in the 70s. My brother had a few hair raising stories to tell, including getting shot down and having to hold his position for hours until a team arrived to get him out. Visited my brother on his deathbed in 2019. He had his Vietnam hat on his bedside table. R.I.P.

 

[Peacoat]

My older brother was a UH1 pilot with the Americal Division. I was EW crew on a U21, Guardrail, in the 70s. My brother had a few hair raising stories to tell, including getting shot down and having to hold his position for hours until a team arrived to get him out. Visited my brother on his deathbed in 2019. He had his Vietnam hat on his bedside table. R.I.P.

Yes, R.I.P.

He may have been one of my co-pilots, one of my students, or in my flight school class. We are a tight knit group. Please PM me with his name and flight school class, if known.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Loungers, it's so silent here.

 

[Peacoat]

Loungers, it's so silent here.

Yes, it is. Where is everybody?

 

[belfastboy]

I once flew to SanFran/Cathay Pacific first class in a 747. It was sublime.

 

[Grant Fan]

P-52 Mustang for and F4U Corsair, but as a reenact as a WASP ans they flew mustangs probably the mustang

 

[Salmosalar]

Man, you read my mind. My Dad was a B24 Liberator bombardier in WWII, so of course I have an affinity to the B24, but I always loved the P51, and of course my father did too for their role as Escort Fighter.

I also fell in love with the F4U after watching Baa Baa Black Sheep with my Dad when I was a kid.

But I think my all time favorite has to be the F14 Tomcat. Got to see them practicing at Dallas Naval Air Station when going with my Dad to the PX as a kid. What an incredible plane, from the speed, maneuverability, and unmatched weapons system at the time.

Here's a pic of a little tribute area I did for my Dad upstairs with a photo of his plane:

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And some pics of the model F14 I built when I was a kid, LOL:

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F14 Tomcat for me too…..SR71 Blackbird a very close second though! On this side of the pond I think it would have to be the Vulcan.

 

[Turnip]

 

[Harp]

A FLASHBACK dream last night with F4 Phantoms laying down the law against these Greek paras
forty five years ago. Saw two squads of paras disappear, surreal sounds, felled ordinance shook ground.
Awakened at 02.00, tried without success to get back to sleep.

 

[Turnip]

As a kid an uncle, related by marriage, took me to flight shows several times, been quite impressive.
He served as a mechanic in Rudel‘s Stuka squadron during war and never really got over that time. He went to some vets meetings but quit that after a few times, disgusted by the Nazi nostalgia to be experienced at those occasions.

 

[Trenchfriend]

On the multipurpose topic like the Catalina, another nice one comes to my mind. The Arado 196. Nice little (low wing aircraft) working horse, built in after all 500+ units, mostly in Warnemünde (Rostock).

 

[alanwake82]

Mine is F16
since it was introduce and all its versions

 

[MisterCairo]

F14 Tomcat for me too…..SR71 Blackbird a very close second though! On this side of the pond I think it would have to be the Vulcan.

I watched this documentary on the Vulcan's last ever flight. The last flying a/c was privately owned and flown, and as costs soared and engineering and parts support dried up, she went on one last flight.

Great documentary, I saw it on Netflix in Canada (or was it Amazon?).

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5256700/

 

[caddyd]

The PBY or Catalina cause it was amphibious.
The B-25 Mitchell bomber because of the daring Doolittle raid and "Catch 22"
And the P-51 mustang cause it was wild!

 

[Tiki Tom]

Pretty cool flyover at the Super Bowl. Gotta love that cloudless sky too.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Kawasaki T-4 Intermediate Trainer
Example seen here belonging to the Japan Air Self Defense Force's Blue Impulse aerobatic team.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I hope, that the USAF will never be that stupid to finally retire the F16, the old working horse and ultimate economical mass production fighter.