Most beautiful planes of all time...

[Agent G]

Luc, The F4 is proof positive that even a brick can fly with wings and enough power.

G

[Agent G]

7 hours ago, dimaxion said:

To the Japanese these were Whistling Death . Top Aircraft in my Book . The white outlines forward the canopy were the show the Pilot where he was in relation to the Flight Deck  or Airfield . With a 9' Prop , the Pilot's View is severely  obstructed on while on the the Landing Gear .   

The Japanese called the F4U Corsair in its many versions the "Whistling Death" during World War II. For VF-17 this aircraft and the pilots who flew it were responsible for shooting down 154 enemy aircraft in 76 days. By doing this they surpassed the record set by VMF-214 "Black Sheep" under the command of Maj. Greg "Pappy" Boyington.

VF-17 had an unusual unit symbol painted on the noses of their Corsairs. The skull and crossbones, or Jolly Roger. This symbol was once associated with the pirates and pirate ships that once sailed the ocean looking for treasure fighting for fun. Also this was the last flag/symbol that many sailors saw before they died in battle. This was also the case of the Japanese pilots who came under the guns of "Fighting 17" during their combat tour from October 1943 to March 1944. It has been said, that VF-17 so utterly demoralized the once proud Japanese Air Force in their operating area. That upon seeing the approaching Corsairs, one Japanese pilot wrote in his diary after an encounter, "here come the wolves again".

The Japanese called the F4U Corsair in its many versions the "Whistling Death" during World War II. For VF-17 this aircraft and the pilots who flew it were responsible for shooting down 154 enemy aircraft in 76 days. By doing this they surpassed the record set by VMF-214 "Black Sheep" under the command of Maj. Greg "Pappy" Boyington.

VF-17 had an unusual unit symbol painted on the noses of their Corsairs. The skull and crossbones, or Jolly Roger. This symbol was once associated with the pirates and pirate ships that once sailed the ocean looking for treasure fighting for fun. Also this was the last flag/symbol that many sailors saw before they died in battle. This was also the case of the Japanese pilots who came under the guns of "Fighting 17" during their combat tour from October 1943 to March 1944. It has been said, that VF-17 so utterly demoralized the once proud Japanese Air Force in their operating area. That upon seeing the approaching Corsairs, one Japanese pilot wrote in his diary after an encounter, "here come the wolves again".

   Thanx 

Actually the white lines were, originally anyway, medical tape. They were placed over the seam lines to prevent fuel spatter on the windshield. The fuel tank is directly in front of the pilot. Between ham fisted aircrew and seepage, fuel collected in the seals and ultimately blew onto the windscreen. It was yet another annoyance fixed by innovative ground personnel. 70+ years later restored birds have the lines painted on in homage to those iconic pieces of tape from yesteryear. 

G

[SfanGoch]

7 hours ago, dimaxion said:

The only one I recognize this the Bell P39 Aircobra .. Thanx .. 

If you ever watched "Apocalypse Now", you would have seen two of the most iconic helicopters of the Vietnam War, the UH-1D Iroquois and the OH-6A Cayuse.

This is probably the greatest movie scene ever filmed:

 

[Luc Janssens]

2 hours ago, Agent G said:

Luc, The F4 is proof positive that even a brick can fly with wings and enough power.

G

 

[Pete J.]

3 hours ago, Agent G said:

Luc, The F4 is proof positive that even a brick can fly with wings and enough power.

G

The quote I remember was the Phantom proved that a brick will go supersonic given enough power!  Still wanted to fly one as a young second banana with wings of silver!

[Jantrix]

The B-1 always stuck me as a very simple yet elegant design. It's performance is pretty unique too. When the those wings sweep back it's capable of some pretty impressive manuevering for something so large. I got an up close and personal view when I was very briefly stationed at McConnell AFB in Wichita.

 

[TarheelRick]

Another large beauty that is often overlooked is the B-36 Peacemaker.  As an aside Strategic Air Command's motto "Peace is our Profession......war is just a Hobby"

There is one of these on display inside the museum at Wright Patterson, very impressively large.

