OT: What is your favorite WW2 aircraft and why does it appeal to you?

In Finland the Brewster Model 239.

It may not have been the prettiest (nick name in Finland "the flying bear bottle" :icon_lol:) and certainly not the best fighter of that time (we didn't have any better) but in the hands of Finnish pilots and with the kill ratio 32:1 it was a very valuable weapon against the Soviet Union's overwhelmingly numerous air force.

Pekka
 
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As you might know I love single engine fighters. So without any hesitation I can say the early Messerschmitt Bf109 is my favourite WWII aircraft. When you ever have the chance to take a close look at one, you can admire the craftsmanship with which they are put together. The FW190 is a nice second, because of its sleek lines, but the Bf109 was the first of the 'modern' WWII aircrafts and when the war started the design was a light year further than anything else available.

The Hurricane is my favourite RAF fighter. It has beautiful lines and is a beautiful bridge between the classic build aircraft and the all metal aircraft.

The Dutch didn't have much, but the Fokker C-X (not a fighter) and the Fokker G-1 are definitely beautiful aircraft.

The Curtiss P-36 has always been my favourite US aircraft. I like the sturdy look and it looks almost like something from a comic book.

The French Caudron C-714 is in my opinion the best looking French aircraft. I like it because looks more like a pre-war racer than like a fighter.

The triangular wing shape of most Russian aircraft makes most of them look good. When I ad to choose one I would pick the YAK-3.

Almost all Italian aircraft look good. For some reason I love the Macchi aircraft best. It is hard to choose between a MC.200, MC.202 or MC.205. But the MC.202 Folgore is my favourite.

Cheers,
Huub
 
Bf-109 from the "F" and up.

I just can't fly anything else in IL-2, even though I find the 109 to be a bit fragile. But you're not supposed to get hit when you're out to kill.

Fighting in a 109 feels a bit like fencing. You're wearing your fighting glove and you strike quickly and precisely. No wonder why many 109 aces were masters at aerial gunnery.
 
Bombers... going to be a tie between B-17 and B-25.

Of course I am going to have a naval bias here

British... Spitfire.... beautiful aircraft.

U.S. Gotta love the P-40 and the Wildcat. (Early war bias in as well.):icon_lol:

Germany:Bf-109

Japan: Zero-sen (boy do we need an FSX model) and B5N Kate...... deadly.


Got em close to all covered thanks to Vertigo's efforts on the Mitchell.

Still would love to see the IJN aircraft above and a TBD.
 
Hawker Hurricane, (now thats a surprise given my username)

I've always been partial to the underdog , a plane or person that faceing incredable odds comes out on top. The Hurri was the unsung hero of the Battle of Britian and even though in most cases was out performend by her opponents ,was able, because of her rugged construction to bring many a pilot home. She could also out turn both the Spit and BF 109 but had poor acceleration and slower top speed.
BUT, the top RAF scorer in the Battle was was Robert Tuck who scored 12 on Hurris and 17 on Spits, the top all around RAF pilot of the war was Marmaduke Pattle who scored 26 on Hurris and 15 on Gladiators. Also the only Victoria Cross awarded to a Fighter Command Pilot was Flt Lt Nicolson during the Battle.
Also the Hurri shot down more German aircraft during the Battle than all other defences combined, and according to the leading expert on the Hurri Francis K Mason ,it shot down more enemy aircraft during the war than any other RAF fighter by a wide margin.(Wings of Fame ,vol 2 page 124).
True it wasn't the best as far as preformance, but it was in the fight from beginng to end and remained the most numerous RAF fighter against the Japanese till the end.It was there on D-Day ( flying dispatches between the resistance and the Allies) ,and was always there when needed ,and held the line in whatever theater it served in. Thanks for letting me vent.
 
Any plane that the Military Channel is profiling......:icon_lol:

Seriously, anytime I watch a documentary, I'm mentally going through the hangar inventory to see if I have one.

But, to single out one, it would have to be the P-51 Mustang. It just looks like something to be reckoned with. On the English side, the Hawker Typhoon. Great looking aircraft and heavy hitter.

