I love the old prop planes, and the A-10, but I will stick to the thread. When I was a kid I liked the delta wing jobs, the F-102 and F-106, but in this era, I love the F-16. Compact, single engine, sleek. It's like a modern Mustang.
What is your all time favorite military fighter jet?
- Thread starter mojave30cal
- Start date
Frank237
Absent Comrade
I worked on Thuds when I was in the USAF, F-105 B's the Thunderchief. Not a sexy looking acft but they did get the job done.
Though of all the iron I saw in the air the F-4's really stirred my soul back then.
Though of all the iron I saw in the air the F-4's really stirred my soul back then.
FishingPilot
US Veteran
T-38 Talon - not a speedster or combat demon but just a beautiful, sleek rocket sled. I keep telling the wife when we win the lottery I'm buying one.
BearBio
Member
Gotta go with the F-104. Only 'cuz it was the first model I remember building.
Could go with lot's of others for historical reasons, etc. But I'll stick to that one.
Could go with lot's of others for historical reasons, etc. But I'll stick to that one.
Edmo
US Veteran
Fishing Pilot, I flew the T-38A in USAF Pilot Training in the late 1980's and it was a very fast and fun machine. I'll always remember my first morning formation takeoff as lead lit the blowers and I chased him down the runway. Passing airliners while at altitude on cross-country flights was always fun. All in a supersonic jet with only 1 UHF comm radio and no autopilot!
If I have to pick a fighter, I'll pick the F-16. Many, many built. Flown by many countries. Very versatile and capable, and as an F-15E buddy of mine once said, "Don't piss off the Viper Drivers or they might bring both bombs to the war!" This is true when you look at the full bomb load out of a bomb truck like the Strike Eagle.
My favorite airplane has to be the C-130. I've flown many models and mission variants, but they all are the Sport Utility airplane underneath. The newest model is all glass up front with bigger and better engines and props. Oh, and it has a HUD just like the fighter boys have.
Below is a link showing the Lockheed Test Pilot crew practicing in a "J model" for the Paris Airshow a few years back.
Edmo
C-130J Paris Airshow 2011
If I have to pick a fighter, I'll pick the F-16. Many, many built. Flown by many countries. Very versatile and capable, and as an F-15E buddy of mine once said, "Don't piss off the Viper Drivers or they might bring both bombs to the war!" This is true when you look at the full bomb load out of a bomb truck like the Strike Eagle.
My favorite airplane has to be the C-130. I've flown many models and mission variants, but they all are the Sport Utility airplane underneath. The newest model is all glass up front with bigger and better engines and props. Oh, and it has a HUD just like the fighter boys have.
Below is a link showing the Lockheed Test Pilot crew practicing in a "J model" for the Paris Airshow a few years back.
Edmo
C-130J Paris Airshow 2011
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mstem
Member
Lockheed F104 Starfighter.
Enough said!
Enough said!
In my 21+ years in the Air Force I worked on a few different aircraft from fighters to Heavy's.. I was most impressed with the F4 worked the C&D models in Da Nang. AB Viet Nam in 72-73 and later the F4 E & G (Wild Weasel) models at Clark AFB Philippines. those planes would fly forever and take a lot of punishment. But if they sat on the ramp to long you could hear them break.....
Rob
Rob
Harkrader
Member
F-100. I tried every trick I knew to get to fly them. Just a bit too late getting to Vietnam.
Took this shot on the ramp at Bien Hoa sometime in 1970, where I was trying to weasel a ride.
ChiefStealth
US Veteran
I vote for the A-10. Only jet built specifically to protect my butt, on the ground. First saw them during a Reforger. 78, or 79. Can't remember exactly. I had never seen an airplane do the kind of flying that thing could do.
I like the lines of the ME 262.
I like this choice as well. A game changer. Thankfully to little to late.
M E Morrison
Member
Hopefully this isn't overdoing it, but I got a PM asking about details of an F-8 Crusader saving my bacon.
This was in 1969, shortly after the North Koreans shot down one of our EC-121 spy planes in the Sea of Japan. Them & the Russians were touchy about US presence in that area. The USS Dale was assigned to be plane guard for the next overflight. Since she was a missile only ship, with no guns, the USS Southerland was assigned to keep the NORK gunboats off the Dale. I was the Electronic Warfare operator on the Southerland, so was privy to the antics of all the players.
Sure enough, when the next overflight occurred, two MIG-17's came up & locked their radars onto the EC-121. The Dale locked her Terrier anti aircraft missile control radar onto the MIGs and told them to back off.
About that time we got locked onto by the fire control radars of two Kresta class cruisers, one Kynda class destroyer and a Riga class corvette. They were basically at the four points of the compass, with the little Riga class dead astern. We knew about the Riga, but the big boys were a total surprise - they had been paralleling us just over the horizon. We could not possibly jam three big anti ship missiles at the same time, and were doomed if the Russians launched. The Dale's EW system was not co-operating so I was on my own. The Russians came up in the clear and said "you shoot - we shoot"; right straight to a very tense moment!
The ship's captain got on the radio and called for back-up; a flight of F-8 Crusaders was dispatched. The message came thru - in the clear - so the Russians could hear it. This was not typical, as such messages were encoded, so I knew I wasn't the only one worried - big comfort!
"The Crusaders are weapons free and they are at your command."
Now it's a salemate. Luckily, The Russians blinked first, shut down their missile radars and pulled away. Back in 1969, things were very tense - both with the NORKS, and with the Russians. I had no doubt they were willing to pull the trigger once again - and I was riding the bullseye!
Up until then, I had thought the Crusaders were pretty ugly, and the Phantoms were gorgeous. After that day, I changed my mind and have been a Crusader fan ever since.
This was in 1969, shortly after the North Koreans shot down one of our EC-121 spy planes in the Sea of Japan. Them & the Russians were touchy about US presence in that area. The USS Dale was assigned to be plane guard for the next overflight. Since she was a missile only ship, with no guns, the USS Southerland was assigned to keep the NORK gunboats off the Dale. I was the Electronic Warfare operator on the Southerland, so was privy to the antics of all the players.
Sure enough, when the next overflight occurred, two MIG-17's came up & locked their radars onto the EC-121. The Dale locked her Terrier anti aircraft missile control radar onto the MIGs and told them to back off.
About that time we got locked onto by the fire control radars of two Kresta class cruisers, one Kynda class destroyer and a Riga class corvette. They were basically at the four points of the compass, with the little Riga class dead astern. We knew about the Riga, but the big boys were a total surprise - they had been paralleling us just over the horizon. We could not possibly jam three big anti ship missiles at the same time, and were doomed if the Russians launched. The Dale's EW system was not co-operating so I was on my own. The Russians came up in the clear and said "you shoot - we shoot"; right straight to a very tense moment!
The ship's captain got on the radio and called for back-up; a flight of F-8 Crusaders was dispatched. The message came thru - in the clear - so the Russians could hear it. This was not typical, as such messages were encoded, so I knew I wasn't the only one worried - big comfort!
"The Crusaders are weapons free and they are at your command."
Now it's a salemate. Luckily, The Russians blinked first, shut down their missile radars and pulled away. Back in 1969, things were very tense - both with the NORKS, and with the Russians. I had no doubt they were willing to pull the trigger once again - and I was riding the bullseye!
Up until then, I had thought the Crusaders were pretty ugly, and the Phantoms were gorgeous. After that day, I changed my mind and have been a Crusader fan ever since.
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99savage308
Member
The Brit's Spitfire
Texas Star
US Veteran
Thanks to Mr. Morrison for his thrilling account of an incident that probably never made the news.
Force is all that our enemies understand.
Force is all that our enemies understand.
dcxplant
Member
My first love is the Phantom II. I was a young kid, 17, and fresh out of Millington TN's Navy jet school (ADJ mechanic), and my first fleet assignment was a Marine squadron at MCAS Beaufort's VMFA-251 which still had Phantoms.
My second,love was the F/A-18's we got to replace them. My job changed a lot, and not really for the better...... As an ADJ on the Phantom there was a lot of work done overnight to have the birds needed for the AM sortee, which kept us ADJ's busy in the shop.
When the Hornets came, they were/are like a Honda; they just don't break down! The darn things were so reliable and required such little work we ADJ's were cross-trained and utilized to be plane handlers, glorified line workers...... (this work required no real skill or brains, very boring) imagine going from the pride of using skill and knowledge to keep a fighter jet up and running to being relegated to fueling and marshaling due to no work being needed. More than a few fights broke out when actual engine work needed to be done!
The F/A-18 was a game changer for reliability. We did some engine changes, and some generator changes as the gens didn't like hanging on the AMAD for very long before breaking, but they fixed that issue too.
So, in short, I loved, and still love, that smokey, dirty, oily, knuckle-busting, head-bonking, noisy, fabulous, beautiful, awesome, scary, and deadly Phantom!!
Phantom; proof that thrust conquers all, aerodynamics be damned!
My second,love was the F/A-18's we got to replace them. My job changed a lot, and not really for the better...... As an ADJ on the Phantom there was a lot of work done overnight to have the birds needed for the AM sortee, which kept us ADJ's busy in the shop.
When the Hornets came, they were/are like a Honda; they just don't break down! The darn things were so reliable and required such little work we ADJ's were cross-trained and utilized to be plane handlers, glorified line workers...... (this work required no real skill or brains, very boring) imagine going from the pride of using skill and knowledge to keep a fighter jet up and running to being relegated to fueling and marshaling due to no work being needed. More than a few fights broke out when actual engine work needed to be done!
The F/A-18 was a game changer for reliability. We did some engine changes, and some generator changes as the gens didn't like hanging on the AMAD for very long before breaking, but they fixed that issue too.
So, in short, I loved, and still love, that smokey, dirty, oily, knuckle-busting, head-bonking, noisy, fabulous, beautiful, awesome, scary, and deadly Phantom!!
Phantom; proof that thrust conquers all, aerodynamics be damned!
NO one else has posted this one, and it may not be the classiest, but was the backbone of the reconnaissance and strike capable nuclear fighter bomber during the Cold War. B66.
luangtom
US Veteran
By all means, the F4. That fast-mover got called in and saved many lives on the ground.
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