 

[dimaxion]

21 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Really? Surely you recognize the Huey. If you've ever seen footage of the war in Vietnam you've seen it. And the Bell 47G, one of the most iconic choppers built?

Ah Yes , surely I've seen these . I just cannot identify what is what . I am just asking here as others have . Please ID the Pics . If I post a Phaltz and a Fokker , would you know which was which ?  How about a Bulton Paul Defiance , a ME 110 and a Mosquito all in primer without the International Markings . How well would you do ?  I am curious beyond belief . I want to know .. Thanx .. 

[dimaxion]

17 hours ago, Agent G said:

Actually the white lines were, originally anyway, medical tape. They were placed over the seam lines to prevent fuel spatter on the windshield. The fuel tank is directly in front of the pilot. Between ham fisted aircrew and seepage, fuel collected in the seals and ultimately blew onto the windscreen. It was yet another annoyance fixed by innovative ground personnel. 70+ years later restored birds have the lines painted on in homage to those iconic pieces of tape from yesteryear. 

G

Ok . your version is something I've not heard of previously . The Version I heard was for new Pilots on land-bases equipped with Corsairs to keep them on the so called smoother ground designated as runways . These Pilots ware Carrier Base Trained Marines before shipped to the Pacific . Land based Airfields are a different Animal . Your version makes sense . i did not know where the Fuel Tanks are located . I just know these are self sealing . Something the Japanese lacked . . Thanx .. 

[Classicgas]

3 hours ago, dimaxion said:

Ah Yes , surely I've seen these . I just cannot identify what is what . I am just asking here as others have . Please ID the Pics . If I post a Phaltz and a Fokker , would you know which was which ?  How about a Bulton Paul Defiance , a ME 110 and a Mosquito all in primer without the International Markings . How well would you do ?  I am curious beyond belief . I want to know .. Thanx .. 

Wasn't being sarcastic John, just a bit surprised. Those choppers are two of the most widely recognized helicopters in the world. I was surprised you didn't know them when you knew a P39 by sight, quite a bit more obscure than the Huey or 47 lol.

[Ace-Garageguy]

A few more of my personal favorites: Boeing 314

                                                                                    Laird Super Solution

                                                                             

Supermarine S6B

                                      GeeBee R1...not pretty, but one hell of an airplane

 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[peteski]

5 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

A few more of my personal favorites: Boeing 314

 

 

Looks pregnant.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post here, eventually every aircraft will be mentioned here.  A list of ugly aircraft would be much shorter.

[SfanGoch]

You want ugly? The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI heavy bomber would ba near, or at the top, of that list.

[Ace-Garageguy]

50 minutes ago, peteski said:

Looks pregnant.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post here, eventually every aircraft will be mentioned here.  A list of ugly aircraft would be much shorter.

The Boeing 314 was most impressive at takeoff. Hauling that massive weight out of the water, with 4 huge radials bellowing...well...I've only seen films, as they were retired and scrapped around the time I got here, but it's one of the regrets I have of my particular timing that I never got to fly in one.

 

[peteski]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

You want ugly? The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI heavy bomber would ba near, or at the top, of that list.

Well, the original Wright Bros. aircraft was not all that attractive. Neither were many of the other early airplanes.

[peteski]

20 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

The Boeing 314 was most impressive at takeoff. Hauling that massive weight out of the water, with 4 huge radials bellowing...well...I've only seen films, as they were retired and scrapped around the time I got here, but it's one of the regrets I have of my particular timing that I never got to fly in one.

How about a Spruce Goose takeoff?

[Vince Nemanic]

I wonder how it felt to "land" in one of those flying boats. I imagine it could be pretty rough in some of the smaller ones.

[dimaxion]

On 7/17/2019 at 6:38 PM, Classicgas said:

Wasn't being sarcastic John, just a bit surprised. Those choppers are two of the most widely recognized helicopters in the world. I was surprised you didn't know them when you knew a P39 by sight, quite a bit more obscure than the Huey or 47 lol.

