Roberto Renauld
Member
North American P-51D, and North American F-86 Saber!!!!, Excellent Fighters and fighter bombers too!!!!...
Regards
Roberto
Regards
Roberto
What Is Your All Time Favorite Fighter Airplane?
- Thread starter Gulfecho
- Start date
REM 3200
US Veteran
ParadiseRoad
Member
...not a fighter...but worthy of mention here due to it's Mach 2 performance...the B-58 Hustler was a cold war strategic bomber operational between 1960 and 1970...
"The B-58 set 19 world speed records, including coast-to-coast records, and one for the longest supersonic flight in history. In 1963, it went from Tokyo to London (via Alaska), a distance of 8,028 miles (12,920 km) in 8 hours, 35 minutes, 20.4 seconds, averaging 938 miles per hour (1,510 kilometres per hour). As of 2016, this record still stands."
...General Jimmy Stewart became a member of the "Mach 2 Club" in one...
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYvsjGroa78[/ame]
"The B-58 set 19 world speed records, including coast-to-coast records, and one for the longest supersonic flight in history. In 1963, it went from Tokyo to London (via Alaska), a distance of 8,028 miles (12,920 km) in 8 hours, 35 minutes, 20.4 seconds, averaging 938 miles per hour (1,510 kilometres per hour). As of 2016, this record still stands."
...General Jimmy Stewart became a member of the "Mach 2 Club" in one...
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYvsjGroa78[/ame]
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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
As a pilot, one in-flight separation is way to many, just bad for business, and no pilot should have to worry about his ride "coming apart", so just bad JU-JU bwana!
Now as to the very lovely Hawker Sea Fury with its contra-rotating props, now THAT is aero=nautic loveliness all rolled into a kool sounding ride. In the old days, the in-imitable Frank Saunders, with his Hawker Sea Fury, equipped with wing tip vortex smoke generators put on an airshow that made the whole of Oshkosh sit up and take notice. In fact, the Sea Fury gives the lovely Mustang a real challenge for first place in WW-II era aircraft, though I have a very soft spot in my heart for the Spitfire??
the ringo kid
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They are in the cool factor. They were out-dated early on but, many pilots stayed with them. Rudel lost a leg, but kept flying. Ive 4-5 original pics of these birds-some in action. I no longer have them online but--one snapshot pic shows a "Rotte +1" just coming out of a dive attack and were maybe about 100 feet off the ground.
Will Carry
Member
Hans-Ulrich Rudel, the Stuka Pilot, was able to escape capture by the Russians at the end of the war. He and a small group of pilots, with their planes stuffed with personnel, flew to an American air base and crash landed their planes to keep them out of American hands. Rudel was furious that some GIs stole his medals. He was being so arrogant and demanding that one of his interrogators snapped back at him saying "You know the Russians would love to get their hands on you. Maybe we should just turn you over to them!" Rudel didn't miss a beat and said "Yes and I will tell the Russians how I destroyed 500 tanks." Within and hour he had all his medals back.
Rudel was an unrepentant die hard Nazi until he died but he did tell the US Army Air Corp how he destroyed all those tanks. During the Cold War he wrote the book "Stuka Pilot" that was required reading for A-10 pilots.
Here is some rare footage of a Stuka JU87-G. They mounted a 37mm Flak antiaircraft cannon under each wing using Wolfram armor piercing rounds. Rudel would pick targets carefully (Russian tanks that were ahead of the main force) and come in at nape of the earth. The Russian fighters were too high to see him and the Russian Ack Ack crews were looking up and didn't see him until it was too late.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xggnWIamn0Q[/ame]
There used to be a video of just raw footage of a JU-87G without the hoopla. I couldn't find it.
Rudel was an unrepentant die hard Nazi until he died but he did tell the US Army Air Corp how he destroyed all those tanks. During the Cold War he wrote the book "Stuka Pilot" that was required reading for A-10 pilots.
Here is some rare footage of a Stuka JU87-G. They mounted a 37mm Flak antiaircraft cannon under each wing using Wolfram armor piercing rounds. Rudel would pick targets carefully (Russian tanks that were ahead of the main force) and come in at nape of the earth. The Russian fighters were too high to see him and the Russian Ack Ack crews were looking up and didn't see him until it was too late.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xggnWIamn0Q[/ame]
There used to be a video of just raw footage of a JU-87G without the hoopla. I couldn't find it.
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BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
"We heard the high speed run of an engine driven aircraft but could not see it until he came out of his dive and levelled off flying away from us. He came out of the sun, and after levelling off gave us a friendly wag of his wings flying off to parts unknown. It was unmistakably a P51 and one of the guys on the boat speculated that it could be Prime Minister Ki as he was an airforce pilot with a ton of money and influence. Its possible that we were one of the last military boats in a war zone to be buzzed by a P-51."
I don't think that the South Vietnamese Air Force ever operated the P-51. They had the Grumman F-8 Bearcat and then the Douglas A-1 Skyraider.
I don't think that the South Vietnamese Air Force ever operated the P-51. They had the Grumman F-8 Bearcat and then the Douglas A-1 Skyraider.
Freischütz
Member
Bf-109F series. But I must admit liking the P40 with the shark's teeth.
Cardboard_killer
Member
Well, technically Roland Garros was firing through the propeller, but that was not a production plane, but a field modification. He was the first to be called an ace.
