Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Rather than totally hijacking SD Joe’s Spitfire thread, I’ll start another. What are some of the coolest looking airplanes on your list? They don’t have to have been successful, just something you think is an interesting design and has good lines. My list could go on and and on, so here are just a few: Lockheed Constellation P-39 Airacobra (may be an odd choice, I just always liked its looks.) Avro Vulcan Hughes XF-11 (shown below) 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Canadair CL-84 Dynavert 1969 and landing on USS Guam in 1973 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Dan Troop 70448 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Everyone that I got to fly, B17s, B25s, P51. F 4UCorsair (also the toughest to see the runway taking off or landing). The only one I never got to fly and wish I had was the P38 and chance one time to sit and fly in a F86 SabreJet owned by a Doctor who had a rear seat installed for his wife and friends to sit and enjoy the ride. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 I'm all about sleek............... 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 (edited) 3 hours ago, Marshal Dan Troop 70448 said: Everyone that I got to fly, B17s, B25s, P51. F 4UCorsair (also the toughest to see the runway taking off or landing). The only one I never got to fly and wish I had was the P38 and chance one time to sit and fly in a F86 SabreJet owned by a Doctor who had a rear seat installed for his wife and friends to sit and enjoy the ride. I’ve always been a huge fan of the P38 Lockheed Lightning. I’m also a fan of the B58 Hustler! Edited October 19 by Blackwater 53393 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Feel free to highjack any thread I start, so long as there is some sort of logical connection. Coolest looking is a toss up between the F7F Tigercat And the P-61 Black Widow 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Pretty and a brilliant design 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 I find this plane pretty as well and one of the most important aircraft of WWII, serving with multiple countries, in multiple theaters and in multiple roles. And there is Florida company planning on building new PBY's for commercial, government and military roles. https://catalinaaircrafttrust.com/ngaa-home 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 P51 Mustang, F86 Sabre and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. My Dad worked on the first 2 and I worked on the B-2. I don't know if it qualified as an airplane because it glided back to earth after each mission, but coolest of all was the Space Shuttle. I also worked on it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 P-40 in AVG livery 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 One of the last true Interceptors of manned bombers. No guns, only missiles. A one mission aircraft. My Father was working of the missile weapon system for it when it was cancelled, following the launch of Sputnik. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 30 minutes ago, Chantry said: I find this plane pretty as well and one of the most important aircraft of WWII, serving with multiple countries, in multiple theaters and in multiple roles. And there is Florida company planning on building new PBY's for commercial, government and military roles. https://catalinaaircrafttrust.com/ngaa-home Old school cool! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 When my Father was transferred from CEPE* to Public Relations, the Golden Hawks became his main focus for a while. I still have the shoulder patches for the team. * Central Experimental and Proving Establishment. (He got to see and play with all the cool stuff!) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 9 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said: One of the last true Interceptors of manned bombers. No guns, only missiles. A one mission aircraft. My Father was working of the missile weapon system for it when it was cancelled, following the launch of Sputnik. Too bad it was cancelled. A very cool plane that reminds me of the North American RA-5 Vigilante. It was originally designed to poop out a nuclear bomb from between the engine exhaust. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 37 minutes ago, Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life said: P51 Mustang, F86 Sabre and the B-2 Stealth Bomber. My Dad worked on the first 2 and I worked on the B-2. I don't know if it qualified as an airplane because it glided back to earth after each mission, but coolest of all was the Space Shuttle. I also worked on it. The Shuttle was no less an airplane than the X-15 or ME-163 Komet. An amazing airframe! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 1 hour ago, Blackwater 53393 said: I’ve always been a huge fan of the P38 Lockheed Lightning. I’m also a fan of the B58 Hustler! The Hustler was amazing. Imagine what it could have been if computers had been available to control it. Took a pair of big brass ones to fly it. 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 4 hours ago, Calamity Kris said: I'm all about sleek............... So far ahead of its time it was in the first “War of the Worlds” movie! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 42 minutes ago, Chantry said: I find this plane pretty as well and one of the most important aircraft of WWII, serving with multiple countries, in multiple theaters and in multiple roles. And there is Florida company planning on building new PBY's for commercial, government and military roles. https://catalinaaircrafttrust.com/ngaa-home My late Uncle Bob was a PBY flight engineer ~ he loved the old bird. "Slow, simple, noisy, leaky, and as reliable as an old dog." 