Your Favorite Planes in fiction and in real life.

[Prime_Hunter_H01]

I have been on a binge replaying the Ace Combat games and it has sent me all over the internet looking at stuff about planes, so just as a fun thread, post your favorite planes, both fictional and real and give a reasoning.

Real: F-22 Raptor

Spoiler

I have a history with this plane, in essence I grew up with it. A family member was part of the team that was working on it and he would always bring home the marketing material from his work. So my childhood was basically filled with this plane and that lasting impact on top of how good it looks and how well it performs as far as the public knows, in addition to it being my sole goal to get this plane when my dad bought Ace Combat 04 and that series becoming one of my favorites due to my love of flight and aviation cements it as my favorite plane in real life.

Fictional: ADF-01 FALKEN

Spoiler

Considering Ace Combat is what increased my existing love of aviation and got me interested in following military aviation, my favorite fictional plane is the super-fighter of The Unsung War the ADF-01 FALKEN. To me it really represents what I love most about Ace Combat, It keeps enough of a foot in reality, being primarily plane porn that every game when it decides to pull out the super weapons and super planes they always leave their mark and the extreme end of that is the Falken, an integrated laser weapon and the first appearance (cannonically) of the COFFIN System before its prominence in the highly Scifi Ace Combat 3. Its an awesome plane as it flies well and with skill the TLS can destroy multiple enemies in one shot nearly completing missions right as they begin.


So, Escapists, what are yours.

 

[Queen Michael]

In fiction: the Arwings from Star Fox 64.

In real life: the Batplane that Batman uses. (Shut up; a guy can dream.)

 

[meowchef]

I've always loved the American World War II plane, the P-51D Mustang.

 

[Zontar]

Real life is the Avro Arrow, the greatest aircraft of its day. First March 2 plane in the air that left any Yanky or Rusky one in the dust. It's a national tragedy that the government of the day let the Americans push us into canning the program.

Spoiler

For fictional, the VF-25 Messiah. You just can't beat an air superiority fighter that also doubles as a strategic bomber for delivering not-nukes that can transform into either a semi-fighter/robot and robot at will.

Spoiler

 

[Frezzato]

I begrudgingly admit that I love the modern era of Russian fighter jets, especially the Su-34 Fullback. The thing looks as if an F-111 and a Su-27 had a huge, mutant baby. And this is a big honking bird.

Spoiler: Su-34

[/spoiler]
There's stairs leading up into the cockpit behind the nose landing gear, but there's a couple of other Russian jets that have that.
[spoiler][img src=http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/21/3f/5d/213f5d1f1d08c0d875aee738754339b7.jpg][/spoiler]

Forward canards are just lovely.
[spoiler][img src=http://www.ausairpower.net/VVS/NAPO-Su-34-Demonstrator-7S.jpg][/spoiler]
Speaking of forward canards, I kind of freaked out when I first saw the Rafale. It looks like a Goddamn UFO to me.
[spoiler=Dassault Rafale][img src=http://defence-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1657405.jpg][/spoiler]
And despite all it's troubles, I still have hope for the F-35 Lightning II (JSF). Take a close look at where the control surfaces connect to the body; the plane itself looks...seamless. For a brief second I thought the jet had some sort of weird, solid skin.
[spoiler=JSF][img src=http://media.defenceindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_F-35_Left_Wingover_Rear_View_lg.jpg][/spoiler]
[spoiler=An even better view][img src=https://timemilitary.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/f35c.jpg][/spoiler]

 

[Neverhoodian]

Aw man, you're making me choose? But there's so many awesome designs out there! Well okay, here's the two that immediately sprung to mind.

Real: Me-262 Schwalbe

Spoiler

It looks sleek and predatory to me, like a shark. Apparently I'm not the only one who reached that conclusion:

Spoiler

There's also its legacy to consider. It was the world's first operational jet fighter and was nearly 100 mph (160.9 kph) faster than the best Allied piston-engined fighters. It was also the aircraft used by JG 44, a group comprised of the Luftwaffe's last elite pilots. Though released too late in the War and in too few numbers to make a substantial contribution, they nevertheless were a nasty shock to Allied aircrews and managed to bring down a respectable number of bombers. The Allies got their hands on a number of machines after the War, which helped influence the design of postwar aircraft like the F-86 Sabre and B-47 Stratojet.

Fictional: Z-95 Headhunter Mark I

Spoiler

Debuting in the novel Han Solo at Star's End, the Mark I is an atmospheric fighter known for its agility and toughness. It has two sets of triple blasters, hardpoints for extra munitions and swing wings. I like it because the design is undeniably Star Wars in appearance, yet it wouldn't look that out of place in the real world.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Real life is the Avro Arrow, the greatest aircraft of its day. First March 2 plane in the air that left any Yanky or Rusky one in the dust. It's a national tragedy that the government of the day let the Americans push us into canning the program.