For multi-engined ones: B-17G Flying Fortress & the Lancaster.

On the Axis side: FW-190 (all variants) and the Zero. Throw in the HE-111 and you are there.
Also, in a class by itself: ME-262A. It just looks like something you didn't want to meet when you're low on fuel and ammo.
 
My favorite is probably a toss-up between The Grumman F6F Hellcat and The Chance/Vought F4U Corsair.That said I believe The HellCat was a very important part of turning the tide of War in the Pacific Theater.

The F6F was Grummans answer to battling The highly manuverable Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero.With a PW R2800 Double Wasp 18cyl Radial engine, It was much more manuverable and powerful than it's predecsessor F4FWildcat,And with heavy armor/self sealing fuel tanks and six Browning .50cal Machine guns it packed a hell of a punch!!! I gotta vote for The Big Cat!
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If I had to pick just one then it would probably be the Lancaster with the spitfire close behind it.

I do love visiting the axis aircraft at the RAF museum in Hendon though, it's one of the few places that has a He111, Ju88, Ju87 and Me109 all in excellent condition.
 
Curtiss AT-9....

To me it has the classic lines of the golden age of aviation. It’s absolutely beautiful. Because they were intentionally designated to be hard to fly most were scraped at the end of their career instead of being sold to into the civilian ga market.
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My fav WW2 aircraft are the late war types. Those that where most technically advanced in airframe, powerplant, electronics. Always have been impressed with the technology that came from the war.
 
P-40E/M/N Kittyhawk and Spitfire (MkV,IX, XVI). Both great flying aircraft, are airshow regulars in NZ and have significant historical ties to NZ.

I expect the Mosquito to join the list when I see one flying here soon.

Honourable mentions: Corsair, P-51D Mustang, Yak-3, Bf-109F/G and Zero.
 
For the UK I'm going to say Fairey Firefly, I've always liked the lines and she was multi-role enough to do ground attack or air-to-air, heck she could out turn a Zero.

For the US, despite being a naval aviation fan, I'm going to say the P-51. The fact is, if I won the lottery that's the plane I'd buy. Well that or a Sea Fury but they don't count for this survey.

For Germany, I think it's the DO-335? The one with a prop at both ends and a tricycle undercarriage, just looks like it's light years ahead of its time.

For the same reason for Japan I'm going for the Shinden, which just counts as they had a couple of prototypes flying.
 
That would have to be the P-38 because when I was a very young kid, I had a dream I was shot down at the end of the Pacific War. In that dream I was flying a P-38. That dream was as real as it gets without being awake.

I was born in 1946 a year after the war ended....re-incarnation anyone?
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Re: the AT-9...sure would love to see one of those for FSX.
 
OK then, let me be the first one to state:

My no. one favorite plane of WW2 is the FiatCR42!

It's appearance as a biplane in a time when every other nation was switching to monoplanes is somehow fascinating. The Germans ordered them even after the Italian armistice in late 43! (as night ground attack plane) Also, it was the first plastic kit I did when I was veeeeery much younger!

But as for fighting power and handling I would rather have to enter a dogfight in a Fiat G55 as it was one of the best propeller driven fighters, built in (luckily) too small numbers!

cheers
 
My first place fav WWII aircraft has always been the B-29, because that's what my father flew in.

Since I tend to prefer nose-wheels and more than one prop, the Black Widow and Douglas Invader were always on the cool list.

If I were forced to pick a single engine pea shooter with the nose wheel on the wrong end :) ....that spot went to the Hawker Sea Fury. It just always looked like my definition of big, mean and fast.

FAC
 
Yeah,

I must say that it's a bit sad that we are lacking a native B-29. It was such a momentous aircraft, introducing many features that lead us into the modern era in terms of aircraft design. It accomplished so many things. Just the fact that it dropped the H-bomb was enough to put it in the record books, but it introduced many other firsts and was significant in so many other ways...
If I could ride on/ fly a WWII bomber, it would be the CAF's "FiFi".

Jp
 
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