My vote goes for the Century Fighter, the F 100 Super Sabre...

As much of an attractive aircraft the F 86 was, and followed by the Hawker Hunter of the RAF,
I have always thought the most attractive lines belonged to the F 100 Super Sabre...

Here's a photo of one at Andrews AFB in the late 1950s or early 1960s...

I think a lot of them have something that appeals but for one that just reaches out to grab you, I think the 'first' is still very, very business like, very sleek and well, it just looks like it wants to fly! i speak of course of the Me262 Schwalbe (German for Swallow)

And this is an aircraft that is 65+ years old!
if you ever get to the Flughafen in FRA there's one of these babies in a museum up on the roof. I don't know if it is open the general public but if not see if you can get an escort to go up and visit - it is well worth the effort.

My vote goes to the F-104. The nicest example I've seen is the ship flown by NASA out of Moffett.

If the Horton/Gotha 229 had gotten into service, I'd probably pick it. There's some neat artwork of the 229 on Lust46.

RG

Maybe one of these fine days I can figure how to post a picture! ARGHH!

I go with the F-106. It was our premiere Fighter Interceptor from the late 50's to mid to late 80's.

Very few A/C can boast that long of a continus service record. Not untill the F-15 and 16 came along that it's performance suffered.

It is/was a sleek beautiful bird. It was not nicknamed the Delta Dart for nothing. They were beautiful.

Best wishes, Bill

Weapons Load Crew 5th FIS, Minot AFB North Dakota and 460th FIS Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. 2 of ADC's finest.

If a jet being built around a cannon is a thing of beauty than the a10 wins!

quote:

My vote goes to the F-104.

So does mine...

Just-A-Hunter-

Just a quick aside about your "Beast" the F-4..

I was looking at drag figures yesterday, and got a suprise!

A/C C/d

F-4 Phantom II (subsonic) .021

Learjet 24 .022

Cessna 310 .027

The "Beast" is slicker than it looks!

RG

I,ve always had a soft spot for the old F-101 Voodoo, but the F-4 Phantom is a close second.

All great choices but I like the F 86 Sabre-

I also think the MiGs are cool, esp the MiG 9....

i was always partial to the f14 tomcat as a fighter but i REALLY think the most beautiful mil jet was the SR71 blackbird even tho it's not a fighter it's still most impressive jet aircraft of all time!!

quote:

Originally posted by TrapperP:
I think a lot of them have something that appeals but for one that just reaches out to grab you, I think the 'first' is still very, very business like, very sleek and well, it just looks like it wants to fly! i speak of course of the Me262 Schwalbe (German for Swallow)

And this is an aircraft that is 65+ years old!
if you ever get to the Flughafen in FRA there's one of these babies in a museum up on the roof. I don't know if it is open the general public but if not see if you can get an escort to go up and visit - it is well worth the effort.

Really a fine bird http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7620890100890480

Although perhaps technically a fighter-bomber the much maligned F-111 Aardvark has always been a favorite of mine.

F86's except the radome equipped D model. The entire Century series were beautiful airplanes. I also have a soft spot for the F101, my best friends father flew them and was renowned through out the USAF for beating two F4's with one at William Tell in a 2 v 1 scenario. Dick also introduced me to flying in his MCMD 300 Lyc. powered Stearman and inspired me to own the one in my Avitar.

When you look at the lines of the F22, it is without a doubt the best looking of the fifth generation of fighter aircraft.

I've posted this before, but I love this little a/c. The A-4 Skyhawk (a/k/a Scooter and Tinker Toy) took me to dangerous places and always brought me back. I wasn't flying this particular aircraft, but it's from a squadron in which I served, VMA-324 (The Vagabonds). Damn, I miss kicking the tire and lighting the fire!

Lots of old Marines are around to have grandchildren due to this little airplane 'cause it kicked ass when needed. Grunts regularly bought the drinks for A-4 pilots at the "O" Club... and we just looked at them in respectful awe (still taking their whiskey, of course), because those guys were tough sons-of-bitches.

