Topic: What's your favourite aircraft? (Read 226176 times)

roycv · « **Reply #475 on:** July 07, 2020, 05:34:38 pm »

I can only say that as far as this forum is concerned NOBODY has forgotten the Mosquito.

This is not really unexpected as perhaps some 40 years ago a similar forum might have been talking about the aircraft of the first world war, and who has remembered them?

Nobody's favourite aircraft has been the Sopwith Camel or the Bristol F2 or perhaps the German Albatross and DH 4 bomber.
It is all related to your age. If I were offered a working model aircraft today it would be a biplane. A Tiger Moth or a less known Hawker Hart.
Just my 2 pennorth.
Roy

Dave_S. · « **Reply #476 on:** July 07, 2020, 06:11:55 pm »

Forty years ago was 1980, WWI was a distant memory even then. I suspect a 'favourite aircraft; thread in 1980 would have featured Spitfires, etc and quite a few post war jets - Lightning, Hunter, Harrier and so on.

LJ Crew · « **Reply #477 on:** July 07, 2020, 06:34:16 pm »

My Choice must be the DH4 WW1 bomber. My dad flew one in France. He was shot down and survived for another 62 years! If you limit it to WW2 then the Mosquito. I sat in the prototype cockpit at Hatfield.

roycv · « **Reply #478 on:** July 07, 2020, 11:20:06 pm »

Hi Dave S not quite as WW2 is further back from us now than WW1 was in 1980. But apart from that there were very many aircraft in both wars.

When the need for speed and then the mission requirements are put into the design then I contend that for the same number of engines per aircraft they all looked much the same!

There will always be the odd one but take the Mosquito. Not much different to the Messerschmidt 210.

The main claim that the Mosquito is remembered by is that it was made of wood, I know it was fast and safe etc.

Later perhaps compare the Sabre (very elegant a/c) with the MiG 15, not quite so good looking.

Then there is the Me. 262 also a good looking a/c but we had the Meteor, perhaps not such a pretty sight. Both slim body, 2 engines but the 262 exploited the swept back wings. Otherwise similar

Depends on how you think of favourite perhaps you worked on the a/c or had a family connection or read of the exploits, but fortunately we are all different.

Or as I once heard someone say "Yes, you are unique, just like everybody else"

I make no bones about it, for me its the Fairey Gannet and the Warthog, ugly but full of character.
Roy

warspite · « **Reply #479 on:** July 08, 2020, 11:39:29 am »

Victor K2

roycv · « **Reply #480 on:** July 08, 2020, 12:05:45 pm »

Yes the Victor is very imposing in flight, I once saw one flying straight towards me and it looked like a bird of prey. I thought at the time The Klingons are coming!
Roy

Baldrick · « **Reply #481 on:** July 08, 2020, 01:45:13 pm »

If I could go for a joint favourite my initial other would be joined by the giant dingbat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=130&v=CIHgmBbDAvI&feature=emb_title. The 4 x Olympus howl had a totally bowl moving characteristic that has never been captured adequately on any video clip, it had to be experienced live to be appreciated .
A good few years back when they were in full service we were driving and saw ahead a Vulcan obviously doing a display . It was low, going at a very slow speed doing a sweeping turn completely on wing ends , one straight down one straight up. It made me gasp, what the hell is holding that thing up. A plane that big having such aeronautic agility was just not right. Shame they do fly any more , it belonged in the air.

KitS · « **Reply #482 on:** July 08, 2020, 01:53:33 pm »

What a superb video clip that is, thanks for the link.

Jonty · « **Reply #483 on:** July 08, 2020, 08:35:01 pm »

How about the de Havilland Hornet - a refined Mosquito?

G-DEMP · « **Reply #484 on:** January 05, 2021, 06:32:02 pm »

I can’t believe there are no sailplane lovers....

Best aircraft ? Anything without an engine

KitS · « **Reply #485 on:** January 05, 2021, 07:21:16 pm »

Quote from: G-DEMP on January 05, 2021, 06:32:02 pm

I can’t believe there are no sailplane lovers....

Best aircraft ? Anything without an engine

There are, a Duo-Discus for me. The Concorde of the sailplane world.

Andy M · « **Reply #486 on:** January 25, 2021, 10:54:48 am »

I like sailplanes too. 😁 Photo taken quite a while ago. It is still unflown, I need to train up a tug pilot.

JimG · « **Reply #487 on:** January 25, 2021, 11:44:40 am »

I'me sure there are plenty of suitable slopes near you, it looks perfect for some slope soaring.
Jim

Andy M · « **Reply #488 on:** January 25, 2021, 11:56:16 am »

Hi Jim, the usual place myself and my friends used to use for slope soaring has a very narrow ridge to land on, with a foot wide path flanked by 2 foot high ferns and loads of bedrock poking through, hence my wish to aerotow it instead. Even landing a Ridge Runt on it could rip a wing off.

