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

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IIRC, my pops was on the F-23 project. I can probably get some of those numbers for you if you shoot me a PM!
 
Tarasdad said:
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:
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Don't forget the beautiful Beech B-17 Staggerwing. What an incredible plane. It was fast and with retracts, carry up to six with an enclosed cabin, leather interior with carpeting, when our frontline fighter, the Boeing P-26 Peashooter could not go that fast and still had an open cockpit and fixed landing gear.
 
Another vote for the SR-71. Kelly Johnson's greatest feat of engineering prowess! If you haven't read it, Kelly: More Than My Share of It All is a great read!
I get motion sickness pretty easily, so despite my love of the really maneuverable jets, the SR would suit me better (and is still my favorite aircraft overall).
 
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shreadvector said:
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.




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
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I always enjoyed jumping in C-17 plenty of room to strech your legs when straped down with combat equipment. Also, there is the porch out of the paratrooper door that makes jumping a little easier.
 
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I would like to go back and change my eariler vote. I would absolutly love to fly an NF-104!

Also, nobody has mentioned any helicopters. I would also enjoy being a UH-58 Kiowa Warrior pilot in Afghanistan. They have a great recon setup plus enough armament to directly influence the battle field for ground troop support. So, I would have to say; number one choice would be the NF-104 followed closely by an UH-58D and then the SR-71 and Bell X-1.

~Chuck G.
 
BEAR said:
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.
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Got to fly in an 880 when I was a kid--Atlanta -Dayton, I remember what a good looking aircraft it was and to this day I still think it just has near perfect lines. Sadly there are only a few left around and none in flying condition. The only one in display condition is Elvis' "Lisa Marie" in Graceland. He picked it up for 250,000 dollars from Delta--600,000 after referb It's on display with his Jetstar. It seems like years ago I saw some at the Mojave airport, don't know if they have been scrapped
 
The Messerschmidt ME-163 Komet.
It would be a damn short flight but what a ride.
Time to climb in a league of it's own for the era.
Messerschmitt_Me_163B_USAF_zpsa5cbd52a.jpg
 
A-12 (single seat before SR71), X-15, X-24, Xb70, F104, F104NF, P38L Lightning, F22.

Mike
 
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Flew aerobatics in a sailplane several years ago when I was in much better shape. Today my realistic and still fun choice would be a good old Boeing 707. I never got to ride in one, but I've been in the 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777. Have to complete the set (yeah, I know, there's presumably going to be chances for the 787 as well).
 
I must agree that Kelly Johnson built and designed some amazing things and the SR-71 was and still is to date the pinnacle of aircraft. It smashed so many records and created a ton of firsts.

Kelly Johnson was lucky he was born in the absolute perfect time. The Cold War fueled massive funding for R&D. I do not believe we will ever reach an era like that again.

Germany had some very interesting designs during WW2. Their flying wing would have been an interesting one to fly in. They also had another plane that had helicopter like blades (not as large) and took off vertically. They planned to put solid rockets at the tip of each prop...

It's interesting to think that SR-71 likely will never be beaten except by a SCRAM jet I that ever becomes possible..
 
On second thought, A-12 Avenger II would have been a sweet ride.
 
I feel like flying in an Sr-71 would be very uncomfortable with the space suits for such a long time. Heck, the windows get up to 600 degrees!

i'd go with an F-15E or the X-15 just for the kick in the pants ignition of the motor....

-Tom
 
Vintage Piston Fighter: P-51 Mustang
Vintage Jet Fighter: F-86 Sabre and F-104 Starfighter
Modern Jet Fighter: A-10 (same reason as Troj) and F-22 with F-15 as alternate
Exotic Jet: SR-71
Exotic Rocket: X-15

This includes some magic to instantly acquire the skills needed to fly each of these. I'm fairly confident I could fly the A-10 and land it as long as I lighten its wing loading by first "disposing" of all ordanance, both internal and hanging under the wings. :grin:
 
There was a sea jet that was produced but it never went into production. I can't remember the name of it.. But it had giant skis.. Was an interesting looking aircraft.

Spruce goose would another interesting one.
 
Well, I'd like to fly in a B-25, or any WWII warbird, for that matter. I'd also like to go up in a Boeing 757 and 787, I've been in the 717, 720B, (overwater version of the 707), 717,727,737,747,767, and 777. Just missing those 2.
 
Military aircraft are difficult because there are so darned many I just love. But, I'll try...

WWI: Albatross DVa and Airco (DeHavilland) DH-2
Interwar years: Martin B-10 and Boeing P-6E
WWII: Focke Wulf Ta.152h, Heinkel He.111, Boeing B-17 and B-29, Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane, lots of others
Korea: MiG-15 and F-86
Cold War: B-36 Peacemaker
Vietnam: A-4 Skyhawk and AD-1 Skyraider
Modern: F-15 Eagle and my all-time favorite the mighty F-14 Tomcat
 
NJRick said:
I grew up outside of Willow Grove Pa....and one of these Sea Dart's was parked out on the lawn as a display for years and years....not sure what happened to it since...been a while since I drove by the old base.
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YF2Y-1 Sea Dart, Bureau Number 135764, is on display at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. It is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola.
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I suspect it is still there...may have been moved inside.

FC
 
dlazarus6660 said:
Nobody has mentioned the XB-70 Valkyrie. What a ride! Only two built, one in existence.
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There was a fictional story about the XB-70 that I recall very well, though it was probably 40 years ago that I read it in a book of stories from Boy's Life magazine. In the story, the XB-70 had to make an emergency landing on a highway. It's not stopping fast enough and is about to run off the road or hit something. The quick-thinking pilot -spolier deleted-, stopping the jet just in time!

For a long time, I thought it was a true story.

Edit: Searching the internet, I found that the story, "Flight of Valkyrie" by Charles Coomb, was originally published in the July 1962 issue of Boy's Life. You can read it online at:

https://books.google.com/books?id=Y..."Boy's Life" "Flight of the Valkyrie"&f=false


-- Roger
 
FastCargo said:
No. I don't care what the original Valkyrie means...the aircraft's name is Valkyrie.
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I think it was my Dad who told me about the "Savior" nickname when we saw the plane at Wright-Patt. The story is that the first thing people said when seeing the XB-70 up close was "Jesus Christ...."

-- Roger
 
jadebox said:
I think it was my Dad who told me about the "Savior" nickname when we saw the plane at Wright-Patt. The story is that the first thing people said when seeing the XB-70 up close was "Jesus Christ...."

-- Roger
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Ah...okay. That makes more sense (a generational thing I guess).

I'm still never calling it that.

FC
 
jadebox said:
I think it was my Dad who told me about the "Savior" nickname when we saw the plane at Wright-Patt. The story is that the first thing people said when seeing the XB-70 up close was "Jesus Christ...."

-- Roger
Click to expand...

Pretty close ... definately stopped short of a full breath....
i was a kid and got away with ...> WTF is that???? as i had never heard of it... he chuckled and grinned, said you think thats cool.. thats when we bypassed an x15, x2? and an a-12, parked underneath it...(plus the other ones that didnt stand out) so he could say... "get a load of that" of the 6 engines piping out the back, then he gave me the dime tour sized story of why its the only one left.... Sad....
 

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