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What's your favorite aircraft?

Do you have a favorite aircraft?

  • I've had one lifelong favorite aircraft that I'm passionate about.

    Votes: 67 39.2%

  • I don't have any specific favorite, I like many aircraft as 'favorites', so to speak.

    Votes: 62 36.3%

  • I don't have any specific favorite, I like a couple aircraft as 'favorites', so to speak.

    Votes: 42 24.6%
  • Total voters
    171
T

tigisfat

Guest
I was giving this topic some thought, and I thought it'd make a good thread. More to the point, I'd like to gather some metrics to see how many people are like me. I don't have a specific favorite aircraft. There are a small few that I'm pretty rabid about, but by and large I have way to many favorite aircraft to pinpoint one that's hands and shoulders above the rest. There are very few aircraft I consider boring and uninteresting. Usually a good sim product or a real world flight can set me off on one plane for a month or two.

What is it? Do you have one specific aircraft that you love more than any other? Do you have many aircraft that are 'your favorite' so to speak?

Please tell us about them.
 
My all time favourite was and always will be the F-4 Phantom. My love for this model stems from my earliest childhood memories of seeing them almost daily overfly my home at very low altitude and with their asses on fire :d.
 
kilo delta said:
My all time favourite was and always will be the F-4 Phantom. My love for this model stems from my earliest childhood memories of seeing them almost daily overfly my home at very low altitude and with their asses on fire :d.
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Where was this? The F-4 really seems to do it for a lot of people.
 
I can't pick between the DC3 and the C130, they are both equally favs of mine, I have never had the opportunity to ride in either, but I love piloting both in FSX, and always enjoy the chance to see either in real life.

When I think of the number of miles flown by DC 3's since it first took to the sky I am amazed at how this aircraft has served and continues to fly today, awsome aircraft.

The C130 is another one that is likely to be around for generations, just look at the versitility of that airframe, everything from basic transport to a Gunship, and they have even tried floats, ski's and a carrier landing.

I just can't pick a fav, but those are my top 2.
 
gigabyte said:
I can't pick between the DC3 and the C130, they are both equally favs of mine, I have never had the opportunity to ride in either, but I love piloting both in FSX, and always enjoy the chance to see either in real life.

When I think of the number of miles flown by DC 3's since it first took to the sky I am amazed at how this aircraft has served and continues to fly today, awsome aircraft.

The C130 is another one that is likely to be around for generations, just look at the versitility of that airframe, everything from basic transport to a Gunship, and they have even tried floats, ski's and a carrier landing.

I just can't pick a fav, but those are my top 2.
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C-130s are great aircraft that have given taxpayers a lot of function for their dollar, there can be no doubt, but riding on one is decidedly unremarkable, loud and very uncomfortable. The only thing you're missing out on is a headache and the worst sleep of your life.:ernae:

If you want to know what riding on a C-130 is like, set up a few industrial fans in a room (the ones so loud you can't even yell over them), increase the temp in the room to about 100, and set the room on hydraulics that randomly slam and jolt you around. Oh yeah, make sure the room smells like sweat and jet fuel. Make sure that anywhere you sit in said room has something poking you.:icon_lol:
 
tigisfat said:
Where was this? The F-4 really seems to do it for a lot of people.
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This was in the UK during the early 70's ,when the Cold War was in full swing. Most of the Phantom's that I saw were Spey engined RAF examples...loud and smokey..though I'm sure that there were a few USAFE examples too.
 
It's been said that the airplane you are currently flying is your favorite. Anything else would be bad juju.

I've crewed the Herk for going on eight years now. I've been many, many places in it and even made it around the world once. I understand the distaste for it, but I also have grown to appreciate it. Hauling big trucks out of short, dirt strips will do that. So will days of hauling vehicles, passengers, palletized cargo and still managing to sneak in an air evac or airdrop for good measure. All in a single day. The kids love the J model, but I'm a legacy guy. Crew of six please.

But, I'll admit, I am sucker for the F-4. Big, loud, fast and double ugly. For it there is no substitute. That is the airplane that got me interested in aviation in the first place.

I'm also into the seaplanes, such as the Boeing 314, Short Empire, De Havilland Beaver and Otter (any version really), Grumman Goose, Martin Mars and Consolidated Catalina. I could go on.

The DC-3 is an undeniable classic. I worked at an overhaul facility many years ago and they took on a DC-3. The airplane was ferried in for work, and hadn't otherwise flown in three years. It was still a rock solid airplane. It needed (literally) a few rivets to repair a tiny crack in the wing spar, but was otherwise in good shape for having not flown in a long time. I took a pickup and bought plywood to re-floor it. The avionics were upgraded and some engine work plus a touch up of the paint and she was on her way.
 
My favorite planes either drag their tails, float or have round engines. So Ideally, the Grumman Goose fits all three criteria. but in truth. anything that flies is cool.


Brian
 
I was just thinking the other day what aircaft that really have that X factor for me personally...