Lot's of beautiful fighter jets but the best looking bomber IMO is the B-58 Hustler. It's as pretty as most fighters.

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
I've posted this before, but I love this little a/c. The A-4 Skyhawk (a/k/a Scooter and Tinker Toy) took me to dangerous places and always brought me back. I wasn't flying this particular aircraft, but it's from a squadron in which I served, VMA-324 (The Vagabonds). Damn, I miss kicking the tire and lighting the fire!

Lots of old Marines are around to have grandchildren due to this little airplane 'cause it kicked ass when needed. Grunts regularly bought the drinks for A-4 pilots at the "O" Club... and we just looked at them in respectful awe (still taking their whiskey, of course), because those guys were tough sons-of-bitches.

If you are ambushed from both sides and hung up in a bend of the river, the most beautiful sight in the world is seeing those long, shining cannisters of naplam come tumbling out from the little A-4. Best airplane in the world to 'scratch your back' when the situation goes to crap and the boats are taking it hard. Hats off to the A-4 and the A-4 drivers!

Most interesting A4 story I know of was by Wayne Marshal. He and his brother, both Marine pilots, in the same unit, doing a ridge crossing upside down in New England, 200' off the deck, 500 yards apart at 350kts or so on a low level training mission. It was during the peak of the fall colors. Imaging looking over at your wingman/brother and knowing very few brothers in the world will ever see a sight like that.

I will have to ask Wayne if he has the photo he snapped of that and can email it to me.

The two A4's I didn't see.

I've been a lot closer, head on through a formation of Mil jets, but these A4's were kiwi's over here to raise hell apparently.

I was dusting on hills under 5000msl and these jokers were supposed to be at 7000, so i ignored them.

One landing, which was a U turn just inside a ridge couple hundred feet high, I decided (out of boredom) to land as long as possible, and scare the heck out of the loader and client, so pulled up about 100 feet making about 200 agl., and close to the ridge.

On turn around and loading they DID look rather shocked which pleased me no end.
When I stopped for fuel the driver said "did you see those jets?" WHAT Jets? i says.
"The ones that went under you" Or hell I says, they prob just looked under me and were further away. "Yeah, well they were this side of the ridge too", he says.

Just as well I pulled up a bit. Maybe they thought I was giving them some seaway.

Next week: closer,lower, head-on, sh*t was trumps.

Look up the fighter that never was - the Canadian Avro Arrow.

+1 on the F-104...looks like it is doing mach 1 when sitting on the tarmac!!!

I always thought that the F9F Panther was a classic -- S40

That's tough! I like most of them but my all time favorite is the F4 Phantom. Lou

My vote goes for the Gloster Javlin

Or maybe the Fairy Delta2, with a top speed in excess of 1300mph! Not bad for a 1950s vintage aircraft!

quote:

Gloster Javlin

Quasi-Spacecraft/Submarine design ques...very interesting proportions and canopy(s).

F-4

I think the F-15 has it hands down. The Airplane was built for a Knife fight. But I also think the F-22 just takes it lines wise. And you will never see it coming. But his is the Twenty first century and I think the UAV's are going to take over, just like guns took over from Bows.

Seems airplanes are like women. Some men like em long and lean. Others prefer short and sqat. I have a special feeling for the original F-86 Sabre. It was flown by Canada's acrobatic team at one time and when I was a kid, I watched one crash, after a collision with a light aircraft.
Grizz

I'd almost forgotton the DeHavilland Sea Vixen, another 1960 vintage with beautiful lines

Made with parts left over from the OV-10 Bronco...??

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
Made with parts left over from the OV-10 Bronco...??

Don't you know recyclings good!

Besides DeHavilland have been making twin tail boom jets since just after the WW2 when they introduced the Vampire, the first jet fighter to operate from an aircraft carrier and the first jet to transit the Atlantic..

Tigershark
I always liked the F-20, thought it was a neat little bird.

