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Dave

Your Favorite Real Aircraft and Why?

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It's really hard to pick one.

 

But I gotta say F-4 Phantom. Unique jet, unique sound (at least those J-79s, never heard a Spey-Rhino).

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My pic, by eras (and types):

 

WWII: FW-190, no doubt (including the Tank variations). First true multirole fighter that was really good at everything (heck they even planned having it carry a torpedo - as well as was one of the first to carry a guided AAM, the Ruhrstahl X-4!).

 

Korea: F-86, simply because it's a neat design, although I bet the armament could have been something better than .50 cals...

 

Vietnam: Heheh, going with the underdogs here: OV-10 Bronco, with Heinemann's Hotrod (A-4) as runner-up. Seriously, a mother-friggin beautifully nice plane designed in the last era in which prop planes play front-role combat duty...

 

Cold War:

Fighter: F-14. Blame everything from Top Gun to Macross but it was the last of Grumman's Cats with all their might and power, runner-up being the F-15.

Strike: Su-25 Frogfoot - just because it looks sleeker than the fugly A-10, although the A-10 is definitely the runner-up...

 

Modern:

Fighter: Flanker series, including the ubiquitous Su-47. It's sleek, sexy, and been updated to keep up with the times (which means, the latest Flankers can beat their all-time rivals, the F-15 Eagles,even when both face off in their latest versions) Runner-up would have to be the Dassault Rafale because it looks just a tad sexier than the Gripen, and has 2 engines.

 

Prototype: XFV-12. One of the sleekest plane ever built - should have been built as a conventional plane!!! Runner-up is undoubtedly the X-29.

 

And last but not least, civilian! I must say it's the Beechcraft Starship 2000, just because it looks like it's breaking the speed of sound even whilst standing still on the runway, and coolest prop-driven design. Runners-up in this case are the DC-3 (still want to fly in one of these so far) and the Cessna 152 dual-cockpit trainer version... this last one just because it's on this one that I have about a quarter of an hour of flight time in it! :rofl:

Edited by TX3RN0BILL

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Pitts Model 12. Biplanes are just damn good looking, and that radial on the nose really makes it complete...

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I have always had a soft spot for the Viggen instead of following the herd those scandinavians came up with something truly different that could fulfil a mutitude of roles and still operate from normal highways when airfields were unavailable.

post-27199-1202891733_thumb.jpg

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prop driven; P-51 mustang (cadillac of the skies)

 

Jet powered; SR-71 Blackbird (if only you could hang some ordinance on it) :ph34r:

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Yeah, the Draken, Viggen, and Gripen are sweet planes. Not a big fan of the Lansen, though. :grin:

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Men...

WWII

in Axis Side i love BF-109, and in Allies side 25% P-40,25% Spitfire, 25% P-47, ande 25% P-51.

 

in Cold War i like F-4 phantom, and Mig-25..

 

in recently years Su-35 and F-16 are my "passions"...

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Yeah, the Draken, Viggen, and Gripen are sweet planes. Not a big fan of the Lansen, though. :grin:

 

Lansen was a Hunter wanna-be.

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Lansen was a Hunter wanna-be.

 

The F-105 Thunderchief. The F-111 was the only aircraft that could outrun it at 500 feet. Chuck the external stores making her clean, lean, and mean and she would haul-ass like a banshee. Satisfy even the neediest need for speed.

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Funny how many countries like Finland and Switzerland bought them then.

 

A good documentary on the Swiss Hornets is floating about, called "Ice Hornets".

 

Anyways

 

F-14 Tomcat, it always looks vicious when it's in low-vis camo.

F/A-18F. I'm a virtual attack puke, I like pylons, lots of them.

Su-33/35

A-7 Still even a SLUF has a place in my heart

F-15E Pylons...

Rafale Sure it's French but it's got some good lines..

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jee .....

 

Can't narrow down the list enough ...

Anyways, here's my best effort, and my criterion is basicaly looks :

 

  • Mirage 2000 (especialy the Dash 5 version which has an F-15E comparable radar, i love its cockpit, 6-8 kickass MICAs. If it only had an F100/119 class engine as well .... Very few have realised how potent this last delta mirage is)
  • F-14 , maybe the best fighter shape ever ....
  • Su 27/33/35/37 (no comment ....)
  • MiG 29/35 (MiG 35 with thrust vectoring .... s w e e t ...)
    -----------------------------------
  • Eurofighter (cause our AF is getting it *grin*)
  • F/A-18
  • F-16
  • F-15
  • A-10 (i never understood those who called it ugly , duh ... one of the coolest and with more character flying machines ever made)
  • F-100
  • F-4

Edited by squid

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Probably have to go with the Tupalov Tu-160. Probably the greatest bomber in the world.

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Probably have to go with the Tupalov Tu-160. Probably the greatest bomber in the world.

 

...after the B-1B and B-2A that is! :wink:

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Old thread but interesting topic...

 

I prefer the Eurofighter Typhoon. It is a beautiful plane (I love the Deltawings) with perfekt flying abilitys (quoting the real pilots). :ok:

Instead of the F-22 the Typhoon can carry lots of weapons an reach longer distances without refuelling an ist much cheaper, so you can hunt one F-22 with two Typhoons...

 

Cold War:

The F-4 PhantomII is a nice plane. It can carry a lot of weapons and the quality is very high. Why do I think this? Because this plane is in action until today. :clapping:

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Like some persons here says it's hard to pick just one. But here is my Top Ten:

 

WWII:

 

Spitfire without any doubt a truly beautiful plane

 

The B-17 Flying Fortress beautiful lines and could really take a pounding.

 

Cold War and Modern:

 

F-14 Tomcat and the F-4 Phantom II they are raw power. And lines you can fall in love with sadly I have never seen one of them in real life and probably never will.

