Wiffle tree?
CSDS?
CASC UNIT?

Oooer! I'm having flashbacks! 😁

From a pilots point of view, Saab 2000 every time. Beautiful to fly, quick and great in a crosswind. Engineers and accountants were less enthusiastic though.

Tristar... hydraulic charging area .... dancing on ice comes to mind!!

Interesting perspective


I found the 757, with two ailerons vs four on the 767 to be far less responsive in roll, pitch control was worse with a significant dead spot on rotation and when lowering the nose after landing


The 767 had much better handling all around with well harmonized, linear response in all axes, it also had a much better ride in turbulence. The only thing the engineers got wrong was the forward trailing main landing gear bogies which were quite unforgiving

Two favourites from opposite ends of the spectrum - VC10 taught me a lot about engineering and aircraft systems back in the days when everything was mechanical based, whereas now I enjoy the A380 due to the interactivity of the maintenance systems and the amount of information available to diagnose a problem, follow it through a linked AMM and link to an MEL if required..

Not so much an aircraft I didn't like, but the P&W JT9 was a dog of an engine, particularly from the bleed system point of view. Just getting access to anything as it was usually buried below a hot bleed pipe on a turnround followed up by trying to get core cowlings closed when they were based on a baked bean tin design, if the guide arms hadn't come out of the rollers as well!

God that brings back memories. 😁 Servicing no. 2 engine was always an interesting experience.

757...Extra airplanes
edit forgot to say my least favorite but I don't have one really, not yet at least...

I've always had a soft spot for the 767 - it was the first program I worked after Boeing hired me out of college (called the 7X7 for the first year after I hired in). I also liked in as a passenger - the 2-3-2 seating in coach was great (fortunately precious few operators 8 across configuration - I did a flight test at one point on an 8 across configuration and I could barely fit in the seat (and I was fairly thin in those days).
I ended up working the 767 for a good portion of my Boeing career and never regretted it.

On a General aviation platform, I had constantly seen the DHC Chipmunk as a pilot favourite, recently got to have a go at one finally and it didn't disappoint at all, it was so beautifully harmonised and rigged! Maintenance wise id have to say a PA31 in the middle of summer on a hot tarmac, never want to repeat that nearly felt like a stroke.

Got to give the 747-400 my vote. Beautifully harmonised controls and, according to DP Davies, very easy to fly accurately.
Very popular with pilots, engineers and passengers so what’s not to like.

747-400 is hands down the best to fly.

I worked on the Javelin, Hunter and that servicing nightmare, the Lightning. The Hunter was by far the easiest.

Very surprised that no one has mentioned the 3-30 - the 'shed'.

I will leave readers of this post to guess which end of question being asked it belongs to in my opinion.

And nearly everything held together with A102 bolts - 11/32" AF.

As AA62 has mentioned military aircraft, I must go with him on the Hunter. Best aircraft of any that I ever flew and for the engineers apparently a dream. An engine change overnight was a regular occurrence unlike the Swift which I believe took about a week !.

Moments:- Trident, wire locking main oleo charge plugs, my apprentice test, deadly fast flight controls.
Viscount & HS748 Dart types, frightening night shift engine run with nut compressor ''wash! Refitting primary heat exchangers.
BAC1-11, my 1st licence, changing belly heat exchangers, working on clamps in engine stub wing (also Trident 1&3), I think, 9 of hydraulic filters in wheel well and having to look up to extract the seals but avoid Skydrol drips and that suicide main door without the handbrake type lever wedged in the flight deck. Windscreen wiper motor change. However, pilots enjoyed flying the -400, so sure, one took it under a bridge in the Bahamas and I loved it for paying off my 1st mortgage.
V.Vanguard cutting out de bonded outer skin to then rivet same shape repair patch without damaging the thinner inner skin.
L1011 bleeding the 4 hydraulic tanks without a mask, leading edge actuator, Cat 3 reinstatement checks, main oleo leaks despite spare seal carrier, the 5 pumps in rear toilet tank gummed up with blue paper, duct area overheats. Loved it as a passenger and for paying off 2nd mortgage.
B727 checking leading edge area just when the Flight Engineer thinks your finished and resets breakers and puts B pumps on, luckily my ear defends did not block the noise of the pumps going on.
B747 types flight deck main windscreen change as a line job but an otherwise lovely machine.

Sleeve Wing,
IIRC an engine change on the Hunter was a couple of hours due to the ability to split the fuselage at the transit joint.

My humble opinion ....

The B747 ( Classic and -400) were fabulous aircraft to fly in every area .... however my preference will always be for the B777. Twin engine reliability, and twin engine total thrust. The last of the American "Muscle Cars" !!!

As an engineer I never liked working on the 1,11, although it was a good looking plane, same for the A300/310, often looked like a coal miner after working on the 707 JT3D's! I had a fatal attraction to the CL44 and now the MD11. As for favorites, probably the 146, 757 and 777.

Easily the worst I've ever worked on was the English Electric Lightning,doing a compressor blade check on an after flight was not very nice in the Saudi heat.
I liked the BAC 1-11 but I only ever worked on Omani Air Force and executive examples that had low hours.
As a contractor the 146/RJ and ATP were good for keeping the shekels rolling in.