# The Most Beautiful?



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

With the recent untimely retirement of Concorde, what do forum members consider the most beautiful aircraft ever??

I will start with mine.......The Hawker Sea Fury

Roger


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## JayGee (Feb 26, 2003)

I'll go for another of Sir Sydney Camm's classics in the form of the Hawker Hunter.

Or maybe another big Delta, in the form of the North American XB70 Valkyrie...


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

This is a tough question - there are som many; the Lockheed F-104 Starfigfhter, Lockheed SR71 Blackbird for two - but my choice is the Avro Vulcan - as well as its revoluntionary design it is 100% British and was only ever used by the RAF.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I've never seen one fly, but I have always liked the De Havilland Dragon Rapide - very graceful and classy. The other favourites of mine are the De Havilland Mosquito from WW2, also the Spitfire (of course!) and the Schneider Trophy seaplanes that went before it.

Here's a picture of the Dragon Rapide.

Cheers

Paul


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Here's one of the Schneider trophy seaplanes. This is the Supermarine S6, designed by R.J.Mitchell. The trophy was won outright by Britain in 1931 when an S6B reached a speed of 340mph, however this was a bit of a forgone conclusion as this was the only plane to fly in the race







. Two weeks later it set a new world speed record of 407mph - not bad for 1931









Toodle pip

Paul


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## Sargon (Feb 24, 2003)

I've always admired the P-38 Lightning. It was certainly ahead of its time and proved to be a formidable fighter.


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

Hi,

I would go along with the Vulcans, Spitfires and Mosquitoes etc all ready mentioned. It might be a bit ungainly on the ground but for me one of the most striking aircraft I've seen in flight is the Norththrop B2A Spirit.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

For me,

Avro Vulcan B Mk.2 in white anti flash paint from the 1960's.

Or, how about the prototype of this amazing aircraft?


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Or second best.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Some may laugh at this, and yes, of course the Concorde and Spitfire, but there is a stunning grace to me about a Boeing 747 in flight. It is a magnificent aircraft.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

747


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

Stan,

I like the Javelin as well

I also think that the Comet is worthy of a mention


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)




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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)




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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

One above Viggen

One Below Venom


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Hunters in formatiom!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

mig 29


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Anyone know how a starfighter ever flew with such stubby wings?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Now that's what I call sponsership!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

But of course there can only be one!


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## ericp (Feb 23, 2003)

Hello,

This is a tough one...

I am quite attached to G-GFCC a PA28, but that is becuase it was the aircraft I flew my first solo in.

I also quite like the DH Vampire..

Here is my one of my fathers old sqaudron (the vampires at the rear) flying over Buck palace...

Cheers.


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## ericp (Feb 23, 2003)

continued...

But for modern high tech beauty you can beat this aircraft....

I took this photo at Fairford this year (DVD now available







) )


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## ericp (Feb 23, 2003)

Sorry...here it is


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## ericp (Feb 23, 2003)

p.g..

Reference the Starfighter...

People who lived in Germany used to say.

"If you want an F-104 Starfighter, simply buy a field in Germany and wait...."


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## JayGee (Feb 26, 2003)

Griff said:


> Some may laugh at this, and yes, of course the Concorde and Spitfire, but there is a stunning grace to me about a Boeing 747 in flight. It is a magnificent aircraft.


Well now you've reminded me about civil aircraft I just have to nominate the VC10!


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## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

ericp said:


> p.g..
> 
> Reference the Starfighter...
> 
> ...


You beat me to it!!!

Starfighters, especially those flown by the German Air Force in the 60's, had a habit of hitting the ground unintentionally.

They seem to lose a tremendous amount of height whilst executing tight turns!

not sure what the technical term is, but I saw a few nearly come to grief at Geilenkirchen when they were trying to follow RAF Javelins


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## Sargon (Feb 24, 2003)

Here's a pic of the most ironic fighter.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Sargon,

It seems to be sitting next to two of the premier allied fighters of WW2.

Israeli roundels on a 109, cor blimmey!


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

This is a nice one.


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

The best that never was - BAC TSR2 - it was criminal when they canned the programme


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## FrankC (Nov 3, 2003)

The finest airplane ever built has to be the Douglas C47 or DC3 Dakota the plane that won the second world war. Never flown in anger ie un-armed. Still being flown comercially for over 60 years and look at the profile. Watch any plane coming in to land and look at that profile, there it is.

