What was/is your favorite airplane to fly?
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Over the Moon
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Small Jet - Hawk
I'll never forget a certain Kiwi teaching me how to tailslide one on my acceptance ride at Tac Weapons. Great machine loads of fun and good old fashioned ACM, bounced SAPs, strafing and bombing.
Big Jet - Nimrod
Lovely aircraft to handle. 200' day/300' night 60 degree's angle of dangle at 500'. A real sense of achievment and teamwork hunting a sub especially when things went active and you were throwing it around trying to achieve attack tracks and great to have helped rescue a few people and to have assisted those heroic SAR helicopter crews
Commercial - B737 NG
The 320 is better day in day out, its more comfortable and a breeze for NPA's but if I want to fly and keep my flying skills sharp(ish) its the 73 every time.
I'll never forget a certain Kiwi teaching me how to tailslide one on my acceptance ride at Tac Weapons. Great machine loads of fun and good old fashioned ACM, bounced SAPs, strafing and bombing.
Big Jet - Nimrod
Lovely aircraft to handle. 200' day/300' night 60 degree's angle of dangle at 500'. A real sense of achievment and teamwork hunting a sub especially when things went active and you were throwing it around trying to achieve attack tracks and great to have helped rescue a few people and to have assisted those heroic SAR helicopter crews
Commercial - B737 NG
The 320 is better day in day out, its more comfortable and a breeze for NPA's but if I want to fly and keep my flying skills sharp(ish) its the 73 every time.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned the DHC-2 yet. So much fun, especially on floats. Lighter on the controls than a 206 or 185, taller than the majority of regional turbo props on amphibs and the sound of that R985 rumbling along...
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Maybe we need to define when we started and when we stopped, otherwise we'll have post like this -
Thomas Selfridge - great handling, great thrust to weight. A dream to fly as long as you keep your speed up.
1974 - present
Thomas Selfridge - great handling, great thrust to weight. A dream to fly as long as you keep your speed up.
1974 - present
Join Date: Jan 2006
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SR71.
I was very lucky to get my hands on one and spent seveal years marvelling at its handling qualties and sheer presence. i will alway be grateful to Airfix for that and my Mum hanging it from the ceiling.
Cheers
I was very lucky to get my hands on one and spent seveal years marvelling at its handling qualties and sheer presence. i will alway be grateful to Airfix for that and my Mum hanging it from the ceiling.
Cheers
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: With Wonko, outside the Asylum.
Age: 56
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Fokker 50 for being brilliantly simple and yet a workhorse;
Fokker 100 for it's fabulously light handling, nice flight deck, and ECAM;
Boeing 737 for it's reliability and honesty;
De Havilland Dove for being a true pilot's aircraft (my all-time favourite);
Gazelle for showing me that rotary-wing flying can deliver on it's promises and doesn't have to be a chore;
PA-31 for taking me and my friends/passengers/family where we wanted to go at reasonable cost;
BN Islander for breaking all the rules and unbelievable field performance;
ATR72 for showing me how systems design shouldn't be done, but can be overcome, and convincing me that landing gear doesn't belong in sponsons;
Beech Baron for showing me that quality costs and pays;
CitationJets for being fun little machines (but I'd still buy a King Air 350!).
I could go on... It's been fun!
Fokker 100 for it's fabulously light handling, nice flight deck, and ECAM;
Boeing 737 for it's reliability and honesty;
De Havilland Dove for being a true pilot's aircraft (my all-time favourite);
Gazelle for showing me that rotary-wing flying can deliver on it's promises and doesn't have to be a chore;
PA-31 for taking me and my friends/passengers/family where we wanted to go at reasonable cost;
BN Islander for breaking all the rules and unbelievable field performance;
ATR72 for showing me how systems design shouldn't be done, but can be overcome, and convincing me that landing gear doesn't belong in sponsons;
Beech Baron for showing me that quality costs and pays;
CitationJets for being fun little machines (but I'd still buy a King Air 350!).
I could go on... It's been fun!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Cheshire, UK
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Favourite homebuilt: Rutan VariEze-Very different and very special.
Favourite production light aircraft: Robin DR400-Enjoyed every minute I've spent in these beautifully constructed aircraft.
Favourite small jet: Hawk T1-So simple to operate, a real flying sports car.
Favourite short-haul airliner: B757-It would also cross The Atlantic with ease!
Favourite long-haul airliner: B744-So capable and just so right.
Favourite production light aircraft: Robin DR400-Enjoyed every minute I've spent in these beautifully constructed aircraft.
Favourite small jet: Hawk T1-So simple to operate, a real flying sports car.
Favourite short-haul airliner: B757-It would also cross The Atlantic with ease!
Favourite long-haul airliner: B744-So capable and just so right.
Join Date: Dec 2011
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...and there are people in life whose fortune and ability have favoured them. Well done LM, and thanks for the lovely picture.
I thank the Lightning for two things: great childhood memories of watching them in the sky, and early adult memories of a certain simulator and a certain TRE whose hearing was so bad (a consequence of his many hours in the Lightning et al) that we, in the front, could converse normally without him being aware. A true gent and a lovely trainer, also known for his 'raw data days' on the line. What a shame these times are past; aviators are not what they were...
I thank the Lightning for two things: great childhood memories of watching them in the sky, and early adult memories of a certain simulator and a certain TRE whose hearing was so bad (a consequence of his many hours in the Lightning et al) that we, in the front, could converse normally without him being aware. A true gent and a lovely trainer, also known for his 'raw data days' on the line. What a shame these times are past; aviators are not what they were...
Join Date: Jan 2008
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These are not in the same class as the Frightening!
For Handling: Chipmunk
For Predictablity: BN Islander - it never let you down in foul conditions
For Unpredicability: All Austers
For Handling: Chipmunk
For Predictablity: BN Islander - it never let you down in foul conditions
For Unpredicability: All Austers
I have no idea how I previously missed this thread, but my timing is great. I flew this today and I'll never forget that half hour.
