I want to hear peoples favorite aircraft and why!
Many aircraft have captured my imagination! But we need to decide which is the BEST FIGHTER aircraft, ever built!

i`ll have to say the mig-21 in classics. that`s the way a fighter should look like in my view. These were fast and sleek.

I agree, taht type of 50's/60's design was fantastic, what do u think of the Sabre? or the F4 phantom! for some reason nearly all fighters from that time wernt made to be that manuverable just to go faster than other fighters! Like the F4 phantom, it was a flying brick, its wing span was to short for the amount of weight to be lifted but it had two great big woppin engines!

My interests in aircraft are limited almost entirely to WW2.

For an American WW2 aircraft, my choice would be the Lockheed Lightning P-38 for its versatilty as fighter, fighter-bomber, bomber escort and PRU aircraft and the fact that it fought in all of the major theartes of operation during its career.

Here is a forum dedicated to it that offers some interesting information and further links:-
http://www.acompletewasteofspace.com/modules.php?name=F...&file=viewforum&f=18

For a British example I might suggest either the De Havilland Mosquito, Bristol Beaufighter, Hawker Typhoon or Hawker Tempest V as alternatives to the usual suspects (ie Spitfire and Hurricane)
http://www.mossie.org/
http://www.hawkertempest.se/index.htm

For a German example there can be only one choise, for many of the reasons stated for the P-38, and that would be the Focke Wulf series the Fw190A, Fw190D9 and the Ta152.
http://www.acompletewasteofspace.com/modules.php?name=F...s&file=viewforum&f=8
http://www.flugwerk.com/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mjn,

You've got great taste for aircraft!
P-38 and Hawker Typhoon, heavly contributed in the second world war especially with the Normandy Breakout in 1944, and from what ive seen and understood, as an assault aircraft with rockets ive heard it was flawless with its combat deliveries and fighter escort!

What do you think of the Light highly manuverable Japanese ZERO, or the german Jet prepelled ME-262?

Thanks Jamie,

I think that the Zero was a classic aircraft which took on an almost mythic reputation at the beginning of the war with great manouvreability and suprising endurance. However with the serious drawback of no protection for the pilot or fuel tanks it lost its dominance to the stronger, faster more heavily armoured Allied aircraft of the later part of the war.

As for the Me262, the Allies were very lucky that Hitler interfered with its early deployment insisting that it be used as a fighter bomber. If it had been deployed as a fighter in large enough numbers at an earlier time in the war it might have had a significant effect on the Allied bombing campaign. But history shows, the Allies were able to develop tactics to combat its effectiveness and this combined with technical difficulties with its engines, lack of numbers, lack of pilots and its vulnerability when taking off and landing reduced its overall effectiveness.

Cheers mjn!
You got some real points in there!
I never new some of that about the Me262, and Zero! Especially loosing to the dmanat faster stronger allied aircraft!
What do you think about the Euro Fighter, do you think it will be able to supass the U.S. F-35?

My favourite aeroplanes are the ones that don’t crash when I’m in it. There’s nothing worse than a blow-out at altitude.

For WWII I like the F4U Corsair. I know it's not the absolute best fighter of its generation, but anything the enemy (at the time) calls "Whistling Death" has my vote. It could bring a heavy fight to the ground too.

For jet fighters I really like the look of the MiG 29 and Su-27.

BUT... my ALL TIME FAVORITE is the A-10 Warthog. It can shred tanks then eat a blast from a Shilka and still fly home (first Gulf War). It's ugly by design and beautiful in its simple effectiveness.

I've always liked the looks of the P51 Mustang - there's a fighter that looks like it's going flat-out when it's parked on the runway!

one of my favorites are the f-22 raptor, it is one of the only jets to use its special propulsion system.

The F-15 is by far the most significant modern fighter in service. It was not even mentioned on the show. Incredible.
The F-15 has been in service for over 20 years and has seen major combat duty. It is the US's (and several other country's) air superiority fighter with complete domination of the skies. Only now, with its replacement the F-22, is there anything that can out-perform it.
The stats on this plane are off the charts. Among them are that this fighter has never been shot down depite heavy combat service. The F-15 is by far the most significant modern fighter in service. It was not even mentioned on the show. Incredible. This is the number one proven fighter to date.

"Get me Spitfires for my wing":
Gen. Adolph Galland to his boss Herman Goring during the Battle of Britain
Can be heard online at: http://members.aol.com/geobat66/galland/quotes.htm or search: Adolph Galland 1912-1996

Galland told me this was true in 1985 at Harlingen, I asked him "What did Goring say afterwards?' He said Goring never spoke to him FOR THE REST OF THE WAR (!!)

Recently German Ace Franz Stigler confirmed this through a friend and added Goring sicked the Gestapo on Galland until Hitler found out about it and told Goring to call them off!!

Hey DC, if you want to get you 'kit' together, I'm available...
HRMOKeefe@aol.com

Well hello I am new to this but my best aircraft ever has to be a sea eagle like in topgun i am mad about aircraft Im a trainee pilot and have so far done 17hrs I ran out of money but I will continue one day and hopefuly finish it well you cant have everything can you,I jump out of planes and when I can afford to; fly them aswel; but hey, this site goes where can u tell me cheers whoever gets this peice of writing jarrodgreenway@blueyonder.co.uk

F22 Raptor and F35 JSF for military. I love the vectored thrust on the F35 STOVOL variant.

For commercial airliners I'm an Airbus man, the flight envelop protection has to be the way to go and fly by wire the future. We won't see another cable and pulley airliner again; all will be fly by wire. Even business jets are now switching to fly by wire.