Top 10 most significant aircraft

Yes, Edgar Schmued.

He left Germany.....became a U.S. Citizen.

Wonder why?

I'm sorry, that was tactless....he left Germany following WWI because of the economic and political situation, not necessarily driven out by later Nazi policies. However it's pretty clear that he was not pleased with what happened in his country of birth following his departure.
 
Exactly what you said TeaSea. "Is that based on a leap forward in technology, a significant impact upon aviation in general, a successful business platform, public perception?" All of this and more. There is no right answer. I was seeking opinions and have learned some things. For example, I think the Wright Flyer was significant not because it may or may not have been the first powered flight, but because it kicked off rapid development of aircraft in the early 20th century. Just my opinion.
 
Most in my list I find that "leap forward in technology and a significant impact upon aviation in general" go hand in hand.
 
robert41 said:
Exactly what you said TeaSea. "Is that based on a leap forward in technology, a significant impact upon aviation in general, a successful business platform, public perception?" All of this and more. There is no right answer. I was seeking opinions and have learned some things. For example, I think the Wright Flyer was significant not because it may or may not have been the first powered flight, but because it kicked off rapid development of aircraft in the early 20th century. Just my opinion.
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And a good opinion it is too.

My reference to the Wright Flyer is that in creating the entire category, it will inevitably be a #1 choice. That being the case, it's a null in terms of your question.

Note that I haven't posted a list....I'm still mulling it over, but most of mine would have already been mentioned at this point. Either that or I'm afraid of criticism....not sure just yet.
 
Allen said:
Most in my list I find that "leap forward in technology and a significant impact upon aviation in general" go hand in hand.
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Clearly so, and I find myself agreeing with your list on that basis. Absolutely on the Curtiss Golden Flyer, something Curtiss is not often given credit for due to his death (he really died to young to ensure his legacy) and the fight over the patents with the Wrights (for those not aware of the history, the Wrights worked for years suing anyone who attempted to make any type of control for an airplane claiming that their wing warping technology included ailerons).

Some of the aircraft on the list are pretty obscure and frankly, failures (The Comet set back jet air travel in the short term). Still, I would agree that they go on that list.

Interesting though in your list that only the DC-3 would be recognizable to the general public.

Excellent thread.
 
TeaSea said:
Clearly so, and I find myself agreeing with your list on that basis. Absolutely on the Curtiss Golden Flyer, something Curtiss is not often given credit for due to his death (he really died to young to ensure his legacy) and the fight over the patents with the Wrights (for those not aware of the history, the Wrights worked for years suing anyone who attempted to make any type of control for an airplane claiming that their wing warping technology included ailerons).

Some of the aircraft on the list are pretty obscure and frankly, failures (The Comet set back jet air travel in the short term). Still, I would agree that they go on that list.

Interesting though in your list that only the DC-3 would be recognizable to the general public.

Excellent thread.
Click to expand...

The may Comet set back jet air travel in the short term but what we learned from it was a leap for jet air travel.

As for the DC-2/DC-3 the Ford Trimotor or Fokker F.VII may fit better in it place. There has to be some aircraft in the top ten that represents commercial airliner leaps of the 20's and 30s.
 
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