If you could fly or go for a ride in any air craft what would you chose?

[bobby_hamill]

In order of preference

B-17

Spitfire ( they do make a 2 seater version )

Airwolf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBd6ighzqYA


Bobby

 

[DaveCombs]

Beech Starship, or an F-4E.

 

[Peter Olivola]

Bingo!

Rockets are not aircraft, so setting aside those,

I'd take either the P-51 Mustang or the P-38 Lightening.

 

[Rocketbuilder]

Does this count as an aircraft? (The Spaceship Two, not the tow plane. )


How about this one?

This one would be cool, too-- sort of a mix between a rocket and a plane.

Now, if it was owning any aircraft, with no option to sell:

Moller M400.

 

[FastCargo]

I normally don't talk bad about aircraft...but the Moller is a turd. Worst form of vaporcraft ever. They need to show me an actual, flying (not tethered hovering less than 100 feet AGL) version before I would consider them an actual aircraft builder.

And the Pogo looks neat...until you try to land it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XFY_Pogo

Landing the XFY-1 was difficult, as the pilot had to look over his shoulder while carefully working the throttle to land.

FC

 

[BEAR]

I think my first choice would be something flying and landing off of a USN something aircraft carrier. F-18, or older F-14, F-4, F-8U or something like that. If there was a possible second choice, it would be a deHavilland DH98 Mosquito. I have always dreamed of having one custom built for me. Instead of wood though, I would desire that Rutan would make it with a few upgrades, make it composite like the Starship 1, and instead of running a couple of Merlins's, let us try to be a little more economical and places in those engine nacelles P&W Canada PT-6 turbines. It should be in camo also.

 

[JordanT]

Moller M400.

Ahh, the flying car. Didn't they finally turn the lights out on him a few years ago. It certainly was a nice fantasy for the 500 grand I wouldn't have had lying around to buy one anyway. *sigh*

My vote is the SR-71 all the way.

 

[Tarasdad]

A couple more after thinking a bit:

Vickers Vanguard
Bristol Brittania
DeHavilland Comet
707
DC-3, -4, -6, -7, -8

 

[BEAR]

If you are going with those airliners, both prop and jet, why not include the Convair 880 and the Convair 990 Coronado. Maybe we should throw in the SUD/BAC Concorde. I always wanted to fly on one of those to Paris or London, and back. I thought the 990 was a more attractive plane than the DC-8, and could go faster also.

 

[tightwad]

Any aircraft? C141 Starlifter. Just one more flight. Love those TF 33"s. Never did get to do a troop drop. Sadly, they have been scrapped. The next aircraft would be the B-52.

 

[RedMaxFlyer]

SR-71 (never gonna happen) or a MiG-25 (could have happened up until a few years ago).

[YOUTUBE]rApXqj6WS2E[/YOUTUBE]

As you probably guessed, I like the whole "mach 3+ at obscenely-high altitudes" thing. If I ever have a spare $21,000 to spend, I'm buying myself a MiG-29 ride to 70k'. It's 20k' and a whole mach number below the MiG-25, but it's still the best you can do short of a Virgin Galactic ticket (and you get to do aerobatics as a bonus).

 

[Pantherjon]

Any aircraft? C141 Starlifter.

Been in a couple..Loud and uncomfortable...Been in a couple C-5's. Now those are nice..HUGE, not as noisy. Only weird thing is that the passenger section(troop area) you are seated backwards:confused2:

The next aircraft would be the B-52.

Flown in one..What a trip..Called BUFF for a good reason!:rofl:

My fav and ALMOST got to ride in one until the C.O. caught wind of it, was an F16! I was stationed in Germany doing duty at Rhein Main..Bummed me that I couldn't go up in it.

Told pilot NOT to tell air crew that an ARMY ENLISTED was going to ride in the back seat! 'Only Air Force personnel allowed' was the C.O. told me..Dayum!

 

[AfterBurners]

F-22 Raptor

 

[BEAR]

In order of preference

B-17

Spitfire ( they do make a 2 seater version )

Airwolf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBd6ighzqYA


Bobby

There is a guy who lives in Aspen, I am told, who has a Spitfire Mk IX B, two seat trainer, for what it is worth. He used to fly it out of the Fort Collins Airport frequently. I have seen it many times, both in Fort Collins and in Aspen.

There also was a company here in town called Vintage Aircraft. I have seen some of their restorations, P-51, F-6F Tigercats, Bf-109e's,etc. Back in 1988 I was in my office when I heard the roar of high powered motors, both radial and in line. I went outside and saw a Tigercat being escorted by two P-51s and a P-38. What a picture that was.

I also saw over Sanderson, Texas, on a Columbus Day , through a break in the clouds, preceded by the same type of sound as described above; (In this case, being that the Confederate Air Force was still in Harlingen at the time and the annual Fall Fly-In takes place on Columbus Day weekend in October) two B-17s escorted by P-51's and what looked like P-47 Thunderbolts. I was amazed.

 

[JohnNGA]

F-8 Crusader, 1969/70 We launched many off the USS Bon homme Richard CVA31. Have flown in a C54 but would like to take ride in a DC3.

 

[shreadvector]

Try a C-17.

It handles like a fighter jet. If you want thrills, try low level terrain following over the hot desert. The turbulence from the hot air and the up and down of the terrain following will have you losing your lunch like no roller coaster - but the effect is best if sitting in the sidewall troop seats since you can't see out the window and have no visual cue what is happening.