Andy M · « **Reply #489 on:** January 25, 2021, 11:59:28 am »

Film covering doesnt stand up well to pokey bracken stalks. 😬
I have plenty of other planes to fly, my hanger queen can stay pristine till I find a suitable slope or a tug and pilot.

JimG · « **Reply #490 on:** January 25, 2021, 06:40:52 pm »

Not too good a slope for larger gliders, when I used to fly from the slope the ones I used were covered in heather with a good approach for landing. Models just bounced if landed a bit hard.
Jim

Andy M · « **Reply #491 on:** January 25, 2021, 09:44:16 pm »

The pic shows the western end of a ridge running down from Conic hill, which is the peak in the back ground. Just above Balmaha on the banks of Loch Lomond. It was an awesome bit to fly with almost the whole of Loch in view. We used to park at the foot of the ridge and hike up the relatively short path to the end of the ridge. There is no parking allowed anywhere up that road now, the alternative is a mile hike up steps that are about 2 feet high each. Or getting dropped off at the original path. My legs arent really up for hiking up hills now, so I pretty much fly my electric stuff now.

Andy M · « **Reply #492 on:** January 25, 2021, 09:56:09 pm »

Here is my Spitfire with an amazing view of Loch Lomond, it was a power model kit, supposed to be powered by a .45 glow engine but I built it as a slope soarer with lead discs behind the spinner. It flew surprisingly well considering it was a nearly symmetrical section wing. A very sleek model which built up speed really quickly. Needed a good heave on launch though!

ddmckee54 · « **Reply #493 on:** April 01, 2021, 10:13:35 pm »

Geez, can we go by categories?

Fighters/Pursuit aircraft - P-61 Black Widow, the only fighter in WWII designed from the ground up to be a night fighter. Everything else was a conversion of an existing aircraft.

Cargo aircraft - Hands down the C-130 Hercules, 'cause it was born in '54 same as me. (They've flown to every continent, and they're still building them.)

Bombers - Martin's Miscarriage the B-26/A-26

Trainers - T-28D Trojan, 'cause it just looks cool whether it's in traning colors or warpaint.

Don

Backerther · « **Reply #494 on:** April 02, 2021, 01:47:02 am »

Hi all;

My favorite one is this...Super marine Sea fire onboard fighter, of course....!

Except this one in the last pic in which our Old Navy carrier fighter Type Zero is seen just to take off for
a certain air operation.

Attention to the Sea fire which is spinning the props powerfully.!

JimG · « **Reply #495 on:** April 02, 2021, 11:57:38 am »

Quote from: ddmckee54 on April 01, 2021, 10:13:35 pm

Geez, can we go by categories?

Fighters/Pursuit aircraft - P-61 Black Widow, the only fighter in WWII designed from the ground up to be a night fighter. Everything else was a conversion of an existing aircraft.

Don

You are forgetting the Heinkel He219 Uhu or doesn't it count because it is not american.

roycv · « **Reply #496 on:** April 03, 2021, 03:02:17 pm »

Perhaps it is just my own opinion but if the Zero had been built by the West it would have not been so successful. It had no self sealing fuel tanks no armour protection for the pilot and the poor sod didn't have a parachute either! This made it very light in weight etc.

Shooting the Zero down was simply to aim at the wing fuel tanks. Inevitably over time they must lose all their experienced pilots and were forced into the Kamikaze scenario.
During the WW2 war I believe that apart from the Me 163 rocket powered a/c the fastest jet aircraft was the Arado 234 bomber. Mainly used for high flying aerial surveilance they were used over Italy and so knew exactly where the Allies were. Too high and too fast to attack although there was an attempt see Mark Felton's short war videos on Youtube.
Roy

Peter Fitness · « **Reply #497 on:** April 04, 2021, 12:48:43 am »

According to my information the fastest WW2 jet was the Me 262, with a top speed of approximately 870 kph whereas the Arado 234's top speed was about 740 kph. The rocket powered Me 163's top speed was in excess of 1000 kph.

Peter.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #498 on:** April 04, 2021, 01:30:19 am »

( if this is in bad taste, let me know )

Backerther · « **Reply #499 on:** April 04, 2021, 03:11:14 am »

I also like these planes..Focke-Wulf FW190D-9 "Dora" which I thought was one of technically advanced fighter in those days.
That's why I made it at 1/9 scale RC plane long after a Zero fighter had been made many years previously...

The last two pics are my 1/8 Zero flying over me for landing and just low-passing as if the real one did.

The real one was designed in the first place to be able to make a sharp dog fight superiorly against the enemy plane,
which was one of our Old Navy requirements including long range flight capability on the ocean in those days
of later 1930s...

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Author Topic: What's your favourite aircraft? (Read 226176 times)