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Always though Glennis was special, since she was one of the prototypes chasing the sound barrier. A3EF4740-F2B0-41E3-B3A3-F804990BAC36.heic 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 The Aft Fuselage in final assembly and systems check out before being shipped from Downey to Palmdale for Final Assembly. I am on the far right in the picture. I was Manager of the Thrust Structure Assembly. I was one of the youngest in our department. I am 83 now and sadly most of my friends and co-workers are now gone. A great bunch of people! 3 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 24 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said: When my Father was transferred from CEPE* to Public Relations, the Golden Hawks became his main focus for a while. I still have the shoulder patches for the team. * Central Experimental and Proving Establishment. (He got to see and play with all the cool stuff!) Aren’t F-86s/FJ-4s just plain cool? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Feel free to highjack any thread I start, so long as there is some sort of logical connection. Coolest looking is a toss up between the F7F Tigercat And the P-61 Black Widow F7F for me… 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 3 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: Aren’t F-86s/FJ-4s just plain cool? Beautiful airplane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 5 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: Hughes XF-11 (shown below) With Howard hisself at the controls.... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 19 Author Share Posted October 19 43 minutes ago, Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life said: The Aft Fuselage in final assembly and systems check out before being shipped from Downey to Palmdale for Final Assembly. I am on the far right in the picture. I was Manager of the Thrust Structure Assembly. I was one of the youngest in our department. I am 83 now and sadly most of my friends and co-workers are now gone. A great bunch of people! Sage, were any of the data/specs from the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar used in the Shuttle? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackwater 53393 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Ya’ gotta give props to the Blackbird!! The SR71 is a cross between the ultimate in grace and the most extreme example of hotrodding!! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 For the manned, sub-sonic bombers, of that time, I nominate the AVRO CF-100 "Canuck" as the best interceptor of that era. 26 ballistic rocket in each wing pod and eight .50 caliber Browning machine guns in an underbelly pod. All in one piece quick change out systems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 9 hours ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: P-39 Airacobra (may be an odd choice, I just always liked its looks.) I've always thought the P-39 was a very cool looking plane! Since the P-38 and SR-71 have already been mentioned and shown, I'll go with this one as one of the coolest looking aircraft of all time. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 20 Author Share Posted October 20 1 minute ago, DocWard said: I've always thought the P-39 was a very cool looking plane! Since the P-38 and SR-71 have already been mentioned and shown, I'll go with this one as one of the coolest looking aircraft of all time. It still looks modern, doesn’t it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocWard Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Just now, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said: It still looks modern, doesn’t it? Most definitely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 Speaking of P-39's... I worked with a fella whose dad (whom I met once) had flown P-39's during the war - he eventually retired from the reserves as a Lt Col. His civilian "profession?" He was a dairyman! He even had a picture of Elsie the Cow painted on his plane. After the war, I was told that he considered buying a then-cheap surplus plane, but decided that it would be more prudent to buy two cows for the same price. He wore a "Caterpillar Clob pin," having successfully bailed out of a '39 in training when the engine "lunched." When he made it to the Pacific, he actually bagged a Zero! He said that he popped out of a cloud "and there he was!" When the Japanese pilot was fished out of the drink he said that he never knew what hit him. A painting was commissioned to commerate the event; I snapped a picture of it hanging on my buddy's office wall. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 2 hours ago, Blackwater 53393 said: Ya’ gotta give props to the Blackbird!! The SR71 is a cross between the ultimate in grace and the most extreme example of hotrodding!! I love the story of the "speed check" ....... 😆 and I love this story too https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=c9a3172449eb4f90JmltdHM9MTcyOTI5NjAwMCZpZ3VpZD0wODFmOTgxYS0yYjJiLTY0ZDctMDMzMi04ZDAwMmFiYTY1YjMmaW5zaWQ9NTM1Mg&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=081f981a-2b2b-64d7-0332-8d002aba65b3&psq=mosquito+plane&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_dj12aDR2YXpCcS1YNA&ntb=1 🙃 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 If we get into the jet age, we have the USAF Air Defense Command F-104A interceptors over San Francisco, ca.1960. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. James H. Callahan Posted October 20 Share Posted October 20 First time I saw the Thunderbirds they were flying F4s. Just looked like a plane in search of an @$$ to kick! JHC 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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