What aircraft inspires you?

[Little Stevie]

All the WWII aircraft:

Especially all the bombers in the A's and B's from 17's through 25's


The P 38 Lightning - fast but not as maneuverable in dog fights, it was the only fighter that was used from the start to the finish of WWII

The Corsair - Carrier based and had the distinction of being the longest manufactured piston-driven aircraft in the U.S. Military

The English Spitfire

The Japanese Zero

The P 51 Mustang - one of the fastest fighters in the U.S. prop fleet used until well into the Korean war.

Then there was the classic cold war faceoff between the F-86 and the first Soviet Migs

[TheDaliLama]

Even though the bads flew it...the MIG 15 was ahead of it's time.

It was the F16 of it times.

[Jackie S]

I.B., ditto on the Thunderbolt, and just about any plane that had that awesome R-2800 Pratt & Whitney.

[Guest123018-4]

If yo never built your own you just never would understand.

[JONBALLS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6tB8...eature=related

[JD Barleycorn]

How about the first plane you soloed in?

the Cessna 150

and the hottest plane so far the Archer

[Mokoa]

[shooter1a]

Anything built by DeHavilland.
I know they are Canadian but damn good ships.
As a stupid youth I flew an Otter through a thunderstorm out of Mineral Wells.
They say that with enough power a brick will fly but if DeHavilland attaches wings then it want take much power.

Oh yes the Cessna 150. Thank you Cessna for a ship so easy to pilot that a dumb kid still in high school could fly it and learn the love of flying.

[dilbert firestorm]

P-38 lightning (its namesake F-35 Lightning II is awful and does not deserve the name given)
P-61 black widow
F-86 saber jet

[I B Hankering]

Originally Posted by Jackie S

I.B., ditto on the Thunderbolt, and just about any plane that had that awesome R-2800 Pratt & Whitney.

Read CPT Robert S. Johnson’s book, Thunderbolt!, while in high school. He was the fifth highest WWII scoring U.S. Ace with 27 kills. On June 26, 1943, Johnson was flying a P-47C at the rear of the 61st Squadron's formation flying escort for B-17s. His plane was seriously damaged by a 20 mm shell that exploded in his cockpit and ruptured his hydraulic system. Burned and partially blinded by hydraulic fluid, Johnson tried to bail out, but could not open his shattered canopy.

After pulling out of an uncontrolled spin and with the fire amazingly going out on its own, Johnson headed for the English Channel, but was intercepted by a single Fw 190. Unable to fight back, he maneuvered while under a series of attacks, and although sustaining further heavy damage from both 7.92mm and 20mm rounds, managed to survive until the German ran out of ammunition, who, after saluting him by rocking his wings, turned back. His opponent has never been identified, but Johnson could have been one of three victories claimed that day by the commander of III/JG 2, Oberst Egon Mayer. After landing, Johnson tried to count the bullet holes in his airplane, but when he passed 200, including 21, 20 mm cannon shell impacts, without even moving around the aircraft, he gave up: a testament to the durability of the P47.

BTW, Erich Hartmann’s story – The Blonde Knight of Germany – is also interesting. He scored 352 aerial victories. He flew the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Messerschmitt Me-262 and crashed a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. “Ace of aces”, he scored a record high 352 kills in 1,404 sorties. During the post war period he flew the Canadair Sabre and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in the West German Air Force. Most of Hartmann's WWII victories were against Russian planes and Russian piloted P-39 Airacobras, but he did shoot down at least two (some say seven) U.S. piloted P-51s over Romania.

[Munchmasterman]

Originally Posted by bigtex

I have always been partial to the C-141 Starlifter.

Anyone who has jumped out of a C-119 or C-130, would also be inspired by the C-141!

Airborne!

1 jump out of a 119, 2 out of a 123, one out of a 130, one from a 141 during jump school.

Throw in a few C-7 Caribou jumps, UH-1, the Chinook, and more 130 and 141 for a total of 33

P 51
F 15
B 26 are faves.

Airborne to you too!

Edit PS

Can't forget the P 38

[Munchmasterman]

Originally Posted by Little Stevie

All the WWII aircraft:

Especially all the bombers in the A's and B's from 17's through 25's


The P 38 Lightning - fast but not as maneuverable in dog fights, it was the only fighter that was used from the start to the finish of WWII

The Corsair - Carrier based and had the distinction of being the longest manufactured piston-driven aircraft in the U.S. Military

The English Spitfire

The Japanese Zero

The P 51 Mustang - one of the fastest fighters in the U.S. prop fleet used until well into the Korean war.

Then there was the classic cold war faceoff between the F-86 and the first Soviet Migs

A F4U Corsair shot down a Mig 15 to score the Navy's first victory of the Korean War. During the Korean war the F4Us shot down several other Migs.

[ledge12]

old Fighter/Pursuit
1. P51 Mustang
2. F4-U Corsair
3. P47 Thunderbolt/Jug

Multi Engine
the B29 Rocked but the B17 has a romance to it and the guy who drove a P38 had the most kills in WW2 (Dick Bong)

I could never afford to learn to fly but i did used to build the small single engines.... from what i've seen get a new one, the quality standards are much higher now but way less than quality standards on a small jet.

[nevergaveitathought]

when i was a kid it was the P51 mustang

and the B24 bomber

and then of course the "wow thats the fastest airplane in the world" the X-15

[Iaintliein]

A lot of great and historic aircraft mentioned, but a couple are notably absent so far (EDIT: I see IB beat me to it!). A trend setter in every way, Willie's brainchild flew fought, and occasionally won against aircraft designed almost a decade after it. Also absent is it's nemesis.

Here is an excellent 10 minute short film featuring a great CGI encounter between the venerable 109 and it's arch rival the Supermarine Spitfire.



Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/31202906