Airplanes
 

Is any1 here a airplane fan? I am.

I like Airbus ones.

I love the WWII-era Studebaker aircraft, like the Flying Fortress, the B-17 bomber and the "shark-nosed" fighters that later gave rise to their cars of the late '40s and early '50s.

pitbulllady

Me too PBL! I live near a Comemoratiive Air Force unit (Falcon Field in Mesa). Our B-17 is Sentamental Journey (built 1944), and we have a B-25 named "Barbara." Both planes have been painstakingly restored to flight status. I have some pics here:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/DSCF0099.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...7/DSCF0100.jpg

My favorite airplane in World War One:

Fokker Dr. 1 Dreideker:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...03_17_Mech.jpg

I like current military aircraft as well (I was in an F-18 squadron afterall, and have been around naval aviation most of my career).:frankiesmile:

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.


OH, YOU MEAN ACTUAL AIRPLANES.

Yeah, I suppose so.

How about jet aircraft?

F-19, no doubt. I see so many of these, living just 30 miles from Shaw AFB, that they're as familiar as 4x4 pickup trucks in these parts! They're fast and maneuverable, too. Still, when it comes to aircraft, for me the old prop-driven planes just have more class by far. It's like comparing a modern import sports car with a classic American-made vehicle; sure, the modern car may be fast and have a lot more cool gadgets(or as my grandfather would have put it, more stuff to break down and cause trouble), but they just have no soul compared to the old cars of yesteryear. I don't know of any modern aircraft that has the same spirit and same artistic lines as the B-17, for instance, just like I can't think of any modern car that can hold a candle to my 1951 Champion, made by the same company, Studebaker. Modern vehicles just have a "coldness" to them that leaves me unimpressed, but then, I guess that's part of the territory when you're getting up there in years yourself!

pitbulllady

Well, I can see far from from that. Fokker, Cessna, Embraer (110,120,121) and other turboprop or piston has been rather popular along time ago. Airbus and Boeing r the main competitors for Jets and The Russian jets fell after the fall of Soivet Union, but yea. Reliability is better.

A-10 Warthog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-10_Thunderbolt_II

Kewl. Does any1 have favorite airlines? defucnt or not?

Yeah, those were some neat planes-ugly as home-made sin, but functional and definitely easy to recognize! I used to see these everyday, too, when I lived nearer the coast, since they were based at the now-closed Myrtle Beach AFB. They got a lot of notoriety in the first Gulf War, right before the base was closed, and a lot of folks around here were hoping that the success of those planes would stop the Pentagon from closing MBAFB, but no luck. Fortunately, that area was able to recover financially from the loss due to the increase in tourism, as was Charleston, but many places that lost major military bases weren't so lucky.

I guess I just prefer military to civilian planes, really. I'm not much for traveling on a plane. I've only done it once, and while it wasn't the most harrowing thing I've been through, I can't say I really enjoyed it, either. Living near a major AFB, you just can't help but develop a familiarity with military aircraft, since you see and hear them so much. I can actually identify many of the jets and helicopters based at Shaw AFB by their sound, without even seeing the actual vehicle; they're just that commonplace in the skies around here.

pitbulllady

I like Civilian ones because they look cool inside and outside. I like Northwest Airlines alot.

But you're referring more to an airLINE, not an airPLANE. The same model/make of planes are used by different airlines, but whether or not you like traveling with a particular airline depends not so much on the planes they use, but the services they provide-how they treat you, in other words.

I don't have a favorite airline. I've only flown on one, and it was not an especially enjoyable trip. I've used USAir to ship animals many times, as well as Delta, and USAir is more reasonable and reliable for that purpose. There are several airlines that I will never use because of their descriminatory policy of not accepting certain kinds of dogs as cargo. I'm not what you'd call a "frequent flier" in any case.

pitbulllady

Ah, I see. Have you heard of those big flying boats? I liked the Short Skyvan before.

http://www.saywell-canada.com/Shorts-Skyvan.jpg

They looked cool.

cool stuff. Yeah the A-10s fly over my place all the time, pretty low too. Awesome aircraft, nearly indestructable and they pack some serious firepower, 30mm cannon. Nasty buisness. Aparently the pilot sits in basically an armored tub. They say even direct hits from a Browning .50 at short ranges can't penetrate the thing!

How about the Connies?

If you're referring to commercial aviation, I can tell you what carriers I've used. The first time I've ever travelled by air was with the now defunct Trans World Airlines (TWA) [American Airlines bought them]. My first experience was one of the best I've had in an airliner. I think I rode on a McDonnell Douglas jet on one my flights. Since 2001, I've flown with Continental, with the exception of my last trip (which was NWA/Northwest) and on a voluntary deal in 2003 (I think) (flew to another city before going home on American, and Continental gave me a voucher for discounted travel). I know I've flown on Boeing 737s on my long Continental fights, except for the shorter flights (I think it was an Embrarer or something). The thing I like about Continental is free snacks and meals (if desired); which I learned on NWA that they do free beverages, but the food/snacks are not free (probably to keep flights as low as possible). Also, the major hub is in a city I've been to many times in the past, so it's not too terribly far from where I live right now. I also have frequent flyer miles through them. :P

As for the rest, I don't know much of anything.

Wow, What a experience. I like Commercial Aviation better because It was a big revolution through time and that it was the only way for the Airbus and Boeing to arrive. Anyways, This is a all-aviation discussion.

I don't know too much about aircraft but I do know some stuff about them. My favorite aircraft of all time would have to be the (in)famous Avro Arrow, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_arrow ) in my opinion, the greatest and most beautiful plane Canada ever created.

But it was failed.

gotta say those late model Messerschmitts (totally botched the spelling on that...) any way, rocket-propelled nazi warplanes. designated Me-1something. Me-163? I dunno. Not jet powered but rocket powered, they put a big cannon on them and said, "go knock out some b-17's". These things flew way faster and climbed way higher than anything else, they'd just dive out of the sky and open up on a bomber then glide back when the fuel ran out. No landing gear, just touch down on a field and tow it back to base 8D

the nutjobs also stripped down standard fighter planes and used them to ram, literally ram into, bomber formations... the crazy thing was the pilots were expected to bail out and report for duty again! Its 1945, Germany is obviously sunk, and a bunch of 17 year olds with like 5 flight hours under their belts were expected to fly their Me-109's into B-17 bombers... and bail out and return home! The goal was to cut the cockpit off of the bomber using your wing as a knife, or to chop up the tail with your propeller.

absolutely nuts

ETA yeah i think it was the Me-163

It looks like those aircraft that was used for stuff. How about the flying boats?
They were never a big success.

There's a very famous air display group over here called the Red Arrows, they're made up of nine red BAE Hawks, and they perform at airshows all over the UK (and other countries too I think). I've seen them twice at the Sunderland Airshow, and they're always a treat. I always wonder how much training the pilots have to go through to get those routines dead on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Arrows