What's your favorite military plane or jet?

[Oracle of Delphi]

I picked the Horton-229, a late Nazi fighter circa 1944/1945 that was certainly ahead of its time ...

[daves87rs]

I'm not sure..I'm a fan of both new and old planes...

It helps if they can transform too...

[Intrepidation]

That's a no brainer.

It's a tie between the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the North American P51 Mustang.

Of those, my favorite models of the B-17 are the B and G, and for the Mustang the A and D.

[vonVeezelsnider]

B58 Hustler

F102 Delta Dagger

[SAmadei]

The B-17 is high on my list for sheer robustness, but my favorite is the SR-71. It looks sinister. Its loud. Its rare. It requires lots of maintenance. It runs hot. It is good at one thing... going fast in a straight line. It leaks. It's truly the musclecar of the skys.

Edited July 1, 2009 by SAmadei

[Justin Bimmer]

[Sixty8panther]

I really can't pick just one. Narrowing it down to a top-5 is hard enough!

I've long awaited the development & deployment of the (Y)F-22 Raptor and have been

fascinated by the outrageous rumors & claims of the Aurora. But just like with cars, it

always turns me off when the human element is almost eliminated.

No matter how awesome & near-perfect the skills of a modern jet (fighter/bomber etc.)

pilot are, I can't even begin to respect warfare through computers, drones & remote

control on the same level as I respect & obsess over "flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants",

"no guts no glory" Aces of the first two World Wars. Open cockpit, rudimentary "guns"

mounted within the wing or on a propeller operated camshaft so as to shoot "through"

propeller, all the controls being either mechanical or hydraulic, not "fly by wire" this

and smart-bomb that...

I do respect modern weapons that save our soldier's lives while minimizing the civilian

casualties but it's not what fascinates me the most.

Anyway, without further delay, in random order... my top 5:

1. Messerschmitt Bf109

2. Supermarine Spitfire

3. B-17 Flying Fortress

4. SR-71 BlackBird

5. J7W1 Shinden

[Intrepidation]

Some other aircraft I really like:

P-38 lightning

A-6 Intruder

B-25 Mitchell

B-26 Marauder

B-29 Super Fortress

XB-38

XB-15

F-16 Falcon

F-16 Fighting Falcon

A-10 Thunderbolt II

P-39 Airacobra

P-63 Kingcobra

PBY Catalina

Fw 200 Concdor

I'm not really a fan of WWI aircraft...too primitive and the design is just too lacking for my tastes, though naturally I appreciate them.

[z28luvr01]

F-14 Tomcat - how could a Long Island native not like the best Grumman product, ever

YF-22 Raptor - prood that applying Art & Science to an airplane works pretty well

B-52 bomber - just for its sheer size, and the fact that it's been around forever

[capriceman]

F4U

SR-71

[A Horse With No Name]

B26 Maurauder for me followed by the B-29.

Anyone ever been to the air force Museeum in Dayton, Ohio? That's my fav. place on this planet...

Also like the P-47 Thunderbolt, very tough plane...

Chris

[§carlet §wordfish]

B26 Maurauder for me followed by the B-29.

Anyone ever been to the air force Museeum in Dayton, Ohio? That's my fav. place on this planet...

Also like the P-47 Thunderbolt, very tough plane...

Chris

I've been down there a couple of times and I love it there. Seeing the XB-70 in person is humbling.

I think I'd have to give the F-16 my vote for the sexiest military plane. It looks curvy and athletic from every angle. It would take far too much time for me to pick a favorite of all time, but I think that, the F-22, and the C-130 and its variants would be near the top of the list.

[ZL-1]

B2

F22

F16

F15

[§carlet §wordfish]

F102 Delta Dagger

That's an odd-looking F-102.

[Intrepidation]

Kalinin K-7

Interesting, although that render isn't accurate to what the prototype looked like.

