Jump to content

What's Your Favorite Airplane?


Razors Edge

Recommended Posts

Thinking about the SR-71 discussion from earlier in the week, I gotta say that it is near or at the top of my list.  I like the Wright Brothers plane for historical reasons, and think the Concorde was cool, and there are always neat war planes out there, but the SR-71 just seems so bad ass.

How about you folks?

  • Heart 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Vought F4U Corsair.  I fell in love with that plane as a young boy reading books about World War II.

Next would probably be the P 38 Lightning due to having the honor of being taught Phyiscs by an American hero, Colonel John S. Loisel.  https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2010/01/26/John-S-Loisel-Plano-6394

After that it would be a close race between the P40, the P 51, the B 25, the B 29 and the B 52

  • Heart 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

VH-EAD-aerial-2.bmpThose I worked on:

DC-9/MD-80/MD-90/B-717. The C-9A military version was a great aircraft maintenance-wise.

F-111 was the worst.

Sabreliner / T-39 was OK.

When I was a kid living near an airport, the Lockheed Constellation would always make me look up when one passed by. The new jet DC-8s and B-707s were cool, but the Connie was beautiful.

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jsharr said:

Next would probably be the P 38 Lightning due to having the honor of being taught Phyiscs by an American hero, Colonel John S. Loisel.  https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2010/01/26/John-S-Loisel-Plano

My dad was a POW in Changhi Prison in WE II and said the P-38 was his favorite fighter too.  They were used extensively in the Pacific theater and seeing them fly overhead signaled to them the allies were close. Gave them hope to hang on.

I don’t know if I have a favorite but like you I was fascinated by the WW II fighters and built many model planes as a kid.

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in 2015, we had a flyover of a ton of WWII planes - from Dulles, down the Potomac and then a left up over the Mall.  I rode down to the river to watch the show.  I didn't have any idea of the models of the planes, but just hearing them and seeing them fly in formation was a blast.

DSC02395.thumb.JPG.9cfdd3cd8ae7d84011afb431ab794205.JPGDSC02404.thumb.JPG.bcd9d110f1eaa586362efcf195483341.JPGDSC02457.thumb.JPG.81ed1d642d5fdbcb3366b8898d46bb36.JPGDSC02477.thumb.JPG.37a159741cb6abd31844c6b9e1bbfdf0.JPGDSC02482.thumb.JPG.d2c1dbbe25704e43ef195818938f85ad.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, team scooter said:

If I went by the most miles I've flown, it would be today's SUV of airplanes, the 737. It even looks like it has a small luggage carrier on top. ;)

sw.jpg

I was flying SWA recently and saw an article in their magazine about the 737 being the longest tenured airframe and most produced in history.   I don’t recall all of the details but the basic airframe has been in use since the 60’s I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jsharr said:

The Vought F4U Corsair.  I fell in love with that plane as a young boy reading books about World War II.

Next would probably be the P 38 Lightning due to having the honor of being taught Phyiscs by an American hero, Colonel John S. Loisel.  https://www.dallasnews.com/obituaries/obituaries/2010/01/26/John-S-Loisel-Plano-6394

After that it would be a close race between the P40, the P 51, the B 25, the B 29 and the B 52

Those were all my favorites, too, except sub the B17 for the B29, and I never cared about the B52 much and add in a couple of odd ducks in the Mosquito, Avenger, and Catalina. 

We might have read the same books about the Corsair as young boys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Airehead said:

For my money a TBM 930 with G1000.  Comfy seating for six even though I would prefer two people and three Airedales. 

I had to Google that.  It looks a lot like the King Air that was my fav, but the King Air was twin turbo props. 

 

Image result for king air 300

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I was flying SWA recently and saw an article in their magazine about the 737 being the longest tenured airframe and most produced in history.   I don’t recall all of the details but the basic airframe has been in use since the 60’s I think.

Yep, they just kept updating them and put larger engines on them. I remember one flight in a 737 we were delayed 20 minutes for take off. I've never had a flight where I needed to hang on as we made corners on the way out to the runway. Take off was another story, it felt like we were going straight up after we left the ground. The engines were screaming until about halfway through the flight when they finally quieted down. Then the pilot came over the com and was pleased to announce we were back on schedule. An app on my phone said we had been traveling at over 600 mph groundspeed. ?

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

Spruce goose!

Or the similar billionaire's dream - the Stratolaunch!

FKFFZ6JO6JHOHAOF3FUFVK3HAI.png

With six 747 engines and 28 wheels and miles of wiring coursing through its body, the plane is like multiple planes rolled into one — a supersize, Frankenstein-like creation that could only exist in the wild imagination of an eccentric, reclusive billionaire.

  • Heart 1
  • Awesome 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Or the similar billionaire's dream - the Stratolaunch!

FKFFZ6JO6JHOHAOF3FUFVK3HAI.png

With six 747 engines and 28 wheels and miles of wiring coursing through its body, the plane is like multiple planes rolled into one — a supersize, Frankenstein-like creation that could only exist in the wild imagination of an eccentric, reclusive billionaire.

Who's spacecraft established last week that it could meet the mission requirements and which will probably have paying passengers by the end of this year.  In the meantime, technology has been advanced in the form of alternate space launch systems.  It rather than places like pad 39a is more likely to be the future.  We owe a lot to reclusive billionaires.  Think of Howard Hughes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...