Do You Have an Illogical Hatred of an Aircraft?

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davebender said:
Then you have this monster at the other end of the size scale. A near sighted pilot who forgot his spectacles could score hits on the B-36.
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Well, not the pilot of the Me-262 since his service ceiling was almost a mile less than the B-36. Maybe some lob shots.

While not a WWII aircraft, I have always thought of the B-36 as a monstrosity which would have been butchered by Mig 15s in daylight raids over Russia. However, I play golf with a man who was a gunner on the B-36 in the early 50s and he said that fighters had very difficult time intercepting B-36s, which he said, flew above 50k ft., that was, of course, the six turning and four burning configuration.

I think I may have to reassess my opinion.

Interestly, he stated that, unless the aircraft was heading directly at the B-36, the guns would not even swing fast enough to track the fighters.

I always try to assess performance pretty objectively, again, an engineering trait. I don't really have a dislike.

Some thoughts. Overrated aircraft

Zero - way too slow for 1941 and to weakly armored, but great range.

F6F - I just feel it was too slow and opposition was weak, but was very successful.

Fw-190D-9 - Considered by many to be the best fighter plane of the war but it had a fatal weakness. It performed very well below 20k, but Germany really needed a high performer from 20-35k to stop those bombs from hitting them on the head. And, they needed it in early '44, not late '44. It would have performed good airfield cover for the highly superior Me-262, however.

P-51 - somewhat overrated by popular opinion. It was an excellent aircraft that was at the right place at the right time. However, there were other excellent aircraft often overshadowed by fanfare of P-51.


Underrated aircraft
P-40 - performed well at lower altitudes when flown by competent pilots.

B-26 - workhorse that fought in the meatgrinder of ETO with very good survival statisitics.

P-51 - by this forum. With superior speed and dive, very good climb, and competent to superior maneuverability, the P-51, at figther weight, pretty well outclassed enemy fighters from SL to 35k, from Fall, 1943 to Fall of 1944. Throw in the fact it could do this a 400 miles, and you have one impressive machine, even if you hate it.
 

Couldn't agree more pb.

Love them all!

TO
 

Got to agree with both you, the anecdotes especially.
 
Hate isn't the right word but a personal view on one from each country

British _ Barracuda what were they playing at when they designed this monster, ever seen one with its wings folded!!

Germany - Me109. It never seemed to look finished to me. The 109 A-E needed a strut to keep the tail in one piece, The F just looked fragile and the G with all those lumps and bumps,

USA- P39 it seems to look unbalanced and the idea of an emergency landing with the engine behind your head does not appeal.

Italy - Fiat G 50 the engine installation looks like an afterthought

Japan - Ki43 The wing always seemed to look as if it should be further back

Russia - Mig 3 looks to be all engine and no space for fuel or guns

I know the above is unfair as all served well to a greater or lesser degree. The only qualification being the Mig 3 after all there was almost no room for the guns.
 
I love the EE Lightning for the same reason Glider dislikes the MiG-3. The whole thing was simply a system to get two missiles up to bomber altitude ASAP. Everything else looks like an afterthought added once the missiles had been attached to the engines. IMHO, it is the purest expression of the interceptor principle ever devised. There simply isn't another aircraft in existence which embodies such raw menace and aggresion - although the F-4 Phantom comes very close 8)
 
Just so you know it guys the often quotes ceiling of ~11 km for the Me262 aint its' actual ceiling. According to original performance charts it's closer to 12.5 km at combat weight.
 
Soren said:
Just so you know it guys the often quotes ceiling of ~11 km for the Me262 aint its' actual ceiling. According to original performance charts it's closer to 12.5 km at combat weight.
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Ceiling? Or is it service ceiling? I've looked at sources and the listed service ceiling at 11.5 km - 37,500 feet~
 
Hi,

I love all aricraft, but I find some are less attractive than others.

I don't like many French aircraft. I am not sure why, but I feel the same way about their cars. They just don't look right. But, that's just my persoanl taste, and I can't put facts against it... I just don't like them. Which means I'm not an Airbus fan either.

I prefer props to jets, and when talking props I prefer piston engines to turboprops. I prefer radials to inlines. It's all just a personal preference.

Of the jets there are two that I really think look fantastic, and that is the F-104 and the XB70.

river
 
Don't really 'hate' any particular aircraft. But I will agree with some sentiments about the P-51. In my youth, it was my favorite, but like MJ and Springsteen, enough is enough. Too much about it, even for half researched docus on TV and in the media, the P-51 was the ONLY aircraft to be flying for the Allies. Now its just a respect for what it did and grateful it was there but no longer a favorite.

Although I don't hate them, I can not find anything to like about Russian aircraft. Ugly brutes.
 
Not even the La-5FN? She's purty.

Bf-109 is interesting to me. I LOVE the Emil, but find most other versions just okay. I do like the G though too, I s'pose.

Now the Fw-190. If her nose aint short, I aint likin' her. I just can't get past the D-9 changes of adding that long inline engine and then putting in that aft fuselage plug. Give me the A-8!!!!!
 
Me, hate a "fighter"(?)...never!

But for the sake of this thread I'll say the FW190...every "noob" who learns enough to fly one thinks they are "king-of-the-hill". Too many gunz too much ego...
 
There are aircraft like the B-52, the EE Lightning,the Republic F-105 Thud that I didn't much fancy when they first flew - but when they went into service and combat and they appeared camo'ed I began to really appreciate them. I am a sucker for camo

Then there are aircraft like the P-47 and P-51 that I much prefer in their razorback greenhouse versions than the layer D+ variants.

And then there are aircraft like the P-39 Airacoba ... in a league by itself

MM
 
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