Best airplanes ever made?

July 2, 2005 | self / vanity

[The Other Harry]

My personal favorites are the DC3 and the J3 Cub. Aeroncas weren't bad either.

I seem to like tail-draggers.

I have never piloted a DC3, but I have flown in one. That was down from Miami into Key West in the setting sun. They should still make them. There was an airplane.

I have piloted a J3. It was a bitch to taxi, but it was great fun to fly. If I could get one for a reaonable price (which is not possible these days), I would. I sometimes go out to the local airport just to look at the one they have. It's really nice.

An Aeronca would be fine also. Low and slow.

I suppose an F14 or a Warthog would be okay also. Those are a little over my head.

[cripplecreek]

There isn't much I wouldn't give for a ride in a Warthog.

[Lokibob]

B-1 Lancer. The damn thing looks like it is doing 700 MPH while sitting on the ground.

Uglest, B-2, nuff said.

[bert]

Think smaller..... think Navion.

The Navion I once owned and made in 1946 is still flying......

[Lokibob]

C-130 in all of its variants.

[afnamvet]

The B52.

[Species8472]

My personal favorite would be the Bellanca Super Viking. Nothing beats it for overall feel and legacy. 160kts @10000 ft and a bulletproof wood wing.

[Lokibob]

The BUFF is a fine airplane. B-52 jockys say that when the last B-2 is sent to Davis Mothan, a B-52 will be sent down there to ferry the pilots back to their home base.

[ex-Texan]

My favorites are both from WW II. The P-51 Mustang and the P-38 Lightning were both pretty hot fighters in their time. My father had the opportunity to fly both of them. He loved the Mustang. The Lightning was a pretty scary ride according to my father. It skidded wide during turns. I knew a guy who had a P-51. He flew in the Reno Air Races and died when another plane clipped his wing tip.

[cpdiii]

F4 PHANTOM rolling in dropping napalm

[cpdiii]

Click here for a great silhouette of a Phantom. http://www.aeropresse.com/photo/wallpapers/F4/F4_640.jpg

[afnamvet]

Nothing like napalm to ruin Charlie's day.

Flying over Nam, especially prior to approach at Tan Son Nhut, the ground looked like a golf course-gone-mad with all the bomb craters that looked like sand traps....courtesy of the BUFs.

[afnamvet]

The BUF will be around to ferry pilots back from delivering the last Auroa to Davis-Monthan.

[Drew68]

I suppose an F14 or a Warthog would be okay also.

I'll miss the F-14 Tomcat. If the F/A-18 Hornet is the "Porsche 911 Turbo" of the aviation world, the F-14 is the '68 Dodge Charger with a 440 Magnum. Pure American muscle!

I was fortunate to be able to stand on the flight deck of the USS George Washington (CVN-73) and watch Tomcats belonging to CVW 7 participate in flight ops. Those planes were so loud they literally shook my balls! I could feel my teeth rattle! The Hornets are cool but an era ended when the Navy retired the Tomcats.

[Drew68]

The Bf 109 was always pretty cool.

[The Other Harry]

> He loved the Mustang.

The ex-husband a former GF of mine had a Mustang. He was a pilot for UAL, but this was something he just bought for himself.

It had so much torque that it would just about twist itself right off the runway when you were trying to take off. "Right rudder" was not enough. You had to lean on the stick in a big way.

I forgot about Lightnings. They belong on my list. What was term that was used for them? "Devils from the sky"?

> It skidded wide during turns. I knew a guy who had a
> P51. He flew in the Reno Air Races and died when
> another plane clipped his wing tip.

Yes, well...

My GF's ex- died flying an ultra-light into a mountain. At least he was doing something he enjoyed. He loved flying.

[Incorrigible]

DC3:

 

J3 Cub:

Aeronca

[midwestmidnight]

F-14: overweight, overly complex and until late in its life, greatly underpowered.

F-15: Light for it's size, excellent weapons load, zero losses in combat, thrust to weight greater than 1:1. The best until...

F-22: Stealthy, manuveurable, FAST

I've always been partial to the A-12/SR-71 though.

[My2Cents]

Always liked the look of the Corsair.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

The only plane I ever actually piloted, illegally, a Porterfield. It was owned by a Cuban expatriate, who bought it in Texas, and flew it into St. Augustine flying by night, also illegally, no ID numbers, no anything, but it flew, and those were the good old days. I don't know if this was the one, the one I flew was painted pink and blue.