What Is Your All Time Favorite Fighter Airplane?

[Donn]

Best all-arounder - P 47 from Grumman Iron Works.

Excellent air to air and superb ground pounder.

The P-47 came from Republic.

I've got two faves. P-51 Mustang. The yardstick by which all WWII fighters are measured.

F-86 Saber. Like a classic sports car, it's looks are ageless.

 

[hoosierone]

Great thread! I like them all. Hard to pick just one. Years ago at the Osh Kosh EAA air show I saw a P-38 take off. He was barely off the ground and pulled it into a straight up climb. Amazing. I remember having mixed feelings about flying a treasure like that.

At the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago when I was a kid they had a Spitfire and Stuka hanging from the ceiling. I was always mesmerized looking up and seeing them. Haven't been there in many years so don't know if they're still on display.

 

[bigwheelzip]

It would be ungracious of me not to vote for the F-14 Tomcat, since I made a living from her production at Grumman, Bethpage. A great fleet defense platform.



And of course the F-111 Aardvark, which spawned the Tomcat, must get honorable mention.

 

[ditrina]

Hey!!!! I piloted a Grumman ONCE

 

[glenncal1]

Here are a couple:

 

[cmort666]

That would have to be banned today. The cat has a gun. It "promotes gun violence"...

 

[Nostinkin]

A-10 for tanks and CAS.

 

[the ringo kid]

Me-262. Awesome looks and quite the plane for the day.

Loads of German pilots desperately needed on the Eastern Front-died trying to fly those gas-guzzeling bombs. Erich Hartmann was asked by Adolf Galland to join his forming: JV-44. Hartmann said "nope." And on his way "home" shot down 4 P-51 Mustangs.

 

[the ringo kid]

As I recall, a huge number of the deaths involved Luftwaffe pilots.

The Luftwaffe tried to turn the F-104 into a miniature F-105 with disastrous results.

Totally true too. Erich Hartmann then, was trying to get the Bundeswaffe to stop sending "Young German boys to their deaths" - which got him into more serious trouble with his superiors. Because of that alone--they black-balled him and he was never promoted to Generalmajor. (Brigadier General)

 

[the ringo kid]

When I ws a kid in WW II making model airplanes, the one I made more of was the P 39. Performance at altitude was dismal, but the Russians found out what they were good at: tank killing. I guess they were the concept aircraft for the A-10.

Just like the Germans did with a:

Rudel scored hundreds of Russian tanks with his Stuka: Its hard for me to tell because the image is small but, I think that is Rudel seated:

Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The onl German soldier to earn the: Knights Cross w/ golden oaks, swords and diamonds:

 

[cmort666]

A favorite from the WWII era, the Hawker Typhoon. A 2,260 hp Napier Sabre liquid-cooled H-24 sleeve value piston engine, and four 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannons. Its engine's excessive raw power was it's only downside. I wouldn't call the Typhoon beautiful, but it had that purposeful menacing look the British were so good at achieving. Like an angry animal, powerful, coiled and ready to strike....

click to enlarge​

A I recall, the entire tail section had a tendency to fall off. Adding reinforcing "fish plates" reduced, but didn't eliminate the problem.

 

[cmort666]

Pre-WWII: Boeing P-12/F4B The best and most numerous of the biplane fighters in the Army. The Curtis up thread was pretty, but the were only 46 of them bought while Boeing built 533 for both the Army and Navy.

That's my second favorite American inter-war biplane.

The F4Bs are more attractive, lacking the excessively long headrest/fuselage hump of the P-12.

Here are another couple of my favorites:

Nakajima A4N1: Similar in concept to the Boeing F4B.

Polikarpov I-15:

 

[Will Carry]

When I ws a kid in WW II making model airplanes, the one I made more of was the P 39. Performance at altitude was dismal, but the Russians found out what they were good at: tank killing. I guess they were the concept aircraft for the A-10.

The P-39 Airacobra! Started the Bell Aircraft Company. Tri-cycle landing gear, roll up windows like a car, Allison Engine mounted mid-wing and an Oldsmobile 37mm auto-cannon firing through the propeller hub. The coolness factor is off the charts! I love this plane!

Problem 1) It didn't have a two stage super-charger so at high altitude it couldn't suck any air.

Problem 2) Because the engine is mounted in the center, it would flat spin like a Frizby. The spin of death.

Problem 3) We didn't give the Russians armor piercing ammo for the 37mm. Only High Explosives. So it is said, that the P-39 used by the Russians were not used against tanks. I have read that more than once but I'll have to call BS on that. I guarantee that P-39 pilots, seeing their comrades getting attacked by Panzers, would use the 37mm on them whether it penetrated the armor or not.

 

[cmort666]

Problem 2) Because the engine is mounted in the center, it would flat spin like a Frizby. The spin of death.

There was once a story in "Aviation History" about a pilot who'd flown P-39s in the Canal Zone. He said that he'd been warned about the flat spin, but still managed to get into one, possibly even an inverted one. He was able, at the last moment, to bail out.

 

[dusty3030]

Did Vought make any noteworthy airplanes other than the F4U Corsair?

F8 Crusader.
Great fighter and photo version was critical in Cuban missile crisis.

 

[tekarra]

Supermarine Spitfire.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

A I recall, the entire tail section had a tendency to fall off. Adding reinforcing "fish plates" reduced, but didn't eliminate the problem.

Over 3,300 Typhoons were made. They think 25 were lost due to the tail failure.

Pulling up out of a power dive (common for a ground attack airplane) with a 2,200 hp engine in your nose, will structurally test every component.

After the war the Hawker Typhoon evolved into the Sea Fury. It was a successful design after the war, and made in large numbers (by British post-war standards). It flew in Korea and had a long service career with a dozen foreign Air Forces. Soldiering on into the 1960's.

The Sea Fury had the excellent Bristol Centaurus 2,500 hp 18-cylinder twin-row radial sleeve value engine. It's round shape gave the Sea Fury a slightly different profile as compared to the Typhoon. The Typhoon had a H-24 engine, which was basically four inline 6-cylinder banks in a cross shape.

There are at least a couple of Hawker Sea Furys still flying today.....

click to enlarge​

 

[two-bit cowboy]

I talked to jets for 25 years of my 28-year career, always at fighter bases. Red Flag started in year one of my first of three tours at Nellis AFB, Nev. I always said, "being in the tower beat the heck out of working for a living." Also got a bit of radio time in control towers at British and French fighter bases.

Can't pick just one fighter; I love 'em all.

In my first tour at Kunsan AB, Korea, the ROKAF had a squadron of F-86s there. Turn on a dime and give you change -- great little bird -- lots of fun to work in the pattern. Got to fly in an F-15 and a couple of F-16s, even got a little stick time. What a thrill.

Unless I missed it I didn't see any shouts out to the F-5s that used to be in the Aggressor Squadrons. Great little birds, although a bit short-legged without external tanks.

Great thread, Gulfecho. Brought back tons of memories.

Cheers,

Bob

 

[Gulfecho]

Here are a couple:

I think I recognize both? The French Spad and the F105 Thunderchief.

 

[cmort666]

I think I recognize both? The French Spad and the F105 Thunderchief.

Not a SPAD. SPADs had inline engines.

That looks like a Sopwith Camel.