So, for you airline/military pilots -
I'm an A&P, and, as I'm driving back and forth on the ramp at BNA, looking at all the different airliners (Embraer ERJ 145s, 170s, 190s, CRJs, MD-80s, Airbus A320s, 757s, MD-10s, the occasional Atlas 747-400, Air Force One, etc, being a guy who likes fast cars and bikes, and airplanes, I'm always wondering which ones are the "hotrods".
I've heard that the 757 has the best power to weight ratio with either the RR or the PW engines - can't remember which. Also read that the 727 was always considered a real "pilot's airplane", as far as airliners go. And I know the 747 has the most extreme wing sweepback angle of any airliner, and has been described as a joy to fly, despite its size.
So, to those of you who are/were airline pilots, or, otherwise, have flown some of these types, which ones are considered the "hotrods"? Which ones did you particularly enjoy flying?
Another question - I've always wondered how large aircraft with high-wing configuration (C-141, C-5, C-17, etc.) handle, compared with the more common low-wing designs. They look like they'd be slower, and not handle as well, but, usually, when I've looked up specs, the speeds don't seem much slower. Also, do they handle as well? Why were none of these ever bought by airlines and used as passenger airliners (well, there's the old Avro RJ, and maybe a couple of others, I guess)? I also remember reading that Lockheed tried to sell a version of the C-5 as a large jumbo pax airliner.
I'm an A&P, and, as I'm driving back and forth on the ramp at BNA, looking at all the different airliners (Embraer ERJ 145s, 170s, 190s, CRJs, MD-80s, Airbus A320s, 757s, MD-10s, the occasional Atlas 747-400, Air Force One, etc, being a guy who likes fast cars and bikes, and airplanes, I'm always wondering which ones are the "hotrods".
I've heard that the 757 has the best power to weight ratio with either the RR or the PW engines - can't remember which. Also read that the 727 was always considered a real "pilot's airplane", as far as airliners go. And I know the 747 has the most extreme wing sweepback angle of any airliner, and has been described as a joy to fly, despite its size.
So, to those of you who are/were airline pilots, or, otherwise, have flown some of these types, which ones are considered the "hotrods"? Which ones did you particularly enjoy flying?
Another question - I've always wondered how large aircraft with high-wing configuration (C-141, C-5, C-17, etc.) handle, compared with the more common low-wing designs. They look like they'd be slower, and not handle as well, but, usually, when I've looked up specs, the speeds don't seem much slower. Also, do they handle as well? Why were none of these ever bought by airlines and used as passenger airliners (well, there's the old Avro RJ, and maybe a couple of others, I guess)? I also remember reading that Lockheed tried to sell a version of the C-5 as a large jumbo pax airliner.