Always loved piston warfighters. While jets are cool, nothing beats the piston engine warbird.

From the looks department only, I would have loved to have flown the P-38 Lightning, Mosquito, Sea Fury and the A-1 Skyraider. But if my butt was on the line, nothing could hold a candle to the P-47 Jug. Wasn't pretty, but it was lethal and you couldn't kill it. Probably the only thing flying today that could match it's survivability and brutal ruggedness would be the A-10.

In regards to jets, the F-14, F-22, Gripen-E, and Sukhoi T-50 are probably the best looking but if my butt was on the line, then the F-15C hands down.

My hand's down favorite is the Spitfire. Perhaps the most elegant, understated, beautiful airplane ever built.

As a HS kid I was with my family in Athens in 1975, and the Greeks had a Spit in the common area of the airport, cordoned off by red rope. It was painted in the 1940's Greek airforce camo. My dad, an airline pilot, and knowing my love for the plane told me, "go get in!" He raised the red rope, helped me onto the wing and into the cockpit. What surprised me most was how small it was. Great experience! People must have been scratching their head's at such audacity!

I had the same experience as a kid with an Me109, was quite surprised how small the cockpit was and I was still in high school.

North American T-6 since watching one do aerobatics at Williams Field in Arizona as a kid in the 1949 era.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
North American T-6 since watching one do aerobatics at Williams Field in Arizona as a kid in the 1949 era.

Butch, here's my dad and his T6 circa 1951. He loved flying acrobatics in his.

Here's a fun T-6 video...

About anything with a Merlin in it ...

quote:

Originally posted by Brad:

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
North American T-6 since watching one do aerobatics at Williams Field in Arizona as a kid in the 1949 era.

Butch, here's my dad and his T6 circa 1951. He loved flying acrobatics in his.

That's a great Photo. A group of them fly over the house every year going to the airshow at the Addison Airport in north Dallas.

Unquestionably the P-51, the fighter that swept the Luftwaffe from the skies over Germany. You gotta get there and back if you want to be in the fight. One old fighter guy I read about said he'd rather dogfight in a Spit, unless he was over Berlin. There he wanted to be in a P-51 so he could actually come back home.......

Dad flew P-51's in WWII. So that will always be my favorite. That said, there are many great planes from every era.

On second thought:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFrBkI9m0Ng

Bill thanks for posting. I had forgotten that Lindbergh was present in the Pacific Theater. What a contribution he had. Probably saved a whole bunch of American lives while killing a whole bunch of little yellow devils.

Didn't know he had a kill to his credit.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
North American T-6 since watching one do aerobatics at Williams Field in Arizona as a kid in the 1949 era.

We call them Harvards up here. could always tell them by sound when I was a kid.



Grizz

Warbird of old
P-38

More modern
F-101

Love the sound . . . . ROAR of any of the old radial war birds passing over way up high

There was a guy in Socorro that owned a P-38 and you could here him coming up the valley when came to ABQ. One just hoped they would be out to hear/see him come by on the way back in the afternoon.

Opus, that film contains some of the finest pilot interviews I have seen. God bless old Charles -- and Kelly Johnson!

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams:

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
North American T-6 since watching one do aerobatics at Williams Field in Arizona as a kid in the 1949 era.

We call them Harvards up here. could always tell them by sound when I was a kid.



Grizz

Used to be an old airport outside of Mesa, Az. called Falcon Field. In the late 40s it was abandoned except for crop dusters. My first plane ride was in an old Stearman. I was told the RAF trained there in the years previous to that.

Besides the P-51, I'll add the F-86. Pure fighter - they never ruined it by hanging bombs and junk on it.

The cats..

F4-4 Wildcat
F6-F Hellcat
F7-F Tigercat
F8-F Bearcat

My two favorites are the Wildcat and the Bearcat.

My dad owned and flew a Wildcat when I was a kid.

quote:

Originally posted by just say moe:
Besides the P-51, I'll add the F-86. Pure fighter - they never ruined it by hanging bombs and junk on it.

F 86 has a special place in my heart since I watched one of the Golden Hawks, Canada's aerobatic team at the time, Hit a light plane on approach to Calgary, when I was a kid. Both aircraft crashed, killing 4 people.

Grizz

No fair!! "Favorite" means ONE......

If we are going to say "favoriteS", mine include:

P-40
P-38
P-47
P-51
Spit
F-86
C-130
B-17
B-25
B-52
B-1
F-106
F-105
T-38
F-4
F-15
F-22

OK so maybe it would be easier to simply list what you don't like...

I didn't really like the T-37. Hot, noisy, slow spoiling engines, underpowered......

Super Hornet
Raptor
A-10

P-51 Mustang
F8F Bearcat
and for modern
F-104 Starfighter...looks like it is going Mach 2 while standing still on the ground.

In no particular order:
ME 109
FW 190
ME 262

P51
P38
Spitfire
F4 Phantom
F4U Corsair
F22
F14

Bomber- B17

Fighter- P-51

Trainer- Navy Stearman N2S-1

It will have to be the Mirage III for me, I'm afraid!

F4-U Corsair
F89 Scorpion

anything with a rotary engine from WW1

P-40B in AVG markings
A-6M Zero
Spitfire
FW190

Years ago I sat in a P-47 that Air Heritage had restored at the Beaver Falls Airport. I was surprised how much room was in the cockpit! Worked on a P-36 Airacobra that was found in a South Pacific jungle. Sadly the owner of the planes , Dave Tallechet (spelling?) passed away and the plane was never finished. It had a door like a car to enter and exit!

Sorry it was a P-39 Airacobra!

More favorites, some not necessarily warbirds:
Bellanca Aircruiser
Curtis BT-32 Condor
P-26 Peashooter
Martin B-10
Douglas B-18 Bolo
Dornier Bomber (forget the nomenclature)
Messerschmidt BF-110 Zerstorer
Junkers JU-87 Stuka
DeHaviland Mosquito
Vought F4-U Corsair
Grumman F3F
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
F-86 Sabre
F-89 Scorpion
If narrowed to one, the winner is.......
F-89 Scorpion

They had F89C and F89D at Ladd AFB in Fairbanks, Ak in the middle 50s.

My wife likes the U2-TR1 as my Son was a crew chief on them for over 20years. She was lucky to be able to ride in the Camaro chase car at Beale AFB.

My dad was on the USS Intrepid during WW-II and I always thought the F-4U was "it". The gull wings, 12ft. prop. Oh, and the show Black Sheep Squadron when I was a kid.
But, I might have to concede that the P-51 was quite a machine.

Old: probably a p-51 being an American.

New: easy the F-22 Raptor. But I'm biased having been involved with the development, building and training Air Force maintainers on it.

Cougarz, I look forward to seeing and hearing the Raptors of the 49th Wing at Holloman AFB.

P-51 Mustang...if you ever fly one, it will be a life long love affair!!...I did in college and 50 years later still in love!!

Now, follow up....the stealthy SR-71...none faster to this date....and what a mission!!

Cheers,