What Is Your All Time Favorite Fighter Airplane?

[Gulfecho]

The F15 Eagle. It can hunt and track multiple targets and shoot them down at extreme ranges and being U.S. flown has never been shot down in combat.

I recently viewed a documentary where five F15s were sent up to kill one F22 Raptor. The Raptor killed all five. The Eagle pilots didn't spot the plane on visual or radar. Very impressive given the F15s air superiority history.

 

[Lee Barner]

i'll stick with the P-51 Mustang just because of it's kill ratio and coolness factor. lee

 

[Bob L]

F6F Hellcat. While the jets are great and I like the F14 Tomcats, to me the Hellcat is the favorite. And yes, I like Revolvers as well.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Got to admit, WW II had some really nice examples.

Favorite... for what in particular?

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

Excellent air to air and superb ground pounder.

F4U is a sweetheart too, as was the F6F.

P 38 shell shocked more than a few Axis pilots.

Modern, I'm an A 10 guy all the way, but it's not so much an air to air as air to ground. F 14 is where I look for beauty and capability, certainly not maintenance.

 

[Stan O]

Favorite WW2 fighter

The Super-marine Spitfire and the ME-262.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

The coolest fighter ever built is the P-51 Mustang.
Here the ex- Texas Air Guard Bird down at Santa Teresa, NM.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Others need not apply:

 

[Marshwheeling]

P-51. I don't need to make a case; it speaks for itself. And the sound when three of them make a low pass and nail the throttles - there is nothing like it.

 

[Texas Star]

i'll stick with the P-51 Mustang just because of it's kill ratio and coolness factor. lee

What is the Mustang's kill ratio? I think the Hellcat was 1:19 against Japanese fighters, favoring the F-6F.

I think the F-86 Sabre had a 1: 14 ratio against MiG's in Korea, but that dropped a lot when we fought MiG-21's in Vietnam. Our pilots weren't trained any longer in air-to-air combat. Early Phantoms didn't even have guns! The brass thought that missiles ended dogfighting. That led to the Top Gun and Red Flag training plans.

The F-22 Raptor is the deadliest fighter of which I know. But I like the classics, like the Hawker Hunter, the F-86 Sabre, and the Spitfire and Thunderbolt. I learned a lot about the P-38 Lightning by researching it, and the late P-38's with dive brakes, cockpit heating, & combat flaps were remarkable planes.

A Royal Navy test pilot named Capt. Eric Brown flew about all of the Axis and Allied fighters during and after WWII. He reckoned the Spitfire MK XIV was the one to be in in a real dogfight. He did like the Mustang and it had much greater range, but the Spit will turn a little better and was a refined killing tool without peer. But the later Lagg and MiG prop planes were also very dangerous. They gave Mustang and Sea Fury pilots a nasty time over Korea.

Finally , I admire the results the P-40 gave against better enemy planes. Its pilots coaxed it to worthwhile performances, using tactics that let them engage the much more maneuverable ME and FW and Japanese planes. Also outclassed the Italians' best, like the Greyhound. Macchi 202?

I wonder how good the latest Russian planes are. I hope we don't have to find out first hand. I think war with China is actually more likely. They have some advanced planes, too.

 

[Jessie]

Too numerous for me to pick just one.

 

[16thVACav]

The only one I've ever been in - F-100 Super Sabre.

 

[Targets Guy]

I'm with Rusty on this one.

F-86 Saber Jet

 

[cmort666]

The Curtiss P6E, the quintessential 1930s biplane fighter:

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Here's the Mustang at the Pima- Tucson.

 

[Texas Star]

Got to admit, WW II had some really nice examples.

Favorite... for what in particular?
Best all-aroun
der - P 47 from Grumman Iron Works.

Excellent air to air and superb ground pounder.

F4U is a sweetheart too, as was the F6F.

P 38 shell shocked more than a few Axis pilots.

Modern, I'm an A 10 guy all the way, but it's not so much an air to air as air to ground. F 14 is where I look for beauty and capability, certainly not maintenance.

The P-47 Thunderbolt was a Republic product. Grumman made the Wildcat, Hellcat, and Bearcat. North American made the Mustang. Curtiss made the P-40 series. I think Chance-Vought made the Corsair.

 

[Gulfecho]

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

 

[Will Carry]

I really don't have one favorite fighter plane but the F4F Wildcat went toe to toe with the Mitsubishi A6M and some of the best pilots in the world. The Wildcat was by no means the best but it was what we had. The Wildcat has been accused of being inferior to the Zero but that is just not true. The Wildcat was made tough, but not too pretty. Like me.

Funny story about the Wildcat. When it first came out the navy pilots were ecstatic. This little plane was like hot rod. Then the Navy said "We're going to put a 200 chunk of armor plating behind the pilots seat." The pilots protested saying it was like having an extra pilot. Then the Navy said "We're going to add a resealing fuel tank." and the navy pilots protested again. "You are adding more weight and cutting down on our range!" Then the Navy said "We are going to add folding wings so we can fit a few more on a carrier" and the pilots lamented "MORE WEIGHT!! Thanks for nothing!" Then lastly the Navy said "4 50 caliber machine guns is not enough, we are going to add one on each wing, giving you 6 .50s but we are going to cut the number of rounds per gun from 350rds to 247 rounds." The pilots protested "Four 50's are plenty for shooting down Jap planes, We don't want the extra weight and less trigger time." So by the time the Navy got through with the F4F it was 30mph slower and it's climb rate was halved.

 

[824tsv]

de Havilland Mosquito

My pick for all time favourite but I'm swayed a bit as my Father piloted one during WWII. Here he is on the field in England in 1944. Some of his Squadrons Mosquito's on the field behind him.

 

[dben002]

Not an airplane but certainly my favorite....Cobra Attack Helicopter

cobra attack helicopter - Google Search

 

[Gulfecho]

The Thunderbolt, doing what it does best. Firing its 30 millimeter cannon that it was built around.