NFT: Your Favorite Fighter Planes?

The F4U Corsair is a "1B". In addition to being terrific fighters, both had a unique look.

In comment 15507250 Trainmaster said:

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The F4U Corsair is a "1B". In addition to being terrific fighters, both had a unique look.

As a kid it was all about the newest. I remember having the discussion with my uncle about WWII planes and saying but this is faster. After reading about WWII, specifically the Pacific, I can see the beauty of those planes. Back then it was a dual between pilots. I would imagine that is rare nowadays.

Those planes are all beautiful to see because of what they represent and they look great too.

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are my two favorites.

Probably b/c I was more of a fan of Iron Eagle than Top Gun when I was younger.

In comment 15507266 Scyber said:

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Probably b/c I was more of a fan of Iron Eagle than Top Gun when I was younger.

Iron Eagle was a bad ass movie when I saw it. If had to guess, the first time I saw it was during the Giants-49ers game in for the 86 season at a friend's house. I remember us flipping to the game and loving the score. The Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels are always a great show. I think all the planes from the 80s are my favorite because they were the newest when I was a kid.

the Douglas AC-47 Spooky aka Magic Dragon which a friend of mine actually flew in Vietnam

P-82 - ( New Window )

Mustang
Spitfire
Hellcat

Cold War
F-4 Phantom
F-14 Tomcat
F-16

Now
F-22

In comment 15507284 Trainmaster said:

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P-82 - ( New Window )

That's mine too. The ones that shot down Admiral Yamamoto.

In comment 15507294 sb from NYT Forum said:

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In comment 15507284 Trainmaster said: Quote: P-82 - ( New Window ) I was referring to the P38... Don't know the P82 That's mine too. The ones that shot down Admiral Yamamoto.

P-38 Lighting and from the other side the Fw 190.

at air shows. A true “muscle car” plane and the planes featured in the show Bah Bah Blacksheep, which I loved watching as a kid.

But my favorite, for multiple reasons, is the A10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the Warthog. First, my uncle worked as a parts designer for Grumman and his co-worker/neighbor in Huntington worked on the Warthog in the 70s. Then there’s the cool factor. Just looks so badass. And the fact it has a fucking 30mm Gatling gun poking out the nose. Just an amazing kick-ass airplane.
The Warthog is so badass!!! - ( New Window )

My all time favorite.

Absolutely gorgeous to watch at air shows. Beautiful air craft.

That being said, I saw a firepower demo of the Warthog. I feel sorry for whoever is on the other end of an attack from one of them. Jesus that was incredible.

The coolest thing I saw at an air show was a simultaneous flyover of a Fokker, P-51 and an F-15. Side by side. The F-15 was full flaps up just to stay with the other two. It was cool.

In comment 15507345 Steve L said:

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Absolutely gorgeous to watch at air shows. Beautiful air craft. That being said, I saw a firepower demo of the Warthog. I feel sorry for whoever is on the other end of an attack from one of them. Jesus that was incredible. The coolest thing I saw at an air show was a simultaneous flyover of a Fokker, P-51 and an F-15. Side by side. The F-15 was full flaps up just to stay with the other two. It was cool.

Steve, yeah the demo with two A-10s attacking from perpendicular angles, never more than 8 seconds off target is frighteningly awesome.

The P51 is tiny even compared with the F-16. Stuart FL just had an F-22 with F-16, A-10 and P-51. The F-22 was actually strikingly large, not far off the A-10 in size.

...Spitfire. In addition to being a deadly opponent, it's the most beautiful plane ever produced.

Squad of F4 Phantoms was operating from the Chu Lai airbase in Vietnam. I loved to see and hear two take off in tandem with the afterburners going. It was amazing. Once when I was in the field our company received support from an F4 and wow it devastated a hill and left it bare

Too many modern "fighters" are basically short range bombers. The A10 gets down and dirty, and strikes fear in everyone. Total badass.

in an aviation museum, and the WWII fighter most admired in our collection is the FG-1D Corsair. When we do open cockpits, usually the line to sit in it is longer than the line for the other planes. The Tomcat's also a big draw, but the Navy won't let us open it up. People ask about the Mustang, but we don't have one. We do have the P-47, P-39, and P-40 for Army Air Corp fighters. Our Navy collection has the Corsair, Hellcat, and Wildcat. The F-14A is usually the first thing people look at when they walk thru the doors, though.

beautiful, fast and deadly. The first carrier-based aircraft to exceed 400mph. The 'gull wings' were necessary to be able to mount the extra large propeller. The oil coolers at the base of the wings made a unique whistling sound and the Japanese called the Corsair "Whistling Death".

In comment 15507416 Bob in VA said:

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Too many modern "fighters" are basically short range bombers. The A10 gets down and dirty, and strikes fear in everyone. Total badass.

this is the right answer. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!

I like it because it was flown by Marine legend Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron.

a less flamboyant Marine pilot, Marion E. Carl. Corsair Pilot and the first Marine Ace in WWII. I have a print with his signature hanging in my office...