If you want no roller coaster thrill, then just go on some normal flights that are exciting but not gut wrenching. Troop drops are fascinating and you can stand on the ramp while they go out the side troop doors. Remember your safety harness and tether! Maximum effort take off is exhilerating and so is the tactical descent and assualt landing. And then you can also sit in the additional crew member seats and watch the pilots fly at night with NVG and in formation. The formation flying is when you can really see the other huge jets doing the snap turns in front of you and then your jet follows.

The pilot on one flight I was on put his paper towel with Kirkland chicken nuggets on the center console and they went sliding aft during takeoff. We caught them for him before they hit the deck - nobody wants a hungry and distracted pilot.

Videos galore online. Google them.

Any aircraft? C141 Starlifter. Just one more flight. Love those TF 33"s. Never did get to do a troop drop. Sadly, they have been scrapped. The next aircraft would be the B-52.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FikKp2rxyM8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQyGd6F2SKI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZZntaqxdJg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXTJhlbqRdE

 

[shreadvector]

Did I mention rockets?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltC18q4Td4A

 

[Dork_Vader]

I'd have to agree the MIG-29 would probably be the best bang for your buck. You get to hit 70,000 feet and do some aerobatics. Though we would more then likely spend most of the aerobatics blacked out. I started to black out on a roller coaster ride that had a 4G turn.

Has anyone watched the video of James May going for a ride in the U-2? I loved the part where he had an itch on his nose and couldn't scratch it due to the helmet! Ha

The P-38 is an interesting choice. Didn't they have problems with air compression on that air craft? Due to the fact that it was getting so close to the sound barrier?

I must admit I love how most of the suggestions are US aircraft!

Now it would have been fun to fly over USSR in the SR-71.. Especially if they launched a SAM at you.. I would have got a kick out of just hitting the throttle and watching the air craft out run the SAM. I remember watching a documentary on area-51 and some of the people that developed the SR-71 talked about how they would throw off Russian Satelites that only had heat sensitive cameras.. They'd roll the SR-71 into the hanger and bring out card cut outs.. Then put space heaters where jets engines should be. This gave a cold out line or shadow in the image.. LoL I wonder how much Russia spent on trying to build an aircraft of similar design? Even though the outline they saw in their photos didn't exist?

 

[BEAR]

The P-38 is an interesting choice. Didn't they have problems with air compression on that air craft? Due to the fact that it was getting so close to the sound barrier?

I recall stories of the P-38 entering a high speed dive and not being able to pull out. The air pressure on the elevator prevented the pilot having any control when trying to pull the wheel back so as to be able to recover from the dive while being in the transonic region as I recall. It was learned later when trying to find a solution to the problem that the pilot could crank the trim tab, which would disrupt the airflow so the pilot could start to climb out and then be able to use the wheel to regain control over the elevator and the aircraft.

I must admit I love how most of the suggestions are US aircraft!

I recall and old adage about aircraft design. It went something like this. "If it is weird, it is British; if it is ugly, it is French; and if it is weird and ugly, it is Russian"

 

[Daddyisabar]

I would circle the Globe in the luxury of D-LZ 127, the Graf Zeppelin.

 

[Green Jello]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7801353/IMG_1694d.jpg

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7801353/IMG_1700TSb.jpg

 

[BEAR]

I would like to submit two more aircraft for your approval. One is the Hughes built XF-11, which nearly killed Howard Hughes in a crash in Hollywood in 1946, and the other is the North American F-82 Twin Mustang, which found a lot of service in Korea.

 

[NJRick]

what a great post! for me:
B-17G
Grumman Hellcat
the Panavia Tornado Gr1(I think that is a sweet looking aircraft.....low and fast!)

 

[The Rocket Kid]

1)sr-71 hands down best plane man has created EVER
2)ride with the blue angles
3)b2 or u2
4)carrier launch in a f-14
5)f-22 or b-17 or a mig-29
6)a-10

 

[Tarasdad]

More on my list:

DeHavilland Dragon Rapide
Ford Tri-Motor
Focke Wulf FW.200 Condor

Aw, heck, just make in any of the classic airliners from aviation's Golden Age to the late '60s. Props preferred, but early jets are okay too as are a lot of the private aircraft of the era - Spartan Executive, Howard 500, Aeronca 7AC, Piper Cub...:fly:

 

[Aksrockets]

Piper Cub :wink:

Alex

 

[MasonH]

1: F20 Tigershark
2: F22 Raptor
3: F104 Starfighter
4: F16/Thunderbird (can't stand Blue Angels, I'm an AF guy)
5: F35 JSF

 

[cjl]

Sukhoi T-50.

 

[Dork_Vader]

I think i would have to add the YF-23 even though it's not in production. Though the specs of that aircraft will never be known I've read a few articles that suggest it had better performance numbers then F-22. But was not selected because of Northrop Grumman history of running way over budget.

Howard Hughes XF-11 was a revoloutionairy aircraft at the time. The Russians used the dual prop design on the Bear for decades...

 

[The Rocket Kid]

I think i would have to add the YF-23 even though it's not in production. Though the specs of that aircraft will never be known I've read a few articles that suggest it had better performance numbers then F-22. But was not selected because of Northrop Grumman history of running way over budget.

Howard Hughes XF-11 was a revoloutionairy aircraft at the time. The Russians used the dual prop design on the Bear for decades...

+1 on the yf-23

also I like the plane similar to the b2 that the nazi's had in one of the indiana jones movies