~ awesome aircraft thread ~

[dbmorpher]

C-17 Globemaster III

Grumman A-6 Intruder

Lockheed NF-104A

[Nibb31]

A400M Atlas

Originally, the NATO denomination was to be "Grizzly", which IMO fitted it much better than the unimaginative "Atlas".

[zekes]

C-17 Globemaster III

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/C17_aircraft_alt.jpg/1280px-C17_aircraft_alt.jpg

Grumman A-6 Intruder

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/A-6E_Intruder_VA-52.JPEG/1920px-A-6E_Intruder_VA-52.JPEG

Lockheed NF-104A

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/NF-104.jpg/800px-NF-104.jpg

I love the F-104.

[RocketscientistV]

F 86 Sabre

Me 323

[StrandedonEarth]

AC-130 on the taxiway!/

Edited February 17, 2015 by Vanamonde

[segaprophet]

One more post-war British bird, the Avro Shackleton, used for maritime patrol -

Edited February 18, 2015 by segaprophet

[jmiki8]

Vladimir Putin visited my hometown yesterday. He brought 3 IL-96s (2 -300PUs and one -300), and an IL-76 which transported his car. I skipped/swapped all of my classes yesterday in order not to miss this very-very rare occasion. It was really difficult to get even into the vicinity of the airport, therefore I couldn't get to a good spotting location without the fence.

I know it isn't the most efficient aircraft, but look, how gorgeous it is.

Angela Merkel visited us just ~2 weeks ago, and in contrast with Putin's 4 large aircraft, she came with an A319.

krappy quality, I know

Both leaders stayed just for hours, leaving on the same day they arrived.

Edited February 18, 2015 by jmiki8

[Frafor]

So many beautiful machines. Let's add some more:

FMA IA 58 Pucará

A-4 Skyhawk

And the one I fly, Piper PA38 Tomahawk

[Dman979]

dbmorpher and zekes- love the F-104! The saying in Germany went "to get a Starfighter, buy a small patch of land and wait."

Seriously, how can you not love a plane with the name "The Missile With a Man In It?".

The one that started it all:

and the Piper Grasshopper:

[segaprophet]

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (NATO reporting name: Foxbat) - supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft -

Edited February 21, 2015 by segaprophet

[SmallFatFetus]

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (NATO reporting name: Foxbat) - supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft -

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Russian_Air_Force_MiG-25.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25RB%2C_Russia_-_Air_Force_AN2195954.jpg/1024px-Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25RB%2C_Russia_-_Air_Force_AN2195954.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/MiG-25RBS_Pichugin-1.jpg

http://www.bestdreamworks.com/hobby/items/2008//h3.jpg

http://autoentusiastas.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/reditt-com-mig-25-foxbat.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/MiG-25.svg/1024px-MiG-25.svg.png

That thing is a sky tractor.

[StrandedonEarth]

Ok, so it's completely fictional. Still pretty cool looking.

[Red Iron Crown]

Ok, so it's completely fictional. Still pretty cool looking.

http://rob.com/pix/var/albums/RC/crazy_rc/firefox.jpg

You must think in Russian to operate it, I hear. (One of my favorite fictional planes, too, and it has aged very well.)

A pic in every post, so I give you the Mirage 4000:

Developed as a private venture to be a larger, more capable twin-engined version of the Mirage 2000, it never found any buyers and never got past a single prototype.

[segaprophet]

North American F-100 Super Sabre, supersonic jet fighter/fighter-bomber.

Edited February 21, 2015 by segaprophet

[Dman979]

It seems the USAF had a fetish for silver planes in the 50's-60's.

The SB2C Helldiver- Actually, I hate it. Crews called it the "Son of a B****, 2nd Class" for its awful flying characteristics- especially near the stall.

[segaprophet]

Boeing B-47 Stratojet, high altitude strategic bomber. (with JATO! )

Edited February 21, 2015 by segaprophet

[MiltiTrace]

T-4 (Su-100) 1972

[benzman]

Boeing B-47 Stratojet, high altitude strategic bomber. (with JATO! )

Not wishing to appear a pedantic little know-all, but that should be RATO for rocket assisted takeoff, not JATO for jet assisted takeoff.

[Camacha]

Not wishing to appear a pedantic little know-all, but that should be RATO for rocket assisted takeoff, not JATO for jet assisted takeoff.

You appear to be technically correct - the best kind of correct - but in common nomenclature apparently both can be used.

The term JATO is used interchangeably with the (more specific) term RATO, for Rocket-Assisted Take Off (or, in RAF parlance, RATOG for Rocket-Assisted Take Off Gear).

Source.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Camacha

[Red Iron Crown]

Not wishing to appear a pedantic little know-all, but that should be RATO for rocket assisted takeoff, not JATO for jet assisted takeoff.

Don't go half-pedantic, go full on pedantic. All rockets are also jets, so JATO is appropriate.

[Newt]

A strange one: The Goodyear Inflatoplane

[GoSlash27]

Thinking about this one today because I'm trying something similar; a circumnavigation by glider with no control surfaces. I'm almost on day 6...

Best,

-Slashy

[segaprophet]

Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut (NATO reporting name Firkin), technology demonstrator prototype in development of Su-35BM and PAK FA T-50 -

[tater]

F4F held its own in the first year of WW2, a very even match with the A6M (Zero). Superior armament and armor allowed pilots to live and learn from mistakes (Zero pilots usually only ever made one mistake, and paid with their lives).

[segaprophet]

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, supersonic interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber -