What is your favorite aircraft of all time?

[Bernie Zack]

Convair B-58 Hustler.

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

I'm another Corsair fan. I've always adored them, but watched one flying today at the air show; I just wanted to go and pet it. For what it's worth, it was definitely a crowd favorite.

 

[Gray Ghost]

"We are poor little lambs, who have lost our way. Baa Baa Baa."

 

[Bluebird Marsha]

It is entirely possible that I was unduly influenced in my youth by certain TV show

Ahh how a young girl's fancies could turn towards thoughts of handsome... planes.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

Lancaster bomber... Lots of people love Spitfires as you can't beat the sound of a Merlin engine, but the lanc has four This is Just Jane, she lives at East Kirkby airfield in Lincolnshire and I took this shot this afternoon. Just Jane taxis at the moment but has just taken delivery of some beautiful new engines and it is the hope that she will fly again someday soon.

 

[Smithy]

Lancaster bomber... Lots of people love Spitfires as you can't beat the sound of a Merlin engine, but the lanc has four This is Just Jane, she lives at East Kirkby airfield in Lincolnshire and I took this shot this afternoon. Just Jane taxis at the moment but has just taken delivery of some beautiful new engines and it is the hope that she will fly again someday soon.

Good call Missy, simply beautiful aircraft and able to pack a real wallop by carrying a huge bomb load.

 

[SgtRick]

I was in VMA 214 (The Blacksheep) in the 1980's when I was stationed at MCAS El Toro. We where flying A4M's at the time until we transitioned to Harriers in the mid to late 80's. The F4U Corsair of WWII that VMA 214 flew then is one of my favorite aircraft.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I was in VMA 214 (The Blacksheep) in the 1980's when I was stationed at MCAS El Toro. We where flying A4M's at the time until we transitioned to Harriers in the mid to late 80's. The F4U Corsair of WWII that VMA 214 flew then is one of my favorite aircraft.

For years I remember seeing the A-4s, F-4 Phantom IIs and later F/A-18s from El Toro in the skies over Orange County. There's now an A-4 on display in front of the County Recorder's Office in Santa Ana. I'll have to go back and take some more pics.

Santa Ana, April 20, 2011

 

[SgtRick]

I have some pics from my 81-82 WESTPAC deployment of our A4's being loaded with ordnance. Once I can post pics I will throw some up here. Thanks for the pic. I miss OC. It was a fun place to be in the 80's.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

El Toro is totally unrecognizable today. After the base closed there was a big debate as to what to do with it. One proposal was to turn it into an airport (which was a more logical and badly-needed option IMO) and the other was to make it into a park. Unfortunately the park faction won out and the former MCAS El Toro is now called Great Park.

 

[Aristaeus]

It is entirely possible that I was unduly influenced in my youth by certain TV show

Ahh how a young girl's fancies could turn towards thoughts of handsome... planes.

One of my favorites as a kid.
[video=youtube;sJDHFF4-B8I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJDHFF4-B8I[/video]

 

[Stearmen]

Santa Ana, April 20, 2011

The Blue Angels were much better when they flew A4s! The show was much tighter, and more personal.

 

[djd]

I love the de Havilland comet and the Short Empire flying boat. I would have loved to have travelled on one of those 30s flyingboats. Very stylish!

 

[cco23i]

Here's a strang one, never made it into combat but it sure looks COOL! The XFM-1 Airacude by Bell.

Scott

 

[DNO]

Sopwith Camel: I saw a repro in flight once. It looked pugnacious, efficient.
Hawker Hunter: one of the most graceful jets ever designed. I was lucky enough to see one flying into Yeovil in the early '80's.
North American Sabre: the other graceful jet. It looks downright uncomfortable on the ground.

 

[dhermann1]

Great choices. I met a guy once who had been in the Army Air Corps in 1923 and 24, flying old WW I Camels. He said the rotary engines were really deadly. He saw more than one pilot bank too sharply and get into an uncontrolled spin and crash.

 

[Renault]

My adopted granddad and a buddy who had been an aircraft mechanic in the great war, took the train from Austin to San Antonio in 1920 and bought a surplus Curtiss JN-4 at Kelly Field. They flew it back to Austin. Their intent was to make cash "barnstorming" the local county fair circuit in this area. He had no idea what he was doing. The mechanic had maybe 5-10 hours in the air........ They made it back and taught themselves how to fly the thing. He had some pretty interesting stories. Don't remember what he said they finally did with the thing.

Renault

 

[DNO]

Great choices. I met a guy once who had been in the Army Air Corps in 1923 and 24, flying old WW I Camels. He said the rotary engines were really deadly. He saw more than one pilot bank too sharply and get into an uncontrolled spin and crash.

That torque and the fact that all of the weight was far forward in the aircraft made the plane deadly...both to inexperience Allied pilots and to their German opponents.

By the way, if you're ever in the vicinity, the RCAF museum in Trenton Ontario has a Swiss Air Force Hawker Hunter. It looks just as graceful on the ground!

 

[palma]

Eurofighter

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Tupelov Tu-95 Bear