Outrun's List of Pretty Aircraft

[outrun]

By all means please add to the list

(no particular rank here)

1. North American XB-70 Valkerie

2. SR-71 Blackbird

3. Concorde

4. Grumman F-14 Tomcat

5. P-38 Lightning

6. Boeing B-29

7. Boeing B-52

8. Boeing B-17

9. North American P-51 Mustang

10. Messerschmitt(Me)-109

11. Me-262

12. Douglas Aircraft C-47A , DC-3

13. Lockheed C-5 Starlifter

14. Lockheed L1011 TriStar

15. Boeing 757

16. Boeing 777

17. Boeing 747 , AirForce One

18. Boeing E-4 National Airborne Operations Center "Doomsday Plane"

19. Indian Sukhoi Su30/37 MKI

20. F-22 Raptor

21. Dassault Rafale M multi-role fighters

22. Convair 880

23. F-117

24. Mirage 2000

25. Rockwell B-2

Okay enough I can not brainstorm any longer-

 

[Motorbike]

I always thought the Lockheed Electra 10A was neat but when these guys take off they pound the ground in a studly way beyond the norm of the F-15 which is potent in it's own kinda way .


http://www.xp-office.de/B1/b1.3.jpg

My favorite plane was the F-4 Phantom FWIW

McDonnel Douglas F4 Phantom pic

[ December 07, 2004, 06:04 AM: Message edited by: Motorbike ]

 

[Shannow]

I'd like to add
Spitfire;
Hurricane;and
Mosquito.

(I grew up on Commando comics)

 

[Matt89]

I'd add:

Douglas SBD Dauntless
B-58 Hustler bomber (maker escapes me at this point)
Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero' fighter
Nakajima B5N 'Kate'torpedo bomber
Fairey Swordfish
Vought F4U Corsair
Grumman F6F Hellcat

Guess I'm pretty old school

 

[moribundman]

I'm with Matt on his choice of the Hose Nose.

 

[Pablo]

No offense but if it's looks only I'm not sure why an F-14 is ahead of the P-51?????

1. P-51
2. Spitfire
3. SR-71
4. XB-70
5. Me-109

 

[MarkC]

What, no Warthog? So ugly it's pretty.

 

[Clement]

Second vote for the Lockeed A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog). I can't imagine anything more beautiful to a soldier than looking up and seeing one of this:

 

[dickwells]

Lockheed Constellation I remember my Dad taking me up to Midway in the fifties and watching those beauties going in and out.

 

[Win]

Beechcraft V35 Bonanza, beginning about an "S" model or later;
Cessna Citation I;
Convair B-58 Hustler;
Boeing B-29 Superfortress;
DeHavilland Mosquito

in no particular order

edit:

How could I have forgotten the North American F-86A Sabre.

 

[andrews]

Lockheed Constellation, classic lines and exhibited the beauty of it's time period.

Grumman Tigercat, not well known yet a real good looking twin engine.

Boeing P-26 Peashooter, another example of an aircraft displaying the beauty of it's era in it's represented design.

Sopwith Camel, no better looking WW1 biplane.

Hawker Typhoon/Tempest, one of the toughest looking brutes in the air. Just look at the thickness of the wing and the size of the intake!

North American F-86 Sabre, clean classic lines with a look that means business.

Focke Wolfe FW-200 Condor, simply beautiful. Reminds a bit of a Constellation.

Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, cool looking in it's functionality. Not well known but worthy of a look. The cockpit has a beauty all it's own.

Convair? B-58 Hustler, how can you not like this late 1950's example of an aircraft built for one purpose.... speed.

 

[Pablo]

Believe or not, camping in the High Sierras around 13,000 feet and looking over at another mountain - watching a B-52 fly by at eye level is pretty darn beautiful and amazing sight.

 

[andrews]

Years ago, I was hiking up high near Mt. Rainier, in the cascade mountains. Anyway, between me and the mountain was a huge deep and wide valley. All of a sudden I heard this screaming jet engine sound and then two bright silver F-104's came flying by, at eye level!! They banked and climbed out of that valley together. I must say that it was truly a spectacle with the glacier covered mountain in the background and a bright blue sky. I'll always remember that day.

 

[Pablo]

andrews - my thoughts exactly.

These were camo paint B52's, with light blue white bellies - the thing that amazed me also, they were pretty quiet. My buddy and I both commented on the age of the planes and this was in 1978 or so! They were snaking around the mountains......ugh...what's the wingspan on a B52? Amazing.

 

[andrews]

Pablo,
That would be pretty neat to see those old bombers banking around the mountains. I've rarely even seen one in flight. Great old workhorse!

 

[Rob Taggs]

They are all beautiful ! I got the greatest kick taking my 8 year old son to his first airshow. I'am always in awe but, getting to share one of my true loves with my son and seeing his expression is worth a million dollars ! He commented that, dad no country could beat us with planes and pilots like ours. I have to agree, America has the best of the best. On another note, when the F-15's came by us I told my son if it were not for those F-15's in my Army days I may not be here. Two of them were on escort duty with my Ranger unit and happened to chase off a couple of Migs that were but a couple of miles away ready to do nasty things to us. I got to see them real close screaming in at 100 feet over our heads at MACH 1 plus. So, a blated thank you goes to those Eagle drivers. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN FOR ANOTHER SUNRISE !!!

 

[sprintman]

Vulcan, Victor, TSR2, XB70, SR71, Lancaster (of course), Canberra, Meteor, Avon Sabre, F15 and my favourite the English Electric Lightning (world's first supercruising fighter).

 

[Rick in PA]

Whimsey, have you checked-out the museum at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station in PA? http://www.dvhaa.org/museum.shtml They've got an ME-262 on display.

If anyone gets to Tuscon, AZ, check-out the Pima Air & Space Museum. All sorts of cool planes there.

I'll second (or third) the vote for the Saber Jet. For comercial jets, I always liked the Boeing 727.

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

---

Originally posted by outrun:
By all means please add to the list

---

Although it never got into combat, and only about 20 unfinished examples were found at war's end, the Horten Ho 229 (or Gotha Go 229) is one of my favorite aircraft in terms of appearance:

http://www.randyasplund.com/browse/modelspg/go229 ho IX.html

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/ho229.html

 

[TheLoneRanger]

I've always liked the looks of the P-40 Warhawk, of "Flying Tigers" fame.

Also the P-39 Airacobra. Not a very good fighter, but it had sleek looks for it's time.

Then there's the Navy Scorpion of the Korean War era. And the Sabre. I could go on and on.......