If given the chance..

[clicker]

If you were given the chance what aircraft would you like to fly and did you ever get to fly it/them.

Myself never got the chance to fly at all but would list three types.

For world travel etc it would be the Lockheed Constellation, I prefer the longer versions but fell in love with the preserved MAC L-749 that visited the UK a few years ago. I love large piston aircraft having been lucky enough to see them flying in real life. Only "moving" Connie I saw was in San Juan back in the 80's. Grumbling, smoking engines, squeaking brakes...Lovely. Did see a few Connies in the UK but not flying Later that trip visited what was known as corrosion corner at Miami that was full of piston aircraft, great!

For sheer power and pure grunt then give me a Phantom please. I was very lucky lad on the 15 Sept 1990 when myself and a friend visited Wattisham to see the Tombs for the 50th BoB anniversary flypast. Still have a copy of the op order that enterprising folks at Honington were selling when we went to see the Tonkas


For lovely lines and delightful handling a Spitfire V or IX, oh boy would loved to have flown one. Even tried to get a flight in one of the 2 seaters but never got there as the only one that could be used was in the states as the CAA rules about hire and reward meant no joy for the ones here.

[Herod]

The Gnat, because it would have meant going onto jets post-JP. Wasn't up to it, so was sent to choppers instead. Having said that, and having flown my fair selection of military and civil hardware, both fixed- and rotary-, I'm not complaining.

[Ken Scott]

Clicker,

If your pockets are deep enough then you can fly a Spitfire in the UK:

LEARN TO FLY A SPITFIRE

Can't help with the Connie or the Phantom - although I remember seeing an F4 at Dulles circa 20 years ago which was supposed to be someone's private jet.

[barnstormer1968]

I would love to get flights in:
Later mark Spitfire
SR71
And
Super jolly or sea stallion

(As a passenger or course in them all)

[NutLoose]

Yup and regs about Spits are being looked at with a view to allowing fare paying trips..


As for the Connie....

Well BA park up their old fleet at Cosford the scrap them en masse claiming to expensive to look after..
Lufthansa buy three old Connies sitting in the desert, build a $3,000,000 hangar and go about rebuilding one completely to fly as a historic aircraft to join the JU 52 fleet they operate ( and you can fly in )

SO.... Your chances have just improved on that score

See

Stages on the road to restoration | Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung

Rare plane to fly again with help from Bangor company ? Bangor Daily News ? BDN Maine

Makes you wonder how Lufty can do stuff like this when BA couldn't even look after what was their heritage collection..

As for the F4... Well you can always go fly the sim...See

Commercial & Military Flight Simulators

Or if you have $12.5 k lying about the real thing, see

McDonnell F-4D Phantom II - The Collings Foundation


..


..

[CoffmanStarter]

Clicker you want to fly in the F4(D) ? Got $12,500 (£8K) then it's all yours

Collings Foundation USA



Bring back some pics ...

Coff.

[NutLoose]

Nine minutes too slow

[gayford]

As a very young ATCO at Eastern Radar in 1968, regularly manning Console 4A (Wattisham Centralised Approach Control), I was given the opportunity to appreciate the Lightning pilot's workload with a familiarisation flight. All these years later I am still gobsmacked by the way the "ace fighter pilot" managed to fly the aircraft, operate the very basic radar and constantly watch the fuel contents. In my limited experience, those were the some of the best times for aviation in the Royal Air Force.

[CoffmanStarter]

My WiFi went down ... Bu99er

Never mind Nutty ... great minds and all that ... plus Clicker is a regular CapComper

[500N]

Would like to go in:-

Spitfire
Mosquito
Lancaster

Low level in a Tornado
F15 or F18 from a carrier
SR71
U2

[Courtney Mil]

SR71
Concorde
Catalina

[Roland Pulfrew]

F15 or F16 from a carrier

Would have to have one hell of a long flight deck!!

For me:

Sunderland
Beaufighter
TSR2

And no, sadly I haven't!

[advocatusDIABOLI]

550N,

F16 from a Carrier...... WOW that would be a Trip!

Courtney Mil, if memory serves, you once tried SR71 Parameters in one of her Majesties Finest..... or was it the other bloke? (Cummon!!, we all did... a bit....)

Advo

[AR1]

Harrier. From a hide.

[RetiredF4]

Flew the phantom for years and could sea the world get round at FL550, but unfortunately never got higher.

My dream therefore would be some spacecraft, anything that brings me into orbit and back would do.
franzl

[Courtney Mil]

Yeah, especially the "bring me back" bit.

[advocatusDIABOLI]

For The Record My Choices:

F86 Sabre (Since my Late Dad flew them)
P51
SU27
Wright Flier ( Just How Scary would that be? )

Advo

[Gemini Twin]

Strega or Rare Bear, the ultimate in piston powered aircraft!

[advocatusDIABOLI]

Not wanting to hijack the thread, but how high, how fast?...... Obviously not aimed at getting serving folks in Whinny The Pooh.....

Me - M2.1 58K F3 (Tonka, Non Bombing Version)

Advo

[NutLoose]

Quote:
F15 or F16 from a carrier
Would have to have one hell of a long flight deck!!

For me:

Sunderland
Beaufighter
TSR2

And no, sadly I haven't!

Sunderland would be nice, used to watch the last flyer droning over St Athans whilst on my Mechs course and saw it many a time at displays, I suppose one is lucky as today's generations haven't seen anything like it, probably why the Vulcan was such a hit, because today's audience have never seen or heard anything like it and its size belies its manoeuvrability, something you wouldn't realise without seeing it fly.

TSR2 is another I would have loved to have seen fly.