..I always thought the p-51 Mustang was a nasty looking plane....with the exhaust pipes coming out of the side...looks like a dragster...all engine

MajGen. Carl was also a distinguished test pilot.

just looked cool and was fast! They were still flying them when I was stationed in GTMO Bay, Cuba in the early 80s. Loved watching them.

When I was in the Navy stationed on an Aircraft Carrier, this was the one that I used to love. And a couple of people have mentioned Top Gun...they actually filmed part of that (interiors aboard the carrier) on my ship. Unfortunately for me that filming took place a few months after I had transferred! Always miss the cool stuff, but there for all the crap:).

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Believe the Japanese called them the forked tail devil's.

In comment 15507537 Hazlet Giant's Fan said:

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Believe the Japanese called them the forked tail devil's.

If you like the p-38, check out the P-61 Black Widow night fighter

In comment 15507540 Greg from LI said:

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In comment 15507537 Hazlet Giant's Fan said: Quote: Believe the Japanese called them the forked tail devil's. If you like the p-38, check out the P-61 Black Widow night fighter

That one looks right out of the original Star Wars.

out of his garage, then just letting it idle there.

So great.
Firing up an F4U Corsair - ( New Window )

In comment 15507558 Beezer said:

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out of his garage, then just letting it idle there. So great. Firing up an F4U Corsair - ( New Window )

That was pretty badass once the engine turned over, but the 3 minutes it took to get it going was a little like getting my old Chevy Vega started on a cold morning.😀

In comment 15507526 The_Boss said:

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That looks like an F-14. Cobra flew something similar to the SR-71. Amazing all the funding GIJoe and Cobra had. They seemed to have infinite equipment to blow up. They could shoot down planes left and right but when it came to shooting at people they put Storm Troopers to shame.

so that was always a favorite for us kids. But as for new age, my brother and I split between the F14 and the F16. The Curtiss P40 Flying Tiger always has the coolest paint job.

by pilots for a reason.

Lightning Mustang, Corsair, Falcon, Warthog.

Everything about it is great.

In comment 15507416 Bob in VA said:

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Too many modern "fighters" are basically short range bombers. The A10 gets down and dirty, and strikes fear in everyone. Total badass.

Top trainees request the A10 over fighter planes now.

In comment 15507619 Ry in NY said:

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so that was always a favorite for us kids. But as for new age, my brother and I split between the F14 and the F16. The Curtiss P40 Flying Tiger always has the coolest paint job.

My grandfather was a crew chief for a P-47, so that one has a place in my heart too.

I went to the aviation museum in Farmingdale a few years ago and they had a P-40 flight demonstration. Man, the powerful roar of that engine was something else to experience, and the P-40 wasn't even one of the more powerful WWII fighters.

WWI SE.5a
WW2 Corsair F4U-1C
50-60s Phantom II
Post: F-14D

F-15 gets so little love despite being such a capable aircraft.

There is a great podcast currently running on the development and operational history of the F-14 called “the Tomcast”; link below.
Redcircle.com/shows/f-14_tomcast - ( New Window )

P-38 Lightning - grossly misunderstood and grossly underappreciated, but unmatched at what it was good at.

F4U Corsair - the pirate of the Pacific.

Supermarine Spitfire - the soul of a man lives in the beauty that helped win the Battle of Britain.

Fw-190 - the butcher bird.

P-47 Thunderbolt - tank, train, and airplane killer DeLuxe.

P-51 Mustang (especially D and later models) - Goering said he knew the war was lost when he saw them over Berlin.

A-10 Wart Hog - there's a reason it's the Thunderbolt II.

Chance Vought Crusader - moveable wing machine foretold the future and lasted a long, long time as a first line fighter in an age where most things were already obsolete when they were introduced.

F- 104 - the missle with a man in it.

With a lot of love for the Fokker Eindecker, the Goshawk, the P-40 Warhawk, the Wildcat, the Hellcat, the Bearcat, and the Cougar, the Viggin (Sweden), and the Hornet.

Because it was the last US fighter that didn't carry air to air missiles.

Not because I know anything about fighters but because I've seen one land and takeoff and still can't get over it.

Baa Baa Black Sheep, baby!

In comment 15507537 Hazlet Giant's Fan said:

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Believe the Japanese called them the forked tail devil's.

That was the Germans.

In comment 15507446 BamaBlue said:

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beautiful, fast and deadly. The first carrier-based aircraft to exceed 400mph. The 'gull wings' were necessary to be able to mount the extra large propeller. The oil coolers at the base of the wings made a unique whistling sound and the Japanese called the Corsair "Whistling Death".

Did you know that the Corsair almost missed being a carrier-based fighter because visibility for the pilot was so poor they kept crashing. It too the Brits to figure out a modified, somewhat sideways approach that provided the needed visibility.

...always liked the looks of the F5 Tiger. Vietnam era supersonic fighter built to sell to other air forces. The Navy still uses the F5 to represent certain enemy fighters in fighter training. Still so fast and maneuverable that it can give even F15s the occasional problem.

followed by the P-51 Mustang followed by F-16.