I think the best looking fighter now is the latest Russian Sukhoi 35 followed by the F-20 and the Me 262.

Steve E.......

You can buy a Su-35 at your local War-Mart for a bag of rubles...Me-262's are back in production..but the F20...that's a rare bird - only one remaining in museum in L.A....

My first vote, F-104, people called it the "manned missile" but it was really far more manueverable than most people gave it credit for, because it was very light weight.

CLOSE second goes to the F-86, other than a "Dog Nose" D version.

Third is the F-100, but NOT the "skinny rudder" early version... high speed instability causing crashes is "Bad", A "smoking hole" never looks "sexy"

fourth is the F16 particularly when "clean".

fifth goes to an airplane that never was, but probably shoulda been... The XB-70, prvided someone doesn't fly an F-104 into the wingtip vortices and subsequently through both rudders.

with an honorable mention going to the Canadian CF-104


The aircraft in this group I'd most like to have? (even if someone else were paying for the fuel) an F-86, but if I had a supply of spares
I'd be just as happy with a Mig-17
(longer range greater speed and none of the stability issues of the -15)


AD

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
I've posted this before, but I love this little a/c. The A-4 Skyhawk (a/k/a Scooter and Tinker Toy) took me to dangerous places and always brought me back. I wasn't flying this particular aircraft, but it's from a squadron in which I served, VMA-324 (The Vagabonds). Damn, I miss kicking the tire and lighting the fire!

Lots of old Marines are around to have grandchildren due to this little airplane 'cause it kicked ass when needed. Grunts regularly bought the drinks for A-4 pilots at the "O" Club... and we just looked at them in respectful awe (still taking their whiskey, of course), because those guys were tough sons-of-bitches.

The A-4 is my choice. JudgeG, I am biased as you, except, I never got to fly it, but my brother was/is the last Marine pilot to come out of training command to fly the A-4. He spent a year overseas, first with VMA-214 then with VMA-211! He was also, one of 4 pilots, to fly for Boyinton's funeral.

I remember all the aircraft which came on those large black and white oversized postcards obtained from machines in amusement parks. That was in the 50's and I know those old beasties when I see them. I liked the F9F Panthers as carrier planes. However I do recall when I heard the radio news reports of the first Migs to show up in Korea. They fought Mustangs. Then Sabres came in. Shortly afterwards Revell made Mig 15 plastic model kits. I got the Mig 15 and always liked it because it was like a big silver guinea pig.

The Migs and Sabres are big on jet model builders sites. It is hard to believe but turbine engines have been made for model use for some time. Very large and very hairy models have been built. Do a net search for jet powered model magazines to get the details.

To me they are all beautiful. When I enlisted in the USAF eons ago, it was to fly. Found it was a promise met and a promise broken. But no regrets. I did get to spend time in some of the then era's war birds but never in a fighter.
a B-25 once, then B-29s, B-50s, the B-57 Canberra. If any of you ever spent any time when the base in Yuma, Arizona, was Vincent AFB before the marines took it over let me know. My outift was the 17th Tow Target Squadron.

quote:

Originally posted by billinthewild:
To me they are all beautiful. When I enlisted in the USAF eons ago, it was to fly. Found it was a promise met and a promise broken. But no regrets. I did get to spend time in some of the then era's war birds but never in a fighter.
a B-25 once, then B-29s, B-50s, the B-57 Canberra. If any of you ever spent any time when the base in Yuma, Arizona, was Vincent AFB before the marines took it over let me know. My outift was the 17th Tow Target Squadron.

What years were you there..??

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
Made with parts left over from the OV-10 Bronco...??

Don't you know recyclings good!

Besides DeHavilland have been making twin tail boom jets since just after the WW2 when they introduced the Vampire, the first jet fighter to operate from an aircraft carrier and the first jet to transit the Atlantic..

If I don't mistake, this Vampire bears the French Navy cocardes.

All beautiful airplanes. My favorite: