5 Favourite Planes

[SaparotRob]

and why could the P-40 roll faster and almost anything take more punishment than the Spitfire.

The title question is open to all sorts of interpretations

To fly?

• 40 hp Piper Cub - you cant go anywhere but you sure can have a lot of Fun.
• 450 hp Stearman - again Fun with a capital F
• TBM - enjoyable except for that brain smashing top centre canopy rail
• AT-6 - no special reason, just like it.
• nothing else came close to those four

To work on?

• Mitsubishi Mu-2 (except main gear rigging)
• P-40
• T-6
• Martin B-26
• TBF/M

To look at?

• dH Hornet
• Arado 234
• P-39
• A6M
• Westland Whirlwind

These are the comparisons that are the most interesting to me. I've read the superlatives of aircraft and the complaints of same. I gave up on which plane I'd want to fly into combat decades ago. But, some of these planes are still around. So I want to know which planes were/are a delight to fly. There may have been great fighters with one drawback, pilots would rather chew their feet off rather than fly them again.
Someone posted a quote that the B-17 was like flying a four engine Piper Cub. A bit of hyperbole, perhaps. The T-6 sure sounds like a blast to fly. It was one of the reasons why the BPC went to NAA in the first place.
I was surprised by the MU-2 and TBM being relatively easy to maintain. No real reason why other than they seem pretty complicated machines.

 

[MiTasol]

These are the comparisons that are the most interesting to me. I've read the superlatives of aircraft and the complaints of same. I gave up on which plane I'd want to fly into combat decades ago. But, some of these planes are still around. So I want to know which planes were/are a delight to fly. There may have been great fighters with one drawback, pilots would rather chew their feet off rather than fly them again.
Someone posted a quote that the B-17 was like flying a four engine Piper Cub. A bit of hyperbole, perhaps. The T-6 sure sounds like a blast to fly. It was of the reasons why the BPC went to NAA in the first place.
I was surprised by the MU-2 and TBM being relatively easy to maintain. No real reason why other than they seem pretty complicated machines.

The Mu-2 is very easy in almost all areas. Two people can remove an engine in under 20 minutes and refit it in under 30 which made doing the maintenance on the high maintenance items on the back of the gear case dead easy while hanging on the floor crane. You can take a left engine and fit it to the right side of the aircraft (and vice versa) with zero conversion required because the electrical harness is designed to allow that. Magic when maintaining a fleet because you do not have to build up separate left and right powerplants. The only downside was the main gear door rigging which was slow and tedious but worked 100% of the time if you strictly followed the manual.

An engine change on the Gulfstream (Aero Commander) 690 with the same engine and same people was a full days hard work and if you nipped the exhaust seal (very easy) then you had to do the whole $%^&* thing again. And doing the 200 and 400 hour routine maintenance on the starter/generator, FCU and tach gen in situ were a nightmare.

The TBM was big enough that nothing was very difficult to get at and most things were pretty easy to access.

 

[Drifterdon]

My 5 favorite planes are based on looks and my personal feelings and not based on actual performance or wartime records.
Here they are in no particular order?
1) P-51D Mustang
2) Spitfire Mk XIV
3) F-7F Tigercat
4) FW-190
5) P-47

Edited to better reflect the intent of this site. Still new so apologies if I'm off-base.

 

[GrauGeist]

My 5 favorite planes are based on looks and my personal feelings and not based on actual performance or wartime records.
Here they are in no particular order?
1) P-51D Mustang
2) Spitfire Mk XIV
3) F-7F Tigercat
4) FW-190
5) P-47

Edited to better reflect the intent of this site. Still new so apologies if I'm off-base.

This thread (which is 19 years old, by the way) is just about personal favorites, nothing technical.

Welcome aboard.

 

[MiTasol]

My 5 favorite planes are based on looks and my personal feelings and not based on actual performance or wartime records.
Here they are in no particular order?
1) P-51D Mustang
2) Spitfire Mk XIV
3) F-7F Tigercat
4) FW-190
5) P-47

Edited to better reflect the intent of this site. Still new so apologies if I'm off-base.

Welcome aboard.

you will learn much as there are many acknowledged experts here, a number of who are published authors with good reputations, and you will find the works of less reputable authors like Martin Caidin thoroughly debunked.

 

[GregP]

Martin Caiden wasn't disreputable ... he told entertaining stories with a sort of random relationship with the facts. They were good stories, but were not exactly "historical documentaries."

I think of him as "an unacknowledged fiction author," sort of like "almost a virgin" in another context.

 

[MiTasol]

This thread (which is 19 years old, by the way) is just about personal favorites, nothing technical.

Welcome aboard.

Which proves time cannot kill a good thread.