 

J 35 Draken and Viggen. Draken has beautiful lines and noone knows how fast Draken is because it accelerate as long as there are fuel in the tanks.

 

Viggen is just big but pretty agile anyway and it has a nice sound on AB. The Gripen just look wimpy together with Draken and Viggen.

 

MiG-23/27 and MiG -29 beautiful lines and almost the only western like russian airplanes

 

And of course The DC-3/C-47 a real beauty and she have a nice engine song. The Swedish Air Force flew the DC-3/C-47 to 1984

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Hi every body WOW this is amazing.

 

Ok then:

 

WWII: ME-262, its the first jet....!

 

KOREA: Mig-15 this jet is soo agile.

 

VIETNAM: F-4 most advanced in its era, most modern jets avionics are based on it, runner up goes to the Mig-21, its proven to be a hard enemy to the phantom although not as advanced as the F-4.

 

Post VIETNAM: Mig-25, most amazing interceptor (I think), F-15, fast agile ADVANCED till now I think its the best amarican fighter. the mig-23, variable wing geomatry firt jet to employ a look down shoot down radar.

 

Modern: SU-37, Mig-29OVT with their super agility "thrust vectors are soooooo sassy..." and not forgetting the last pure blood interceptor in the world the mighty MIG-31

 

 

And last but not least the 'sexiest jet award" goes toooo......................... the Mirage III

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A-10A/C Thunderbolt II

 

Having worked them inside and out and seen their destructive power (which I provide directly) first hand!

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Guest USNadpc

Vought A7, two most important reasons:

 

1. A7 History ... click on link at left.

 

2. My enlistment with VA-66;

 

AC301PC.jpg

 

 

Back at berthing after being double-cycled all day...

X2cycledDuty.jpg

 

Here's one of my PC comment Sheet's...

ACLaunch.jpg

 

Most cost effective aircraft in US history.

 

BTW, I just want to say Thanks to TMF for creating this A/C for the Thirdwire series.

 

USNadpc

Edited by USNadpc

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The Bug, hands down - she's like a second skin for me. I also can't believe that there aren't more fans here.

 

As to props, the Corsair would have been the one I would have liked to have flown if I had to go to war back then.

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Overall: Biplanes, especially those of the 30's :no: Stearmans, Tiger Moths, Stampes, Stieglitzes, He-51's, Gladiators, etc.etc..

I can't really say why, but it's a compassion that has been with me since my childhood, their looks, their sound, I don't know what...

 

Era specific, I'd go for these:

 

1914-18: can't say, except the aforementioned;

1918-39: see above :cool: ;

1939-45: now we're really talking ;-)

1st (shared) FW-190 "Dora" & Spit Mk.IX, for their handling, manouverabilty, speed & "decent" armament;

the Spit for being the most beautiful & elegant fighter ever built, the "Dora" for it's sleek line and the Jumo

engine, giving it enough bite to stay on a Mustang's tail :biggrin:

2nd P-38 Lightning, "the fork-tailed-devil", nothing more to say, creative design, coupled with kick-a$ power;

3rd (shared) Ju-88, Mosquito, for their outstanding versatility, MRCA's when nobody knew that term, followed sharply

by the B-25 Mitchell, USAAF's workhorse!

 

1945-1953: 1st Sea Fury, fell in love with it when I played CFS2. The last real piston-engined fighter, and a beauty too!

2nd (shared) MiG-15 & F-86, the first for it's power, the latter for it's beauty... :grin:

 

1953-1960: 1st Hawker Hunter, beutiful and versatile, pure elegance.

2nd Avro Vulcan, never seen one in flight :sorry: , but stood under it in Hendon :shok: , my favourite cold-war bomber;

 

1960-1975: 1st (shared) F-4 Phantom II (especially the Spey powered versions, even more vicious looks :biggrin: ), benchmark for

a whole generation of fighters and that look! As if Frankenstein made an aircraft

(Igor! It's flying, it's flying, HAHAHAHAAA! :crazy: )!

F-106 Delta Dagger, wow! What a lady! USADC's mainstay for decades, sleek & fast, quite the

opposite of the F-4 in looks... :cool:

2nd (shared) E.E. Lightning, the "king of the climbrate", even F-16's had their problems with them in manouevers

:shok::biggrin: , I really dig those unconventional Britsh designs!

Mirage III. Unconventional as well, but I have to say, much more elegant...

3rd A-7 Corsair II, no other single engined fighter bomber could carry more than the SLUF, amazing!

 

1975-today: I'd say the Su-3X "Flanker" series. Outstanding power and manouverabilty. Too bad the Russians aren't up to

state-of-the-art electronics. :sorry:

Typhoon (Eurofighter). A lot of my tax money and that of my dad has been blown into this, so I better like it! :biggrin:

 

Thanx for the poll! :salute:

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My overall favorite plane of all time has to be the bone, the B1b.

 

p997832387-5.jpg

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So many choices, yet so few at the same time...

 

Modern:

1. Tomcat - A, B, or D - it's all good, baby!

2. Fighting Falcon - Just a sharp little fighter.

 

Cold War:

1. Navy Phantoms - Double Ugly never looked so good.

2. Crusaders - When you're out of F-8's...

 

Korea:

1. Sabre/Fury - A sleek jet, heart of a dogfighter.

2. Skyraider - The prop equivalent of the A-10. Carries a butt-load of ordnance and can loiter all day.

 

WWII:

1. Spitfire - Any Mark, really - they're all gorgeous.

2. Wildcat - Held the line in the Pacific and turned the tide, in spite of a superior foe.

 

WWI:

1. Se-5 - Always thought they were a cool looking bird. Watched "The Blue Max" a lot growing up.

2. Dr 1 Triplane - Red Baron, 'nuff said.

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