Brought out of retirement by the USAF during the Vietnam war and re named " Puff the magic dragon".

If you've never flown in one you don't know what you've missed.

To the person who loves the DH Dragon Rapide. A couple of years ago I was at Duxford and had a flight in one for Â£25, what a bargain.

Actually they are all great planes as someone once said " beauty is in the eye of the beholder" how true that is.









Have a nice weekend everyone

Frank


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Agree the Dakota is superb, and is my 2nd choice.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

There have been many fine aircraft in the past, present and will be in the future. I love them all. 

I suspect this is like watches. The cost may not influence the final choice. The degree of complication is also not relevant. It is down to how the item carries out its duties?

It must be down to how it works for us, also, we do have very good taste.









What a fine group of people.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Flew in a "Vicky" many a time. The RAF have the seats fitted backwards (facing the tail).

Many a time this was my most beautiful aircraft. The most memorable when it came to take me home from an exercise in Denmark that was basically 3 weeks living in a stinky soaking hole in the ground! (I could have posted a pic of a standard RAF version, but I liked this picture better.)


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## sssammm (Oct 7, 2003)

just on a divers note, in 1982 i got offered a vulcan for sale, it was Â£3000!!!

but it would have cost a gazzillion pounds to transport it home

neva mind eh!

sam


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

747


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

747


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

747


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

This is a fantastic aircraft, and anybody who thinks different 'aint got no soul when it comes to aeroplanes!!!!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)




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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

I do quite a lot of work at Gatwick and Heathrow airports and the 747 Jumbo is THE most gracefull thing you've ever seen when taking off and landing, despite it's gargantuan size - a real beut. Crying shame about Concorde....seen it many times. Bloody deafening when it takes off.


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

The Harrier,

Watching one of these do the VTO or landing is the mutz nutz......


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

...........it was also the true star of the film " True Lies "..........


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Garry,

If you've lived and worked on a Harrier base you'd learn to hate them, bloody noisy things. (is it only me or does the word noisy always look as if it is spelt wrong?).

Also seen too many fall out of the sky. I remember once one pilot was trying the 25 foot hover and practicing the bow to the crowd prior to a show and the thing just dropped as if he'd switched off the engines! Boy did that make a mess of the pan!

Had another go down and I was part of the search party. Luckily the jockey got out in time. You just don't realise how dangerous they are until you see one in bits spread over about 50 acres!


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

The Harrier was also the reason we never lost a dogfight during the Falklands conflict. The plane could virtually fly sideways by using its sideways positioned vertical jets. Absolutely superb machine!!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Yep, spot on Griff. They only had 19 of them as well!

how a harrier works

The Americans used 86 AV-8B's in Desert Storm!









this is a good link to quite a lot of the combat aircraft posted combat aircraft

Spent many a night guarding these









And guess what the russians tried to copy it!Yak 38


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Hi PG,

Everything has it's " dodgy ones " I suppose and it's been developed further I believe, but I just love the things - totally unique, almost a plane and a heli in one.

I love the shape as well, not the most gracefull, but agressive and serious looking.

Probably my all time fave.


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

I saw a Harrier go down in Germany many yonks ago. The pilot ejected as the aircraft fell and he hit the side of a building.














Toast.









I was told that the Harrier was bloody hard to fly and demands utmost concentration from the driver.

I wouldn't like to try.

I fancied a go in a Lightning F6, now that was a real sportscar.







And a bit more reliable than an F104 (bigger wings).


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Hi Stan

Lightnings are my favourite too. Never seen one fly and, unless I go abroad, I don't think I ever will - I think there may be some flying in South Africa. They were fantastic to fly apparently and very manouverable - as you say very much a sportscar. But not very pretty, though I suppose that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Wasn't the F104 Starfighter nicknamed "the missile with a man in it"? I've heard that they were very fast in a straight line but but took an age to change direction, hence they were good at intercepting things but naff all use at dogfighting.

Cheers

Paul


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Hi Paulus,

I saw an F6 doing about 300 knots at 50 feet above the runway, the mad bas**** pulled the nose up and kicked the afterburners in. It nearly flattened us with the shockwave.









That machine is a very powerful beast and a very fine aeroplane.

Try doing some research into the politics that got the F104 sold to foreign governmentâ€™s, it is a real eye opener. Sorry, I donâ€™t have the links anymore.


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