Just picking one is tough. I have so many I like, P-51D, BfME109, FW190, Ju87, F4, Mig 21, F86, F/A18, F-22, B-52, B-17, A-10, Su-27, Mig 29. I could go on for a long time.
The A-10 is a pure mean machine. 30MM gun and loads of other nice weapons. The XB-70A is another one I think was great. It looked hot and could get up and move.
If I had to pick onl yone, I would pick the P-51D Mustang. Such a beautiful airplane and mean as heck in the right hands.
The A-4 Skyhawk! This bird, AKA "Scooter" could deliver everything from cluster bombs to nukes to guided munitions. The two seat "t-bird" was a great training aircraft. It was also a great adversary aircraft when flown by squadrons like VFC-13. The Naval Fighter Weapons School, "Top Gun" at NAS Miramar also used the bird. The Blue Angels, in my opinion, put on their best shows with the A-4F... Did you know that at one time the A-4 set a world closed course speed record? And not for attack aircraft either. World record! "On 15 October 1955, the Skyhawk set a world speed record of 695.163 MPH for a 500 KM closed circuit course. This record stood for nearly five years." http://www.paxmuseum.com/a4/a4.htm I consider the designer, Ed Heinemann , allong with Kelly Johnson of Lockheed fame, two of the greatest American aircraft minds of all time.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: scooter_mech,
I agree, scooter. The Skyhawk was a great little hot rod and the Blue's put on some fantastic shows when they were flying it. It's always been one of my favorites. Heinemann struck gold with that design, just as he did with the Dauntless and Skyraider, just to name two others.
As for some others of my favorites, the list could make a book but I've always loved the warbirds from WW2, especially the Mustang, Corsair, Hellcat, Zero, 109, 190, and Spitfire.
As to jets, this beauty is right there near the top of my list.
USNVet940 is certainly right about the F-8 Crusader AKA the Migmaster, last of the gun fighters. It is my belief that this aircraft saved Vought. Following the great F4U Corsair came three duds. The XF5U "Flying Flapjack" never left the ground, overtaken by jet technology. The jet powered XF6U Pirate was slower than the prop Corsair. And the F7U Cutlass earned nicknames like "Gutless" and Ensign Eliminator" for its poor performance and dangerous flight charateristics. After these losers, the Navy would not accept anything from LTV except an outstanding design. The F8 was one.
When I was in class for A&P liscence the instructor stated, "The angle of attack of an aircraft changes but the angle of incidence does not change." I counter with "That's true except for the F8. It has a variable incidence wing."
This message has been edited. Last edited by: scooter_mech,
I was a "Phantom Phixer and a "Skyhawk" person,but my heart likes things with propellers!Especially them that made History.The F4U "Corsair" and the P51 "Mustang" come to mind as all my boyhood heros were fighter pilots.Doolittle had brass balls and his Aircraft and the Mission he flew over Tokyo really gets me to this very day,so I give the B-25 the nod as well.Still miss the smell of the flight line..........
I grew up reading Martin Caidin's books on WWII aircraft, esp. the B-17. The B-25 was also a personal favorite and my wife and I were married in one at 3500' over an airport.
Originally posted by Divine_Wind: I grew up reading Martin Caidin's books on WWII aircraft, esp. the B-17. The B-25 was also a personal favorite and my wife and I were married in one at 3500' over an airport.
And yet you call yourself Divine_Wind. Why not Flying_Fortress or Mitchell? Just wondering...
Hmmm, also have quite a few that I love to love. I'd have to say that the JU-87 and the XB-70 would tie for my fav's. A-10 is nice, and others such as the P-51, Spitfire, Su-27 also rank high.
Being a ground pounder myself, I tend to like those aircraft that have the grundgey, get down to the weeds level, I am going to make you have a very bad day kind of aura. I like the P-47 because it could do any kind of attack you wanted and you could pound on it all day and the pilot could give the one finger salute and go home. The B-25 Mitchell, very manueverable, decent range and payload. Not the fastest, but when they made the attack version of it and used it in low level attacks against japanese shipping - oh yeah. The A-1 Skyraider, ugly but oh so effective. Huge bomb loads and 20mm cannon. Modern aircraft would be the A10 and AV-8B as well as the reinvention of the B52. I appreciate the clean lines and graceful curves of the other aircraft and am willing to recognize that there may be better out there. My father's aircraft was the EC-121(not 100% on nomenclature here,) variant of the Constellation airliner. I remember it taking him away and then bringing him home. But they were pretty.
