I can only assume that none of you have actually flown the ergonomic horribleness that is/was the Hawker Hunter. Particularly in manual!

G

F4 Phantom
Cessna Bird Dog
Boeing 707
AN-2
P-41
Spitfire
Sea Fury
Piper Cub - although I own (1952) one and it's lovely!

There's one sitting in the rain in Auckland (and a Solent - your choice). They don't have room inside for them - make an offer!

You reckon they are THAT different?
Am I insulting people when I say that from certain angles I can hardly tell them apart?

Okay, perhaps not my favorite, but we can´t really deny the 172 her spot in this classic thread! They started flying in 1958..........
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3820316/Scr...2010.08.09.jpg

Modern "classic" fighters: It´s hard to beat the lines of a F-16!

Classic fighters: although fighting on the "wrong" side, the double seater "109", the Messerschmidt 110; is quite a looker!

Airliners: Mm, yes, I have to go with the 747--> not the -200 though, the extended upper deck looks SO much better!

Last, but not least: it is my fullest intention to make my own little plane (built in 2011) a classic, so see you all in 40 years on PPRuNe??


###Ultra Long Hauler###

Opposite ends of the spectrum. The Hurricane was the ultimate development of the pre-war Hawker bi-planes, with its thick wing and complex steel tube and wood construction. As such, it was already as developed as it could get.

The Spitife was 'new technology'; all-metal, stressed skin, thin wing. It went on through many marks of development and was still a front line fighter after WW2.

They can look similar at first glance, but the Hurri's thick wing and humped-back and more dumpy appearance than the sleeker eliptical-winged Spit are the give-aways.

For ULH's benefit:

Spitfire:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...c9/Spitpic.jpg

Hurricane:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...rricanepic.jpg

:rolleyes:

Super Constellation - one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built
Boeing 707 - you just gotta hear the roar (no hush kit!) on t/o
Concorde - THE transport jet of all time
Boeing 747 - with extended upper deck; will never forget sunrise over the Atlantic on the flight deck many, many moons ago when you could still visit the chaps at the pointy end!
SR71 & U2 - as close to Space as you'll get w/o a rocket (although the SR71 probably qualifies as one!)
Catalina - just a beauty

and, drum roll, of course...... the mighty C172! ;)

A few classics:

Piper Cub
Ford Trimotor
Beech Staggerwing
DHC-1 Chipmunk
B-52
English Electric Lightning
Concorde
F-16

Recently, I was privileged to be able to inspect a Hurricane in it's 'raw' state and was surprised at how complex the fuselage construction is (based on Hawker Hart I believe) compared with the Spitfire. It would appear to me that the monocoque construction of the Spitfire was a lot simpler.

This got me wondering what the relative build times were for each type - anyone know?

Hi just asked father who has flown most things


Piston/ Corsair followed by Seafury, followed by Seafire, followed by Chipmunk


Jets/ Hunter followed by Sea Vixen, followed by Sea Hawk

It's nice to see the aeroplane that's been part of my life (until recently) for 33 glorious flying years is highly rated by the guys who've flown some real exotica.

Cessna 195
Staggerwing

Hi Shaggy Sheep we have spoken a lot in the past re Chipmunk and dads involvement with same, have you sold yours now ? ref your commeny until recently. Father did qualify his statement in that having flown the Corsair with the FAA and then flown the Seafury on exercises during Korea against US Marine and Navy squadrons who were still using the Corsairs, he says the Corsairs if flown by their best pilots would be able to outfight the Seafuries most of the time. He says the Seafire was lovely to fly as a "weekend" sports plane but horrible onto the carriers and the Chipmunk had nicely harmonized controls but was a bit underpowered and needed a decent inverted fuel system

gordon

I'd agree with him on both counts. And I'd add that a CS prop would be good when aerobatting (constantly pulling back what little power there is to avoid overspeeding the engine in aeros does nothing for conserving height).

But with those changes it wouldn't be a Chippy, wouldn't have the character. That's why I flew a Yak52 for a few years. Missed the Chippy, though, and returned eagerly to my first love when the Yak group folded.

Sold my share in January this year. I miss the aeroplane, but not the hassle (mostly security and getting fuel etc) at John Lennon (no blame to L'pool ATC though - they were always highly professional and helpful to Chippy pilots, slipping us in between the big ones :ok: ).

I guess I need new glasses because I was sure I have seen people using "Cessna 172" and "classic" in the same sentence. :confused:

I just double checked and yup there are two posts with the C 172 included. Well the good news is my vision is OK....... but come on guys, the C172 is many things but it will never be a "classic" airplane :yuk:

I have flown 2 Chipmunks one with the Gypsy Major and another with a 180 hp Lycoming conversion. The Dripsy major was a major pain in the A*ss to operate and the aircraft was distinctly thrust challenged but it just looked and sounded "right". The Lycoming made it a better airplane in every way but the flat engine just ruined the lines of the aircraft. :{

For me it would be:-

YAK-3 (just looks soooooo sexy)
Spitfire (My big brother used to work on the BBMF when I were a nipper)
Hurricane
P-51 B
Hunter
Vulcan
HP Victor
Chipmunk (For the same reasons as Shaggy)
J3 / L4 Cub (It would have to be eh Vince?)
Jungmeister
Jungmann (For the same reason as the Cub)
Pitts S1
Cessna 172 (It may be boring but it does look pretty)

Flying a Spitfire, Hurricane or P51 or a Lockheed Lightning will forever be beyond my means I think. I've come to terms with having to admire them from the ground.
Much more feasible would be to fly these (not impossible if I really go for it, the main obstacle being money):
- Dragon Rapide
- Dakota (not the Piper but the DC3)
- Staggerwing
- Ryan
Even more feasible:
- Temco Swift
- Falco
Or get re-acquainted with some types I've flown before -- too long ago! It's high time to fly with the wheel at the right end again!
- DH Chipmunk
- Stampe
- Emeraude
- Piper Cub
- Rollason Condor
- KZII

As for more modern 'classics', I'd go for small. I'd love to try a BD-5 or a JM Miller duct pusher, or a Cri-Cri.
Or a Vampire... such a pity that squadron was broken up.
As for travelling, you can't do much better than what I am flying now, efficiency-wise.

The spitfire took about twice as long, mostly I believe because of the elliptical wing.

Well, if it's to be absolutely anything:

Spaceship 2...
X15...
A rigid wing - last time I looked the Aeros Stalker was the one to fly...
A BAE hawk low-level down the Welsh valleys...
And the vampire.