~ awesome aircraft thread ~

[segaprophet]

Post pictures of your favorite aircraft and why you like them -

I'll start with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 "Butcherbird"

This bird pushed the limits for prop driven speed and had excellent handling characteristics and maneuverability - combined with a formidable amount of firepower, it was a terror for allied pilots through the end of WWII.

[table]

[tr]

[th]General characteristics[/th]

[th]Performance[/th]

[th]Armament[/th]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]Crew: 1

Length: 9.00 m (29 ft 5 in)

Wingspan: 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in)

Height: 3.95 m (12 ft 12 in)

Wing area: 18.30 m² (196.99 ft²)

Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,060 lb)

Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)

Powerplant: 1 × BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, 1,250 kW (1,700 PS)[/td]

[td]Maximum speed: 656 km/h (408 mph) at 19,420 ft (5,920 m)

Range: 800 km (500 mi)

Service ceiling: 11,410 m (37,430 ft)

Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,953 ft/min)

Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)

Power/mass: 0.29-0.33 kW/kg (0.18-0.21 hp/lb)[/td]

[td]Guns: * 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 475 rpg

4 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannon with 250 rpg, synchronized in the wing roots and 140 rpg free-firing outboard in mid-wing mounts.[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

Edited December 4, 2014 by segaprophet

[Red Iron Crown]

The F-14 Tomcat:

Most beautiful jet fighter to my eye, plus I watched too much Top Gun as a kid.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Red Iron Crown
Switched pic, now with 100% more Jolly Rogers

[VR_Dev]

The f-22 Raptor. Love it, love everything about it. I'm a sucker for the shape & how smooth it is. I really like the f-35 too

[segaprophet]

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Fast, unconventional design, tight cluster of 5 guns, rocket tubes galore, competant in fighter-bomber role as well.

Edited December 4, 2014 by segaprophet

[segaprophet]

The f-22 Raptor. Love it, love everything about it. I'm a sucker for the shape & how smooth it is. I really like the f-35 too

The F-35 seems like a simplified, cheaper version of the F-22 to me, that's why they ended F-22 production in favor of the F-35. Cost aside, the F-22 is clearly a superior machine in every way.

Edited December 3, 2014 by segaprophet

[Overfloater]

Northrop "black bullet".

Because it looks badass.

[VR_Dev]

The F-35 seems like a simplified, cheaper version of the F-22 to me, that's why they ended F-22 production in favor of the F-35. Cost aside, the F-22 is clearly a superior machine in every way.

Yeah the F-35's wingspan/surface area is too small, so It will never be able to do this.

I can't find it right now but there's a video of a aircraft designer verbally ripping the F-35 apart. I do think it looks cool though.

Northrop "black bullet".

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/images/xp56-4.jpg

Because it looks badass.

This is the winner

[Capt.Joseph Kerbertson]

I have two aircraft:

P61 Black Widow Night Fighter

Why? ...., bombs, guns. And fun fact, it was the first aircraft ever designed to use radar.

Second is the A-10. Someone said "we have this awesome gun... let's make it fly." So they literally built a plane around a gun.

Edited December 3, 2014 by Capt.Joseph Kerbertson

[PakledHostage]

I know I'm going to raise eyebrows with this one but I'm partial to the good old "Diesel 10". I've always been partial to airliners rather than military aircraft. The 747 is an impressive beast that I would have told you was my favorite when I was a kid, but the DC-10 has since won me over. I like the utility of it. There's a good reason you see so many of them being converted to MD-10 freighters. They are the proverbial "brick szithouse" of modern airliners. Their extensive use of titanium structure wards off fatigue and allows them to continue to safely operate with high cycles. They got a bad rap in the early days but a lot of that was the result of poor maintenance rather than poor design. The MD-10 conversion rejuvenates the systems and avionics. You're going to see them flying long after aircraft of similar vintage are beercanned.

[Woopert]

YF-23  the aircraft that competed with the F-22 for the U.S.'s next fighter. It lost though, but the trapezoidal wings and slanted tail fins are nice.

[Kinglet]

The Cessna skymaster! It's cozy! It's fancy! It's small!

Look at that wing shape and dual props!

[Kryten]

Gains points for reaching testing despite the concept being completely insane. Also undertook the first crewed flight to break the sound barrier! shortly before hitting the ground.

[segaprophet]

Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO code name : Flanker)

Beautiful lines, crazy maneuverable. One of the last great Eastern Bloc jet fighters of the Cold War period. This thing is so Russian looking it makes my face hurt.

Edited December 4, 2014 by segaprophet

[Mareczex333]

You could learn a bit of aerodynamic with it

Masterpiece of engineering! ;d

Edited December 3, 2014 by Mareczex333

[Space.exe]

http://cdn.instructables.com/FGP/04FG/GNBEVY1W/FGP04FGGNBEVY1W.LARGE.jpg

You could learn a bit of aerodynamic with it

Masterpiece of engineering! ;d

Just. Yes.

[Red Iron Crown]

PAK FA:

Second prettiest jet fighter to me, combines the best aspects of the Flanker and F-14 in a stealthy, modern package.

[EdFred]

<--that one. Because I own it.

[rtxoff]

The F-15 cause nobody mentioned it yet and also because it is the only known jet fighter that sucessfully

.

[Steambirds]

The Blohm and Voß BV 141 is truly a unique piece of technology.

[Slam_Jones]

Favorite plane of all time has to be the F-16 Falcon

The cockpit shape, the big air intake, everything strikes me just right

[Nibb31]

One of my favorites, the old Super Guppys.

[segaprophet]

And of course, the essential Messerschmitt Me 262. A round of applause, ladies and gentlemen.

Edited December 4, 2014 by segaprophet

[razark]

B-17

Thunderbird

Texas Raiders

I can't say why I like it. It's such a classic, though. I'm lucky enough that both these aircraft are located in my area, so I occasionally get to see them.

Edited December 4, 2014 by razark

[GoSlash27]

My favorite airplane has already been mentioned, so I'll move on to my 2nd:

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruE8yhkHke8

The thing was so freakin' big it should've had it's own area code!

Back when nukes weighed more than most bombers and WWII technology was state- of-the-art, small communities of flight crew would inhabit these flying apartment complexes and fly missions measured in days.

[andrew123]

I love the YB-49.

And the FA-50. Some bias was involved...