Which WWII aircraft would you choose?

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Boeing 314
Hobnob with the rich, fly to Geneva and park on the lake.
Island hopping across the Pacific and Caribbean...
If modifications are allowed, I'd put (retractable) wheels on the sponsons and a rudder/tailwheel to allow appearances at air shows.
Prolly gotta re-engine with turboprops for the bloody FAA mafia.
 

The FAA is unlikely to (officially) care, as long as the required maintenance is done by qualified personnel, although the availability of parts for the Twin Cyclone engine and aviation gas may tend encourage one to get an STC for turboprops. Depending on when you got this aircraft, the Pan Am pilots that were proficient in the aircraft and with the right endorsements to give instruction for the type endorsement needed could still be active, so that may not be a problem.

Adding landing gear may not be so much an "if allowed" as an "if structurally possible"; the aircraft's structure won't have things like the locally-reinforced structure for landing gear or a physical place to put it.
 
swampyankee said:
Adding landing gear may not be so much an "if allowed" as an "if structurally possible"; the aircraft's structure won't have things like the locally-reinforced structure for landing gear or a physical place to put it.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking a new set of sponsons mating with the keel amidships as well as each hull side might do it, but I don't have a skeletal view of the beast showing where the load would be bearable.
 
BiffF15 said:
I'll take an original. Saburo's last Zero, Hartman's Bf-109, Bongs last P-38, Tex Hills AVG P-40, Johnnie Johnson's Spit, the list could go on.
Click to expand...

Yup. If I won the lottery, I'd throw money at a bog-standard Strat played by Hendrix, just 'cause. Sometimes knowing who did what with it, you might hope some mojo is still there.

The XF-12 would be one hell of a private flier, too. What a beautiful airplane!
 
XF-12 would be amazing indeed, and that visibility would be truly something at high altitudes. I've always found the HS 123 to be one of the best looking biplanes out there, reminds me a bit of a YMF-5 with that cowling.

I'd like to revise my answer, given that money is no obstacle. In the vein of those new Carbon Fiber Spitfires, I'd like to see what happens when you build something like a B-26 out of that, or fit it with turboprops. Maybe even just add a turbo or replace the R-2800s with turbocharged R-3350s. As originally designed it was a 400 MPH airframe, but got stuck with 300 MPH engines due resources and time constraints. Would love to see how far it can be pushed.

Or perhaps another of the best medium (by WW2 standards) twins, North American's XB-28. Pressurized cabin, tricycle gear, nosewheel steering, counter-rotating props, seems like it would be a dream to fly. According to Air Classics it was fast enough to outrun a P-38 above 24,000 ft, not bad for a medium bomber.
 
Mitsubishi Ki-83. One of the slickest fighters ever built, powerful, and well armed. Definitely a plane that should have been preserved because it was was a very rare combination of being a pleasing design to look at, and being a highly capable machine as tested by its intended foes. If enough info on it existed to recreate it, I'd loved to see a replica made.
 

I had to look at the Wiki on it, never heard of it before. That thing looks slick as hell, and Wiki's quoted speed of 473 mph is accurate, a marvel, indeed. Thanks!
 
take a corsair trubocharge the r 2800 double wasp to about 3000 hp and change the arment to 6x20mm cannon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

M
How Would You Like To Ride Here?
Replies
9
Views
744
Dimlee
D
What aircraft is that plane and which nation? Not Germnay for sure.
Replies
6
Views
525
pb43
P
WWI Aces Flying WWII Planes
Replies
17
Views
1K
Admiral Beez
A
M
Mission 760 WWII
Replies
1
Views
603
Snautzer01
S
"Generations" of fighter aircraft
Replies
19
Views
425
SaparotRob
Menu
Log in
Register