Most Desirable Aircraft to Fly and Why?

[mrdaz]

Out of all the aircraft endorsements you may have which aircraft;
a) Have you most enjoyed flying & Why?
b) Which type would you fly today given the choice & Why?
:rolleyes:

[Nick Figaretto]

a) Kitfox IV out of a hayfield - Because it's so back to basics.

b) Cessna Citation: Because it's a small jet that looks like great fun to fly - and it should also within reach to do that sometime.

If I could choose wichever airplane I wanted to, I would choose the Bearcat. Or an F14. Or maybe a Starfighter. The SR-71 would be cool to have flown too...

Heck, I can't decide. I guess I better quit dreaming and go for the Citation :).

Nick.

[Genghis the Engineer]

(a) Similar view to Nick, except in my case it's my old Southdown Raven. It's my own, and from both flying and servicing it over 4 years, I know my way around it better than I've ever known any of the other 60 odd types in my logbooks.

(b) Hawk T1. Fast, near-perfect handling, well laid out cockpit, simplex systems, clear instruments, fantastic visibility, and it never seemed to go wrong.

G

[Max Angle]

It's horses for courses I would say. Out of work a sweet little j3 cub out of a farm strip takes some beating as does a saiplane on a good day. As far as airline types go I think most of us who have not flown it look at the 747-400 as one airplane we would all like to have a go at. Just so big and elegant, a real classic.

[Dave Incognito]

a) *Bellanca Decathlon - aerobatic, tail wheel and only 2 flight instruments (as someone said earlier - back to basics)

b) This changes as often as I change my underwear (which is probably not often enough). As a consequence I'm going to have to mention a few. (It is simply too hard to chose just one :( )

*F-22 - looks like you could have some serious low/high level high speed fun

*P-51 - an aeroplane that looks and sounds like it is made of pure testosterone

*Su-26 - aerobatic shenanigans galore

*DC3 - who wouldn't love a go of one of these?

*Space Shuttle - good view and would also be interesting piloting a flying machine that could handle some of my re-entry like approaches. :D

[TowerDog]

I would surely like to fly the airplane that
rewards me with the biggest paycheck and the most days off.
Especially if it was a C-185 and annual salary was 150K with 4 days on, 26 days off per month.
That woull be the ultimate....

But instead: I enjoyed the B-747, DC-3 and a few others.
One I did not like was the c-188B. Perhaps because the tail wheel lock/steering was inop and I almost pooped my pants landing the thing in a 18-20 knot crosswind.

Nick: On that Citation you would like to fly:
Did you know that Citiations have been known to get bird strikes from behind?? :D

[ABBOT]

Little Jets, Citation S-II, pleasant all rounder.

Piston singles, Non turbocharged C-210, very capable workhorse in Africa.

Piston twins, C-404, same comment as above.

Turboprop airliner, De Havilland Dash 7, totally unique pilots aeroplane.

Little turboprop, Rockwell turbine commander, pilots aeroplane with attitude. :D

[ehwatezedoing]

a) Beech 18, built to fly not to drive :p

b) Anyone with no snags :D

[Chuck Ellsworth]

The PBY Catalina:

Because??

Well it has big round piston pounding engines. It is an Amphibious Flying Boat. It will fly for ever on full tanks. It is a real crowd pleaser at airshows. You can fly it anywhere on the planet either IFR or VFR. You can land in the most interesting places and as a real plus I make good money flying the things and get to travel all over the world.

What would I like to fly?

A Spitfire.
.............................................

:D The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no. :D

[ 04 December 2001: Message edited by: Cat Driver ]

[411A]

B707-320B (advanced)...a superb aeroplane, built when computers were in large buildings only.

[Intruder]

Schleicher KA6, Aeronca Champ, A-4 Skyhawk, B747-400...

Depends on what I want to do with/in it... :p

[ 04 December 2001: Message edited by: Intruder ]

[static]

1-Beechcraft Bonanza 33 Aerobatic. Nice allround aircraft that can take you places and is good fun doing aerobatics.
2-P51 Mustang. Pure power, and what a nice sound....

[FE Hoppy]

L1011
I would be employed again!!

[EGCC4284]

The new A340-600, maybe one day

[sudden Winds]

A Global Express, Canadair Regional Jet, or B-777. I´d love those.
Actually it would be a pleasure to fly preety much anything with wings, that needs a preferably long runway to takeoff and land (no vtols, choppers, or giroplanes pls)
Gliders are ok too.
--------------------------------
A pilot took his grandson to the airport to watch airplanes, which
always enthralled the boy. He watched, fascinated, as several airplanes
took off and flew up, up and away, into the sky. Then they spotted a
plane on final, and the boy asked what the plane was doing. The
grandfather explained that the pilot was done flying and coming in to
land now. And the boy looked up with angelic eyes and said, "But if you
take off, why would you ever want to land?"

From AvFlash, short final section.

[ 05 December 2001: Message edited by: Drag Bucket ]

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

The best I've flown? Yak52! Superb handling, very responsive, loads of power, and that big radial sounds 'the business'. But a Chippy out of a grass farm strip takes some beating as well. The aeros are gentler but it has the little wheel at the correct end and handles very nicely.

What would I like to fly given the chance? Spitfire Mk 1X.

If I was an airline pilot, there'd only be one aeroplane for me to go to work in - Concorde ;~)))

SSD

[Final 3 Greens]

A Mosquito, saw the RR owned version a few months before it crashed and it was poetry in motion.

[GlueBall]

MS 885, Morane Saulnier. A smooth stick low wing fixed gear bubble top 4 seater with spring loaded leading edge slats! :cool:

[Hobbit]

If you fly for a living, then a truly delightful pax carrying, commercial type is the Fokker 50. I flew it for five and a half years and it is entirel without vices. It can be flown raw data (as nature intended but management pukes hate) and yet has a reliable autopilot to allow Cat II approaches.
Beautiful. Of course we all dream of Ah De Havilland!!