Classic Airplanes

[Daniel Cary]

@Red Leg, etc. we touched on the ships with the Allison V12

When or if anyone can, I'm looking for the finest classic planes of WWII era. there was a personal favorite I can't recall. I'm networking with an enthusiast I'd like to share ..

Thank you & to all that served this country.

 

[Surgeon1]

Nothing like a P51 Mustang. I got some time in one of the few with duel controls, Crazy Hourse in Kissimmee Fl. One of the high lights of my long flying career. Also love the Corsair and the P38!
The B17 and the A26 are my favorite bombers

 

[F. Vaccaro]

One of my favorites is the P47 Thunderbolt. The Supermarine Spitfire is classic too!

 

[bakerb]

You could make a pretty good argument (and some have) that the P51 was vital in winning the air war in Europe, and therefore vital in winning the overall war in Europe.

Not much more classic than that

 

[bakerb]

Clarence “Bud” Anderson has a great book about being a P51 triple ace. “To Fly and Fight”. It’s available on kindle

 

[spike.t]

Can't bear the sound of the Battle of Britain Memorial flight going over....spitfire..hurricane and Lancaster.....and couple others....

https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight/

 

[RobBrown505]

Growing up it was the P-51 but as I’ve gotten older my vote goes to the PBY Catalina.

 

[Daniel Cary]

@Surgeon1 .. p38, might have been it. Thank you.

B17

I hope anyone, enthusiast or not, could watch this. William Wilder "The Best Years of Our Lives"
Directed. this is so profound!

 

[Scott CWO]

The Vought F4U and FG Corsair pilots claimed 2,140 air combat victories against 189 losses to enemy aircraft, for an overall kill ratio of over 11:1. This airplane was the coolest looking in my opinion. It was the first single engine fighter to exceed 400 MPH. It sported six 50 caliber guns, three in each wing.

 

[Zinz]

This documentary on the Spitfire is a must-see for anyone who loves these warbirds.

Ed Z

 

[Tintin]

Hard to go past the Supermarine Spitfire, but for me, it would possibly be the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito. It was the product of an incredible engineering feat to deliver such versatility and performance with all timber construction.

The sheer audaciousness of some of the missions that it pulled off are awe inspiring. None more so than taking Göring off the air mid-speech in a cheeky nuisance raid.

 

[Daniel Cary]

p38, The Gene Tiereny of Ships.

That documentary showed the aftermath of "Carpet Bombing" in Germany .. surreal.

The cold! Just One Pilot could get radiant heat from the motor on the B17. One pilot took his glove off, touched the window & they had to amputate his fingers as it stuck to the glass.

 

[spike.t]

Can't bear the sound of the Battle of Britain Memorial flight going over....spitfire..hurricane and Lancaster.....and couple others....

https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight/

Should be can't beat the sound...bloody clever phones....

 

[gcbailey]

I saw some beauties a couple of weeks ago at the Bucharest airshow. P51 and F4U. I'm not sure what the 3rd one is..

 

[Red Leg]

P-51, P-38, and F4U Corsair or great American fighters. The Spitfire and Hurricane along with the mighty Lancaster were British Icons - and let’s also give credit that the Roles Royce engine made the P-51 a war winner when it replaced the Allison.

So how about the classics on the other side.

The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" came as a nasty and humbling surprise when it rammed its way into allied consciousness on December 7, 1941. For the next year and a half it largely ruled the Pacific skies until the arrival of the F6F Hellcat, Corsair, and P-38. It was flown by all of Japan's leading aces.

The Messerschmidt BF-109 (called ME-109 by the allies) was the quintessential Luftwaffe fighter of the war. It was Eric Hartmann's aircraft in which he became the highest scoring ace of World War II with 352 kills. The aircraft ironically soldiered on after the war in a not entirely satisfactory re-engined version serving in the new Israeli Air Force. Total production surpassed 34,000 aircraft in all variants.

When Israel flew Nazi Planes

Just how did the post-war Israeli air force end up equipping its first fighter squadrons with the famous Nazi warplane the Me-109s? - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News

www.heritagedaily.com

 

[RETD16]

The F4U Corsair is a warbird that I’d really love to get a chance to fly!!! I’ve always loved that airplane!!!

 

[Tintin]

I'm not sure what the 3rd one is..

Yakovlev Yak-52

 

[gcbailey]

Yakovlev Yak-52

That's what I thought but wasn't certain. Thank you!

 

[skydiver386]

Fat, ugly, and slow, but the P-47 was the airplane you wanted to see overhead if you were a ground pounder in late 1944.

Rockets, bombs, and 8 .50 caliber machine guns. This airplane was a BRUTE of a Fighter Bomber.

..and an engine and airframe that could take an unbelievable amount of damage and still stay in the air.

 

[Zinz]

My buddy’s father in law was a B-58 Hustler pilot during the Cold War. Lots of crazy stories he has…

Super sonic, long range nuclear bomber.

Ed Z