Wasn't taken as sarcastic . I just did not and still do now about Choppers . I've never ran across any reference mater to read . The one I own and have read is : 'Book is 'Modern Helicopters' circa 1949 IIRC .. Yes , anything that moves itself I am way deep into  Even Bridges if you get the meaning of this . Gangplank , Baltimore , MD . Thanx 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by dimaxion

[GLMFAA1]

Well lets add some other means of flight since we digressed to helicopters in category of 'planes'

The Akron and Macon sister airships built in Akron Ohio

greg

 

 

[dimaxion]

On 7/18/2019 at 2:59 PM, GLMFAA1 said:

Well lets add some other means of flight since we digressed to helicopters in category of 'planes'

The Akron and Macon sister airships built in Akron Ohio

greg

 

 

Excellent Pics Greg .. Thanx 

[Classicgas]

On 7/16/2019 at 9:25 PM, SfanGoch said:

If you ever watched "Apocalypse Now", you would have seen two of the most iconic helicopters of the Vietnam War, the UH-1D Iroquois and the OH-6A Cayuse.

This is probably the greatest movie scene ever filmed:

 

Very cool scene. Not to knock it but it is completely inaccurate if you are at all familiar with the helicopter tactics of the Vietnam conflict. But it is hollyweird at it's best lol, and a great showcase of choppers.

[Snake45]

2 hours ago, Classicgas said:

...it is completely inaccurate if you are at all familiar with the...Vietnam conflict. 

Through The Magic of Editing, I have made your comment a brief review of the entire move. 

It is kinda cool, though, except the Redux version, which is nearly unwatchable, and almost ruined the whole movie for me. If you haven't seen the Redux version, DON'T. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Classicgas said:

... Not to knock it but it is completely inaccurate if you are at all familiar with the helicopter tactics of the Vietnam conflict. But it is hollyweird...

Yup...

[SfanGoch]

Not totally inaccurate. A combination of formations were used in that sequence:

The formations used depended on the situation heading into a LZ and could be changed according to the threat in front. The scout helos would perform recon by fire to obtain an accurate SITREP and relay that info to the attack helos, directing them to targets on the ground. After the attack birds clear the LZ (s), the assault helos land in the LZ to dismount troops. Those helos would never actually "land". They would hover 2-21/2 feet above the ground. I was part of the largest air assault lift ever conducted in CONUS in 1981. The entire 101st aviation Group was involved, moving the entire 1/506 INF in a single lift. To see that many scout, attack and assault helicopters in the air simultaneously is truly a sight no one forgets.

I served a few years after Vietnam and we still were training under Vietnam-era airmobile/air assault doctrine. When assigned to C/1/506 INF , we had taxi service provided by 158 and 159 Aviation Battalions (Asslt) flying the recently introduced UH-60A Blackhawk. There were still some UH-1D models and it was a blast sitting on the floor with your feet on the skids while the pilot was flying NOE at treetop altitude. Quite a few 17 Deltas from 2/17 Cav, flying in Kiowas picked up the Stetson look because it just was so right. When deployed to Ft. Sherman, Canal Zone, for JOTC qualification training, we did cool stuff like jumping out of Hueys onto a jungle canopy platform then rappelling to the ground. The most tedious operations were with CH-47D Shitehooks. A majority of the time, we'd have to climb in and out of them using a ladder while the helo was hovering 25-30 feet above the ground. These birds have a 60 ft.rotor diameter; so, it's like trying to walk into a hurricane climbing up the ladder due to the rotor wash. Man, I miss those days.

Edited July 20, 2019 by SfanGoch

[Classicgas]

Yeah, I was thinking more of how scouts and gunships flew well ahead of troop ships and also D model Huey's were not gunships except foe Australian birds. C model Huey's were gunships as well as the Cobra, and as you mentioned, troop ships never landed. Sounds like I was in the service same time as you. 80-86.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Classicgas