Waco YMF-5
Stinson SR-9 Reliant
Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX
P-51D Mustang
P-40E or N/M Kittyhawk
Hawker SeaFury
Yakelov Yak-3
Douglas DC-6
Beech 18
Siai Marchetti SF-260
DHC Chipmunk
Messerschmit BF-109G
Bucker Jungmann
Hawker Hunter

The list changes with time but there are some core ones like the Spitfire and Kittyhawk
 
Definately for me the Tupolev Tu-142 (NATO is Tu-95 Bear). While the Russians have lifted a lot of ideas from other countries (to me most notably the Tu-4 Bull which was a reverse engineered B-29, and they made quite a few variants of it). Also the Tu-144 which was a Concorde likeness (Russians managed to get theirs in the air first, although it was slower and never entered commercial service). The Tu-95 at it's inception took brand new ideas that they learned from the Germans after the war (steeply swept back wings), and incorporated some innovations of their own such as the contra-rotating props. Over it's 50+ years of service it has been upgraded to do almost a limitless amount of missions from nuclear bombing to maritime patrol. After the Tu-95 though I am a big fan of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Rockwell B-1B, Sikorsky H-60's (hard not to like what you work on), and the Antonov An-225. Better leave it at 5 cause I could go on all day.
 
I have a number of "favorite" aircraft.

When it comes to fighter jets, there is nothing like the F-4 Phantom. Fell in love with that plane as a kid when my brother brought me home a model kit for one.

Attack Jet....the A-7, or is it the A-4? Too close to call.

Vintage transport goes to DC-3. One of the most beautiful airframe designs of all time.

Modern transport goes to the C-130. 50 years young and still working its bippie off around the world.

Vintage Single Engine GA: Beaver

Vintage Single Engine GA Float: Beaver again

Vintage twin Engine: Lockheed L-10 Electra

Bomber: B-24

There are others that are my favorites, that are nearly as dear to my heart as the planes listed. Cessna 120/140, Cessna T-50 Bobcat, F-8 Crusader, Grumman Goose, Wideon and Albatross. Anything by Lockheed that has one or two round motors. Should I list the Pipers that I am extremely fond of: Cub, Super Cub, Pacer, Tri-Pacer and Super Pacer.

In truth, my taste in planes is a lot like my taste in cars. Most pre-1973 models are cool in my book. Post 1973 and there are a some that I like a lot, a few that I am head over heels about.

OBIO
 
Here are mine:

Single Engine GA - Mooney M20J
Twin Engine GA - Beechcraft Duke
Bush Plane - Cessna 185
Classic Single Engine -Beechcraft Staggerwing
Classic Twin Engine - DC-3
Warbird Bomber - B-17
Warbird Fighter - F4F Wildcat
 
RF-4 and F-104 are my favourites, RF-4 so much my first tattoo was of 'spooky' to remind me of 'home', earliest childhood memory was being in the garden, hearing a jet, looking up and seeing the RF-4 going over, gear and flaps down, as for the F-104... i love it because it was the first aircraft i saw flying low level through a valley. these were both in Greece, the Phantom... Larissa AB, 348MPA. unfortunately the family of spooks on my shoulder is expanding, it went from spooky by himself, to greek spooky, now i'm eyeing up the english spooky :icon_lol:
 
When you're deep in crap and hell breaking loose all around you there is nothing like watching a formation of F-4s or Skyraiders come in and tear things up!!! It's one heck of show. The only other comparable show is PUFF what an aircraft...what an incredible weapons platform!
Ted
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txnetcop said:
When you're deep in crap and hell breaking loose all around you there is nothing like watching a formation of F-4s or Skyraiders come in and tear things up!!! It's one heck of show. The only other comparable show is PUFF what an aircraft...what an incredible weapons platform!
Ted
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only things i've had the priviledge of seeing do CAS are Harriers and an A-10... which decided to shower us in shell casings... but yeah, RF-4/F-4 really do brighten your day, granted they make a beautiful noise and look cool too, but who can ever really deny that the F-104 made a great noise too :icon_lol: that whine at 80%(ish) throttle man what a noise!
 
Smoothie said:
only things i've had the priviledge of seeing do CAS are Harriers and an A-10... which decided to shower us in shell casings... but yeah, RF-4/F-4 really do brighten your day, granted they make a beautiful noise and look cool too, but who can ever really deny that the F-104 made a great noise too :icon_lol: that whine at 80%(ish) throttle man what a noise!
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I've seen 'em fly and they are pretty to look at in the sky, but never saw one in action...that was another war. The best shot of one I saw on TV was the movie The Right Stuff on a big screen with lots of sound. We also had one at Cavanaugh Air Museum here in Addison. Chuck Yeager sure knew how to wring that rascal out!
Ted

Hey Tigs-good thread!


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Dornier 328.

Seen 'em for years zoomin' over my school on final for Mannheim at the same time every day. So this little buggar kind of grew on me, especially as a symbol for the last two extremely awesome years at school.

I've even learned my way around the FSX SDK and the related tools to get it properly into the sim.

By now, I consider myself married to this thing. If I got the opportunity to fly one permanently...well, the relationship with one of another gender wouldn't survive that or suddenly be of less importance. :d
 
I have several.. arrgh...

Fairchild 24R
Northrop Flying Wing (jet, final version)
Horten flying wings, like the WWII fighter as well as a couple of their gliders
Epic LT and Victory (cause induced druel trauma, very messy)


Bill
 
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