OP
Gulfecho
Member
Rolan Garros was forced down behind enemy lines. He was faceting steel deflector plates to the inside edge of propellers so some bullets would pass between the blades. While he was captured by the Germans they quickly learned the secret of his success. Fokker scraped the deflector design in favor of the synchro gear. Although working with several well known engineers, he alone took full credit for the most significant advancement in early aviation history.
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Soooo many. The first one to really capture my imagination as a lad was the F-104 Starfighter. So that would be the jet propelled pick. Prop driven would be the P-47.
What I really like are the ground pounders like the A-10 and Douglas Skyraider.
What I really like are the ground pounders like the A-10 and Douglas Skyraider.
Texas Star
US Veteran
And at least one Sea Fury shot down a MiG-15 over Korea. The one in the pic is Australian, but the one that scored on the MiG was from the British Royal Navy.
Texas Star
US Veteran
No. 112 Squadron, RAF, had those shark's mouths in North Africa, despite it being a desert environment. The Flying Tigers saw those and made them famous.
Not only P-40's had the shark's mouths, but the shape of the nose made it look best there.
Texas Star
US Veteran
forindooruseonly
Member
Hmm. I'll throw out some dark horse material...
How about the English Electric Lightning? It had incredible climb ability and the cool factor of its unique design.
I always thought the McDonnell F-101 was a great looking airplane.
Another good looker was the North American RA-5, even if it was a bomber turned reconnaissance mutt.
How about the English Electric Lightning? It had incredible climb ability and the cool factor of its unique design.
I always thought the McDonnell F-101 was a great looking airplane.
Another good looker was the North American RA-5, even if it was a bomber turned reconnaissance mutt.
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:
Is this is a Polikarpov I-15? It's on display at the CAF msuuem in Midland, TX.
Attachments
OP
Gulfecho
Member
Speaking of old school, back in 1989 I had the absolute privilege of interviewing the last three surviving WWI American Aces. Then all in their nineties they are all gone now. What so impressed me about these gentleman is they way in which they relived each experience as if it happened yesterday. So vivid was their description of events each seem to transcend black and white video reals and pictures of a distant past as if to give color to speech.
It's no Nova or Ken Burns caliber of film making but for those who might be interested it is my honor to present this to you. It runs just over 26 minutes. We cut out the commercials. If you can, just listen to the gentleman who flew these planes, made of cloth, wood, and wire. Truly brave men. The honor of my life.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlcccNq_-cs[/ame]
It's no Nova or Ken Burns caliber of film making but for those who might be interested it is my honor to present this to you. It runs just over 26 minutes. We cut out the commercials. If you can, just listen to the gentleman who flew these planes, made of cloth, wood, and wire. Truly brave men. The honor of my life.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlcccNq_-cs[/ame]
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Wonderful piece! Not to be missed. Thank you Gulfecho.
Texas Star
US Veteran
OP
Gulfecho
Member
Thanks Old TexMex!
I believe that one is the I-16 Polikarpov
OP
Gulfecho
Member
What a terrific little movie! I enjoyed it a great deal.
Thank you Texas Star!
YogiBear
Absent Comrade
Aloha,
I have several favorites, in the Grumman line up:
The F3F, F4F, F6F, F7F.
The Republic P47.
Lockheed P38.
Somewhere I saw a photo of a Marine fighter squadron flying next to the island of Molokai.
They were doing what was called a "razzle dazzle" formation.
If anyone has that photo, could you please post it.
I have several favorites, in the Grumman line up:
The F3F, F4F, F6F, F7F.
The Republic P47.
Lockheed P38.
Somewhere I saw a photo of a Marine fighter squadron flying next to the island of Molokai.
They were doing what was called a "razzle dazzle" formation.
If anyone has that photo, could you please post it.
OLDSTER
Member
Best fighter
P-39 Bell Aircobra Uncle flew one in the Pacific, and the Russians loved it on the eastern front to pound the Germans. Unique; rear engine with drive shaft (pilot sat on it 
) to the prop, nose cannon, tricycle gear, "car door", nearly 400 MPH, over built for incredible strength, etc.
P-39 Bell Aircobra
Uncle flew one in the Pacific, and the Russians loved it on the eastern front to pound the Germans. Unique; rear engine with drive shaft (pilot sat on it ) to the prop, nose cannon, tricycle gear, "car door", nearly 400 MPH, over built for incredible strength, etc.
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The North American P-51 has always been my favorite. A friend (since passed away) owned a 1944 Mustang. I did get the chance to go up in it for about 45 mins. Had the Cavalier conversion with the rear fuselage fuel tank replaced with a seat. He said "remove your headset for the takeoff, you have to hear this". It sounded like continuous shot gun blasts! That was back in '93. My own aircraft (sliding canopy), was painted like a P-51 with invasion stripes.
cmort666
Member
It's an I-16, at the time of introduction, the most techologically advanced fighter in the world.
Back in the '90s, a company in New Zealand(?) built several replica I-15s, I-16s, and I-153s.
I-153:
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Then you should stay away from all high performance fighters, since virtually everyone had teething problems in the beginning resulting in the loss of airframes and life. Especially, those hurriedly developed, rushed to production, and built entirely during war time.
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