[SoCalCTS]

I pick the Convair UC-880. The military version of the 880 airliner built in my hometown, San Diego. Its still the fastest subsonic airliner ever built.

Edited July 1, 2009 by SoCalCTS

[ZL-1]

Non-rendering photos look like red Xs?

[Intrepidation]

The fixed gear assembly almost looks like pontoons.

Apparently only on of these ever flew and it crashed after suffering structural failure of one of the booms.

[Justin Bimmer]

Didn't GeoCities close? Or is that only for people running computers bought in the 21st century?

[eldiablobanshee]

The B-17 is high on my list for sheer robustness, but my favorite is the SR-71. It looks sinister. Its loud. Its rare. It requires lots of maintenance. It runs hot. It is good at one thing... going fast in a straight line. It leaks. It's truly the musclecar of the skys.

+1

I love the SR-71 but my favorite would be theYF-12A BLACK BIRD INTERCEPTOR.

The BLACK BIRD with TEETH.

Edited July 1, 2009 by eldiablobanshee

[Justin Bimmer]

I get a japan page with some words on it. I roughly translated it to say:

YOU FAILED!

[cletus8269]

sopwith camel

focker DR1

p40 warhawk in various models.

personally i think it stupid for the government to be satisfied with less than 150 of these but whatever. they are made aout 2-3 hours from where i live woot.

i like other aircraft from other countries too but hey, gotta support the home team first.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I always like this one too ... You just can't beat a flying doghouse.

Edited July 4, 2009 by Pontiac Custom-S

[avro206]

for bombers--I love the Avro Vulcan. Very sleek for her day

New fighters

Eurofigher Typhoon is very capable

Saab Gripen is very good too-albeit lower cost

However--the best looking--never put into service was the Avro CF 105 ARROW. Would have been easily Mach 2+ plane

[capriceman]

I was always a sucker for the mig 29. Its a beast in person to walk up to.

[toesuf94]

The SR-71 because I have a family member who flew one.

Always loved the styling and strength of the B-17's - I get all googly when I see one. Facinated by them actually.

There are just so many great planes out there...but I stick with my top two.

[Daryl Z71]

B2

F22

F18 Hornet

[capriceman]

The B-52 Stratafortress is a intresting thing as well. I imagine someone had to of said. "that thing will not fly!"

[Intrepidation]

The B-52 Stratafortress is a intresting thing as well. I imagine someone had to of said. "that thing will not fly!"

It's also the longest serving military aircraft in the world isn't it?

[cletus8269]

indeed, its projected to fly until at least 2040 according to some sources. its joked as the pilots grandfathers plane.

[Intrepidation]

indeed, its projected to fly until at least 2040 according to some sources. its joked as the pilots grandfathers plane.

The Buick of the sky?

Only cooler and more deadly.

[capriceman]

The Buick of the sky?

Only cooler and more deadly.

Have you ever seen the damage a old man can inflict with his 76 Lesabre going through a street market

[Intrepidation]

[Intrepidation]

[Z-06]

indeed, its projected to fly until at least 2040 according to some sources. its joked as the pilots grandfathers plane.

Why fix something which is not broken? It is a great aircraft.

[Daryl Z71]

I love jet fighters and I think it would be sweet to fly one until the first time an enemy got on my ass then Id probably need a new pair of pants lol

[A Horse With No Name]

One of the guys I used to work with, Bob, used to work as an airframe mechanic in the reserve.

He got a ride in an F-16. Amazing plane...I think for us mortals, a brief ride along without puking is probably the best we can hope for.

It takes real balls to fly those things.

Chris

[Oracle of Delphi]

Dassault-Dornier Alpha jet

[Oracle of Delphi]

MiG 17 "Fresco" (You can see the Afterburner working)

[cletus8269]

Why fix something which is not broken? It is a great aircraft.

shoot i'm seeing it as the best thing our countries tax dollars have ever gone for. the return we have gotten out of these things are ridiculous hehe.

