If you were born again, what would you want to fly?
 

Over on another thread, BEagle said:

>If reincarnation was possible, I'd like to fly night fighters from West Malling, please! Or back to Vulcans at Sunny Scampton.<

Which got me wondering what folks might fancy if the time machine ever became a practical proposition. Hawker Furies from grass airfields in the summer of 1937? Spitfires from Tangmere? DC-6s and Constellations across the Atlantic?

I'd go for an 85 Squadron Mosquito, with John Cunningham as CO . . .

Beaufighter - ship busting from Malta, Mosquito fighter bomber version with the 4 20mm cannons and 4 .303 MGs from anywhere or Typhoon (the first one not the current one) in the train busting role in the later part of WWII for me. Sad I know but what great aircraft!:O

Vampire F3s from Odiham, please. Or 19 Squadron Gauntlets from Duxford, and I'll stay long enough to convert to the Spitfire I. Or Whirlibombers. Or Hunter Nines from West Raynham.

Having just won the "big one" with Camelot a 747, first class, to somewhere hot and expensive:ok:

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

Sea Fury, and failing that the mighty Toom, but also in Dark Blue.

Carrier aviation - the ultimate in projection of force:ok:

I'd quite liked to have flown one of those "Gemini" or "Apollo" things...

>Vampire F3s from Odiham, please. Or 19 Squadron Gauntlets from Duxford, and I'll stay long enough to convert to the Spitfire I. Or Whirlibombers.<

A man after my own heart (sigh). One would, of course, have a Bentley to accompany the flying machines, in which one would motor to and from the RAF Club.

Typhoon - because it's the first fighter the RAF has had on inventory since I joined in 1959 that I am not likely to get my hands on and it's probably the last one they will get whilst I am alive and kicking.

Beaufighter nightfighters with 417th NFS, USAAF, North Africa, Corsica, Southern France, then Germany and transition to P-61s.

Close second is Republic P-47s doing ground attack.

Ooooh - what choices. WWII: I'd go for Tempest over Typhoon although the later Mustang was always impressive. Sea Fury from sea for the later 40/50s.

Messerschmitt 163 against B17 formations........for a very short period of time:E

>I'd go for Tempest over Typhoon although the later Mustang was always impressive. Sea Fury from sea for the later 40/50s.<

Am I the only person on the planet who thinks the Martin-Baker MB series were lovely-looking aircraft? I'd sell my soul to the devil for an hour in an MB-5.

ACW559

Absolutely! Have to be a 4.5 litre with a Villiers blower or a Speed Six.

To whisk me orf to fly the Spit Mk9 or the Sea Hawk or the Fairy Gannet [off the old Ark Royal, of course]!

Or to sunny Scampton on 617 Sqn on the mighty Vulcan, to beat the pants off 35 Sqn in bombing competitions...

[Ducks, incoming!!!]

On the other hand, the Avro 707, HP125, TSR2, Saunders-Roe 53, the Fairy Delta II....

ACW599

MB5? I'd forgotten about the MB5. You are not alone, a gorgeous looking machine..can I add that to my list? :ok:

And the TSR2 and a Whirlwind (not the helo but the twin engined WWII fighter).

Or maybe the ahhh! de Havilland Hornet.

On second thoughts, that would have meant being based at Linton or Church Fenton......

Would have been nice to have been aroud at the time to convert from Vulcan to TSR2 though.

The Dead Dog Mob beating 35 in a bombing comp? Nah, never! Couldn't find their own ar$eholes without a mirror, let alone a target smaller than a dam.

Roland. If my uncle was correct, you really don't want that Whirlwind as you'd be queuing to find one servicable; the engines and hydraulics were reputed to be a nightmare and the cannons were too close together to prevent sympathetic jamming.

>MB5? I'd forgotten about the MB5. You are not alone, a gorgeous looking machine..can I add that to my list? <

With pleasure, but only after I've landed :-)

>And the TSR2 and a Whirlwind (not the helo but the twin engined WWII fighter).<

TSR2, oh yes. The time machine will have some additional firmware which would allow the user to be the aviator of his/her choice for the day. I'll click on "Roland Beamont".

A Gazelle................ I ll get my coat....................

Can't really fault any of the above, special thoughts to the MB5, night-fighters and bases, TSR-2, and the 50's fighters, but especially the mighty F-4.

However, one dream has lived with me since that classic 50's American TV series, "Victory at Sea", with a little help from my own library. Thus the ultimate must be to fly the other F-4, the classic from Vought, the nastiest plane the Japanese ever flew against. Naturally it would be in a dark blue squadron, from one of the Illustrious-class Fleet carriers, circa 1945 in the SW Pacific.

Failing that, I would love to have been born in 1898, and joined the RFC with James McCudden, then been posted to 56 Sqn with Albert Ball and ended up on 74 Sqn with Ira Taffy Jones and Mick Mannock, maybe finishing on 85 with Mick as boss. Sad to have been there when he went in, but a great place to have been, if my nerves could have handled it.

Great idea for a thread!!!


:ok:

Somehow the Sea Hawk has always been a favourite but only on land, it was the last of the classic straight winged fighters. At the other end of the scale comes the Storch, but I tried that, you don't fly it, more take it for a walk.