My FBO in NJ had one right after he sold his P-51. Taxing that thing was a real handful.

Here are 4 I like

DeHavilland Beaver


Lockheed P2V Neptune


Viper


Pretty is as pretty does

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Here are 4 I like

DeHavilland Beaver

I love the DeHavilland Beaver, it is my favorite private plane.

Another P-38 variant, the F-82 twin mustang.

Dornier 335 Arrow!

For those among us with glider ratings, I give you the Schleicher ASG-29.
Hey, it's an aircraft, nobody said anything about engines.
(Sorry about the size, I don't know what I'm doing)

Some VERY strange choices for "prettiest" aircraft here. Scratching my head at the crop dusters, for example. My idea of beautiful aircraft certainly includes these rare birds:

English Electric (later Martin B-57) Canberra



Hawker Hunter



DeHavilland Dragon Rapide

The Brits built them the best.....

Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX



DeHavilland Mosquito

This is the most beautiful plane ever built!

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
Don't forget the Northrop T-38 Talon:

one of these days I will buy one

I've always wanted either a T38 or the F5E variant, coke-bottle tip tanks and a centerline tank.

Put your money where your mouth is, nhtagmember :
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/...2079&s-type=aircraft

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

LOL. Prettiest, not most functional. I love the Four Fans of Freedom but pretty she ain't.

And to add content - it has already been mentioned, but damn this is one sexy bird.

For me:
P-51, B-17, ME-109, Spitfire, C-47, F-16

And I freely confess to you all, since I know you will keep it to yourselves:
The sight, sound and smell of a B52 gives me a chubby. An "elephant walk" is a beautiful thing.
And for me the true airborne symbol of freedom and rescue: The C-130.

quote:

Originally posted by furlough:

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

LOL. Prettiest, not most functional. I love the Four Fans of Freedom but pretty she ain't.

Hey, I think she's gorgeous.

She's not a spoiled scrawny size 0.25 runway model; she's a beautiful, muscular girl who works a manual labor job for a living (or maybe the airplane version of Christina Hendricks).


I love A-10s, most Soviet stuff (that Antonov AN-22 in the 'ugly plane' thread is a favorite of mine), C-130s, BUFFs, Stukas, and a lot of the 'ugly' planes in the other thread. Just like with women, there is no universally-accepted criteria for beauty (though anybody calling a Spitfire ugly is beyond help).

My dad introduced me to his favorite, the P-38. During WWII, he and his brothers would wag school, to listen and watch Lightnings flying in and out of Essendon airport, Victoria, Aus.

For me, it's late 50's jets, like the F-104 and later the Phantoms ...

F-104


[furlough]
+1 for the Hustler ... great pic to share!

Recently saw a Starfighter at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor--along with a lot of other beautiful planes. Dang those stubby wings are short!

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:

I love...Stukas...(though anybody calling a Spitfire ugly is beyond help).

When I was a kid, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry had both of them hanging from the ceiling, the Spit attacking a diving Stuka. Quite a sight for an early-post-war kid who loved WWII fighter planes.

Years ago, I went to the local airport, when you could park right in front of the terminal. I didn't know it but they were having an airshow. I heard this ungodly roar and when I looked toward the terminal, from behind it emerged a B1 bomber taking off right in front of me. I remember going, " Oh, my God!" Photos of it are deceptive because the shape is that of a jet fighter rather than what we think of as the shape of a bomber. When you see it in person, it looks like a massive jet fighter. Beautiful plane!