 

[GrauGeist]

Martin Caiden wasn't disreputable ... he told entertaining stories with a sort of random relationship with the facts. They were good stories, but were not exactly "historical documentaries."

I think of him as "an unacknowledged fiction author," sort of like "almost a virgin" in another context.

Caidin did have good success with his science fiction.

His book "Cyborg" was adapted to the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man" and his book "Marooned" was adapted to a movie by the same title.

 

[SaparotRob]

My 5 favorite planes are based on looks and my personal feelings and not based on actual performance or wartime records.
Here they are in no particular order?
1) P-51D Mustang
2) Spitfire Mk XIV
3) F-7F Tigercat
4) FW-190
5) P-47

Edited to better reflect the intent of this site. Still new so apologies if I'm off-base.

I changed my award to winner because of your reasons, not necessarily the choices.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Caidin did have good success with his science fiction.

His book "Cyborg" was adapted to the TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man" and his book "Marooned" was adapted to a movie by the same title.

The rest of his fiction was poorly-written hysterical history.

 

[Shortround6]

The rest of his fiction was poorly-written hysterical history.

In other words he fit in rather well in Hollywood.

 

[Engineman]

Most important to me. Slingsby T.31 Kirby Cadet. Open cockpit wood and fabric Glider. Solo at 15 Years old.
Most fun. BAE Hawk T.Mk1. Serious performance and great for, The Sport Of Kings against the same type.
Piston Warbird actually flown. P-51D. Truly Great historic aircraft, Flew Aero's in 2-sticker.
Vintage Aero's. Bucker Jungmann. Serious Aero's in 250hp version with owner mate.
Most important vintage, but will never fly it. Bf 109. I have a serious working association with the Augsberg Eagle.

Eng

 

[Dash119]

In alphabetical order, and five is just too short a list...

de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
de Havilland DH.103 Hornet
Dornier Do 335 Pfeil
Grumman F7F Tigercat
North American F-82 Twin Mustang

 

[Snautzer01]

Most important to me. Slingsby T.31 Kirby Cadet. Open cockpit wood and fabric Glider. Solo at 15 Years old.
Most fun. BAE Hawk T.Mk1. Serious performance and great for, The Sport Of Kings against the same type.
Piston Warbird actually flown. P-51D. Truly Great historic aircraft, Flew Aero's in 2-sticker.
Vintage Aero's. Bucker Jungmann. Serious Aero's in 250hp version with owner mate.
Most important vintage, but will never fly it. Bf 109. I have a serious working association with the Augsberg Eagle.

Eng

About 109 Go ask Airframes i seem to remember he has a connection. Posted about it .

 

[Spectre311]

I posted here a while back but sometimes a mind can change

1. P-47N Thunderbolt
2. P-40C (Because of Pearl Harbor and the P-40 needs love)
3. B-17F (I get that the G model is better but I like how clean the Flying Fortress looks without the chin turret)
4. A6M Zero
5. B-24D Liberator (I prefer this over the B-29 also once again I know the J model was better at protecting against head-ons but from an aesthetic standpoint, the Delta looked so much better without that chin turret. Pure art deco...)

 

[SaparotRob]

There's no need to defend your choices. Most of us agree that the P-40 and Hurricane don't get enough love. The B-17F is beautiful. The Piccadilly Lily was my first crush.
The B-24 shows us a great sense of humor.

 

[GrauGeist]

Ok, here's my latest:
1) P-36
2) He280
3) Fw190A-8
4) SBD
5) SC-1

 

[MiTasol]

I must admit I like the R-1830 version very much as well. Never was a fan of the Wright Oilcones.

 

[GregP]

I think I have already answered this thread a while back. I wonder how close I am to what I originally posted.
1) B-17F
2) B-17B
3) Brewster Buffalo
4) A6M
5) PBY
*If the B-17s count as one, then add the F4F.
Honorable Mentions:
F4F*
Boeing 299
Boeing 314
Boeing 464
Boeing 727-200
Amiot 143
EDIT
Wait a minute. This list is impossible! I plum forgot the SBD! Mr. Heineman's A4 Skyhawk too! This list is too hard.

I like Amiots in general. The 350 series (350, 352, 354) were good-looking even though the pilot mostly had a view of the cowlings when looking to the side.

But the Amiot 143 is a bit of an acquired taste.

I like the visibility downward for the crew, but it isn't exactly beautiful from a streamlining standpoint ... definitely prettier than an LWS Zubr!

Which pretty much looks like ... a huge mistake! Not even a mother could love it. It has a face that makes a train want to take a dirt road on a rainy night.

 

[SaparotRob]

The Amiot 350 series are a good looking bunch.