There are a number of planes that were the leaders of their day.
From world war II 3 British planes stand out ar thoroughbreds.
The Spitfire, Lancaster and Mosquito.
They were the cutting edge technology of the time.
My favourite aircraft of all time was the DH Mosquito.
I was lucky enough to live close to Staverton Airport where the Skyfame museum was based in the 60s and they kept an Anson and Mosquito flying regularly.
This Mossie was the star of the film 633 Squadron and kept its squadron markings at the museum HT-G.
I was born just after the war in Europe ended so grew up seeing these flying overhead. Not that I could recognise them at their altitudes but my father could. He was in Research and development for the old D. Napier & Sons of Acton and had been working at Gloucester Aircraft Company (GAC) during the war as a rep for Napiers. He used to ground test and taxi the planes before the test pilots took them up.
His drinking mate was P.E.G Sayer the chief test pilot. Everyone knew him by his 3rd name Gerry but he was known affectionally to his friends as Peggy.
He went down in history as the GAC test pilot who flew the 1st Whittle jet.
It was a sad day when he didn't return from a test flight in either a Typhoon or Tempest (my memory is failing )

Hi Dewy,
I agree with your choices and I have my three favourites of WWII which are the Typhoon and P-47 Thunderbolt which reigned supreme over the battlefields of Europe, the Typhoon gained the title of the scurge of the Wehrmacht.
The Germans also had a supreme interceptor in the Foke-Wulf FW-190A-6 & the Jumo-powered FW-190D-9 nicknamed "Dora-Nine" by its pilots with its extended fuselage which gave it greater climb capability and the ability to give the P-51 and the later MK. Spitfires a run for their money.
You may find this site interesting, you can actually buy a brand new FW-190 from a company in Germany, http://www.flugwerk.de/new/fw190/fw190.shtm

Sounds like you had an interesting childhood with all the airplanes and your father's job sounds interesting, sorry about his friend.
There are other discussions of airplanes of all times http://www.soaringspace.com/ here if you're interested