The Forum's Favorite WW2 Aircraft?

[Dark Matter]

The A6M is so mysterious and elite, its my favorite fighter.

 

[pbfoot]

You can't stand one of the best planes in the war? Without the Mustang you're B-17's would've been in trouble....Since the Mustang usually was their escort(if I'm right?).

Good point but how many missions did the Spit escort the 17 before the 51 and proper numbers of it became available

 

[snafud1]

Same with P-47.

 

[evangilder]

Good point but how many missions did the Spit escort the 17 before the 51 and proper numbers of it became available

Yes, but the benefit of the Mustang was that it could escort them all the way to Berlin and back. Like the Zero, range was the significant factor with the Mustang. I have corresponded with Art Fiedler, a 325th Fighter ace who said for long-range escort, the P-51 was the best and for strafing and ground attack, the P-47 was hard to beat. But he said the significant difference between the two was the fuel consumption. The P-47 burned 110-120 gallons per hour while the P-51 burned 50-60 gallons per hour.

 

[Doughboy]

"The P-47 burned 110-120 gallons per hour while the P-51 burned 50-60 gallons per hour."


WOW!

 

[pbfoot]

I understand but in 42/and much of 43 the Spit was the workhorse until the 51 /and 47 came on line in signifibant numbers

 

[carbonlifeform]

P-51D Mustang hands down. It's just a dream to fly. A sturdy airframe mated to one of the most legendary power plants of all time, made this the greatest fighter plane that almost never was.
First introduced to the British in 1943, they initially turned it down because of the seriously underpowered Allison engine. The same power plant the P-39 "Flying Dog" had. When they discovered their Rolls Royce Merlin would fit in the ariframe with little to no modifications, a legend was born.

 

[GrauGeist]

...The same power plant the P-39 "Flying Dog" had...

Keep in mind that the P-38 also ran the Allison

 

[tpikdave]

F6F, big strong radial in front of you, could be slammed onto a carrier over and over, plenty of firepower, fast, good range and usually painted the coolest blue scheme on the planet!!!!

 

[carbonlifeform]

True GrauGeist but it had 2 of 'em at least lol. And with the exception of the P-38, the other Allison V-1710 powered aircraft were pretty much outclassed by 1943 when the Allison powered P-51 was first introduced, and even before that.

 

[GrauGeist]

If they had worked the bugs out of the supercharged version, I think it would have been a world-class engine...but they never did

 

[carbonlifeform]

Very true, I also believe there was a lot of untapped potential in the Allison power plant

 

[Locke]

I'd definitely have to go with the Focke Wulf xD great performance and it's downright sexy!

 

[flightfreakf82]

For me it's any mustang or bf109 variant, but then i also like the p40, spitfire, yak, and p39

 

[zoomar]

No Me-410? I adore the Me-410. Looks nasty with its slim fuselage, blunt nose, glasshouse canopy set forward, extended engine nacelles and massed cannon and Mg armament.

 

[dennis420b]

The butcher bird all the way! Was there anything it couldn't do?

 

[OhkaTypE11Pilot]

FOR ME THE N1K2-J,for it's heavy armament,and good armor..too bad it was build to late...

 

[looney]

I voted for the Hurricane, it brought me to aircraft and I always found it much more cool looking than the Spit a close second is the FW 190 it just looks so aggressive.

The Hurricane with it glasshouse canopy and bank of 303s wow. sexy

 

[peterpro]

Well for me it is the bf-109k-4 as my fave operational variant but my favorite variant is the bf-109k-14 as my top variant.The reason is the the 4-bladed prop and the mk-108 wing guns and the aggresive style of it.

 

[P40NUT]

P40 for me. It flew in all of the theaters of operation and just looks good.