[capriceman]

biggest waste was the F-117 i think it should be a B-117 though what i pile of garbage but it is iconic.

[Camino LS6]

I can't say that I have a favorite, but I had an experience that I will never forget.

I was attending a vintage race event in Virginia a few years back, and an airshow was taking place nearby at the same time. As I drove the hilly highway from the hotel to the track I approached one of the taller hills. Suddenly, a B2 crested the hill in front of me at a very low altitude - almost as if it had just materialized on the spot!

It was HUGE, and easily the most intimidating sight that I have ever seen.

Traffic was suddenly all askew around me as everyone became transfixed on the big, black monster in the sky. I took me a second to get my attention back to driving the truck.

All I wanted to do was watch that thing!

[§carlet §wordfish]

I saw a B-2 fly over once when I was swimming in the neighbor's pool. It was eerily quiet, almost surreal.

[aaaantoine]

I saw a B-2 fly over once when I was swimming in the neighbor's pool. It was eerily quiet, almost surreal.

Evidently there are only 20 of them in service.

There used to be 21.

[cletus8269]

I can't say that I have a favorite, but I had an experience that I will never forget.

I was attending a vintage race event in Virginia a few years back, and an airshow was taking place nearby at the same time. As I drove the hilly highway from the hotel to the track I approached one of the taller hills. Suddenly, a B2 crested the hill in front of me at a very low altitude - almost as if it had just materialized on the spot!

It was HUGE, and easily the most intimidating sight that I have ever seen.

Traffic was suddenly all askew around me as everyone became transfixed on the big, black monster in the sky. I took me a second to get my attention back to driving the truck.

All I wanted to do was watch that thing!

i was at the lowes motor speedway in charlotte nc for the september auto fair when i heard an unfamiliar prop plane drone above (i am just miles away from out county airport and our house has frequent local and military air traffic at times) i look up and low and behold a mighty giant lumbering in the sky circling whilst awaiting landing clearance. under the power of four wright-cyclone radial engines was the magnificent Liberty Belle.

[Intrepidation]

Very cool.

My unforgettable experience was when I was in grade school and went to see B-17G #44-83575 aka "909". I remember how clean and new it looked...as though it had just rolled off the assembly line.

We went back there the day it was leaving. It was a sunny day and it started up like a brand new plane, while the B-24 that visited with it was taking longer. It took off and flew out of sight. Suddenly we could hear the plane coming closer and I looked up, and t flew directly over us and the building at no higher than 200 feet. It came around and preformed a low flying maneuver over the runway (I mean like it was going to belly land low) before it flew off into the distance.

It was amazing, and to this day I can remember it clearly, like it happened yesterday.

[cletus8269]

Very cool.

My unforgettable experience was when I was in grade school and went to see B-17G #44-83575 aka "909". I remember how clean and new it looked...as though it had just rolled off the assembly line.

We went back there the day it was leaving. It was a sunny day and it started up like a brand new plane, while the B-24 that visited with it was taking longer. It took off and flew out of sight. Suddenly we could hear the plane coming closer and I looked up, and t flew directly over us and the building at no higher than 200 feet. It came around and preformed a low flying maneuver over the runway (I mean like it was going to belly land low) before it flew off into the distance.

It was amazing, and to this day I can remember it clearly, like it happened yesterday.

i paid my $7 to walk through both those planes when they flew into anderson airport. well worth it. i filled up a memory card somewhere with them. was going to the bank to dip into the "stash" for the donation 30 min flight but it was raining the day they were to do it.

[Intrepidation]

i paid my $7 to walk through both those planes when they flew into anderson airport. well worth it. i filled up a memory card somewhere with them. was going to the bank to dip into the "stash" for the donation 30 min flight but it was raining the day they were to do it.

I've been in the 909, not the B-24 though.

[Nick]

I know 68 said it, but I can't believe nobody has posted a pic yet...I love a lot of different planes, but usually the first to come to mind: