-
IMO one of the best multirole heavier fighters, was the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom. Even though it was eventually retired, I think other, later multirole fighters (like the Panavia Tornado) were not actually superior to it. Not in performance anyway.
1 Attachment
-
-
We did a project at primary school about this plane. I can't remember anything about it, other than I enjoyed it.
We also did a project on the Outer Hebrides, which might slow the pace somewhat if I post some photos.
-
^nice
All time - The Mosquito, my Grandad worked on them so bit of a soft spot. But also pretty awesome engineering, wood composite framework, twin Merlins, fastest plane at the time, so could outrun the fighters. Sadly none flying today.
http://ww2total.com/WW2/Weapons/War-Planes/Bomber-Planes/British/De-Havilland-Mosquito/images-bomber/Mosquito-BIV-01-px800.jpg
Also like the flying cigar that is:
http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/aircraft-pictures/Lightninglarge.jpg -
When I was a kid my dad used to take us to a beach in Scotland next to an airfield where English Electric Lightnings were based.
We would sit playing in the sand until they started to warm up. We could tell as we could hear this incredible roar in the distance.
Everyone would gather by the fence and watch. The planes would hurtle towards us coming into view just as they were a few feet off the ground, then they would just go straight up like a rocket, and disappear into the sky a minute or so later as the whole earth shook. I can remember almost nothing else about those holidays. We got to see them close up once too, all polished alloy. Amazing things. -
I made several model planes as a child, I remember this one being the cream of the crop due to it's large cockpit area, which allowed me to stuff it full of Hai Karate soaked cotton wool, attach it to a kite string and launch it's flaming wondrousness into my mum's greenhouse, where it caused second degree burns to her prize tomatoes.
This may have been the actual model, as the packaging rings a bell.http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=imglanding&ct=img&q=http://www.oldmodelkits.com/jpegs/Airfix%2002049%20Stuka.JPG&sa=X&ei=IrVOT7yjNeXU0QW61qyeBQ&ved=0CAsQ8wc4Dw&usg=AFQjCNHD0kqRj8H9hsKN5RpmMTexC-35lQ
-
Hawker Hurricane
-
^
favourite. -
In my eyes, the most beautiful military aircraft, the F22 raptor:
-
^^ Avro Vulcan XH558 is 'Delta Lady', restored at Bruntingthorpe.
Superb Aircraft.http://thevulcanbomber.blogspot.com/2012/02/leap-of-faith-for-vulcan-xh558.html
-
^That Vulcan sounded awesome!
I'd go for the SAAB Draken. Purely on aesthetics, looking so weird like some buck rogers space fighter.
http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/imgs/saab-j35-draken_2.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ai13sCk096g/TwMjiANLpKI/AAAAAAAADu8/cS4KJ0fJf3M/s1600/SaabJ35_draken.jpg
-
Thank aircraft technology for reynolds awesomeness:
"531 came about unintentionally. It was Chief Inspector and Metallurgist Max Bigford who spotted an aircraft tubing which he thought held the potential for making an excellent cycle tubeset and reworked the specifications along with Director Austyn Reynolds."
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/British_isles/reynolds/Reynolds_history.htm
-
I was going to post this later, but since its been already mentioned, I will add the post now.
I'm a bit of a fan of British planes, and maybe some will say they weren't the best, but in at least one plane, they were. And that plane is the BAC English Electric Lightning. As an out-and-out interceptor, there was no plane in the world to match it.
Its rate of climb was 50,000 ft per minute, and in 1984 Flt Lt Mike Hale took the Lightning to 88,000 ft, where he intercepted a U-2 American spy plane in a joint military exercise. The U-2, was essentially a high altitude glider, with engines, and an extraordinary wingspan. It was designed to fly at a height that air-to-air, and many ground-to-air missiles could not effectively reach.
In other tests, [ame="http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=17012859&postcount=1"]the Lightning was the ONLY fighter to be able to catch and overtake Concorde[/ame]. Saying alot about Concorde, and the Lighting. Its range was pathetic though, so as a fighter, many were better. But as a high speed interceptor, it was the best in the world. Many modern fighters still cannot match its climb rate. Way, way, way ahead of its time.
I'll let somebody else talk about the groundbreaking Hawker-Siddley Harrier.
By the way, the best site for comparing fighter plane specs is here.
1 Attachment
-
-
-
Modified Reno Racer.
-
It's incredible seeing the jets flying past you when in the mountains of Snowdonia so close that you can see them in the cockpit.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijs6csP5UbY"]Great
Sounding Typhoons Flying Through The Mach Loop Wales. - YouTube[/ame]
TheorySwine
pointer
adroit
Alkali
sausagefingers
joelovesfixed
Brun
slmouradian
SpamJav
deleted
jimalex
V-L
neu
nuknow
Ordinata-
Post a reply
About
Plane / Planes / Aircraft / Aeroplane / Airplane appreciation
Posted by
@GA2G
This thread is specifically for those that have always admired the cutting edge of aviation power and technology - Fighter Planes. I'm sure a few of you had models of these as kids, or posters on your walls, so here's a place for us grownups to talk about the merits, or demerits of these planes.
From World War I, to the present day. And, in some cases, if a civilian aircraft could have performed as a top speed military aircraft (cough, Concorde) we might chat about that too.
What was/is your favourite?
2 examples below, but neither is a favourite of mine.
2 Attachments