Spoiler

Well...I'll go with "Avril Arrow" then:
http://www.krakow.krakowstudios.com/krakow/archive.php?date=20060801

 

[natenate95]

F/18 Hornet

XB-70 Valkyrie

A-10 Thunderbolt

F4u-1c corsair

BF109f

F9F cougar

 

[Rabbitboy]

It looks sleek and predatory to me, like a shark. Apparently I'm not the only one who reached that conclusion:

Spoiler

that reminds me of this.

Spoiler

Moving on to planes

I have always had something for flying boats and the PBY Catalina in particular.

Spoiler

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Real-life:

Spoiler: F-15 Eagle

Fun fact: The F15 has never had a single loss against another fighter on its record throughout its entire international service so far. So although it may indeed look bad-ass, it's hardly just a pretty toy.

Fiction:

Spoiler: F/A-37 Talon

As seen in the movie, Stealth. Although the movie itself was rather meh, these jets IMAO were not and for me were the best part of the movie.

Spoiler: Liberty Defender

This was the first actually pretty good fighter in Freelancer that you could get your hands on in the beginning of the game if you looked around a little. But while it was, statistics wise, definitely outclassed by other ships later on, it definitely looked the best and I wish I could have kept it.

 

[Sansha]

I have to say - and I don't know why - but the DC-3 is my all-time favorite aircraft. A big tough workhorse of an air-frame, introduced in 1936 and still in use today.

As for fictional - the Brigand, Fury, and Devastator from Crimson Skies.

 

[MrFalconfly]

Regarding the real world planes, I have to split that up in two categories.

Firstly, WWII era.

The Supermarine Mk IXe Spitfire.

It's simply the most beautiful plane ever made.

Spoiler: Spitfire

And secondly, Modern era.

Saab JAS-39E Gripen-NG.

Seriously, the Gripen is basically the Fighterjet equivalent of the Saab 99 Turbo. In an age of super-expensive, overcomplicated fighters the Swedes have made a cheap, reliable, and capable alternative that can punch with the best of them.

It can Supercruise, it has Swing-role capability, it has a large payload-capacity (and I mean, it's ridiculously large, for a plane its size), it's manoeuvrable, it has an integrated Helmet Mounted Cueing system, and an AESA radar, and it can land on roads (a Swedish requirement, since they're too paranoid to make actual air-bases)

Spoiler: Saab 99 Turbo

As for fictional.

The F/A-37 Talon just looks awesome. Say what you will about the film, but the plane is awesome.

Spoiler: Talons

 

[small]

fictional would be the sa-43 hammerhead from the tv show space above and beyond or the drop ship from aliens.

reality wise, the B17G flying fortress or the lancaster, amazing planes, and incredible flight crews

 

[Gizmo1990]

Don't really have a real one really. I guess I have always had a soft spot for the Spitfire.

Fictional there is only one choice for me (technicaly 2 but same design)

Spoiler: Mark II Viper

Spoiler: Mark VII Viper

I think the Mark II wins but only just.

 

[Private Custard]

Well, this is an incredibly hard question! I'm going to have to split this up, as each era has brought some amazingly beautiful machinery. It's all military, as that's where my aviation passion really lies.

Pre-WW2

Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A. From the squared-off front end, to slim rear, everything about this aircraft is perfectly proportioned.

Spoiler

WW2-Era

Really, there is only one candidate, the Spitfire. Sure, it's not the only aircraft that saved Britain, as the Hurricane was produced in greater numbers and was the workhorse, but the Spit was a groundbreaking aircraft. A marvel of modern (for its time) engineering, combining numerous new techniques, to create something very rare, form and function working in harmony, creating something as pretty as it was brilliant.

Spoiler

Spoiler: Honourable mentions

The Hawker Hurricane.

The Spitfires perfect partner. Much rarer than Spitfires nowadays, due to it costing three times as much to restore. There are now less than 20 left flying in the world. Pictured here, R4118, a Battle of Britain veteran, currently for sale.

The P-51.

Designed and built by North American Aviation, from specifications issued by the British. Originally fitted with a weak Allison engine, it became a legend, once fitted with the superior Rolls-Royce Packard Merlin.

The Lancaster.

Out of 7377 built, only two remain flying today. Ours as a memorial to the 55,536 members of RAF Bomber Command, who died doing a job that they volunteered for, despite the high chance of death.

In the sky alone, it's an awe-striking aircraft. Not what you'd describe as pretty, but with a massive presence. I was lucky enough to witness both ours, and the Canadians examples, flying together this summer. It's something that will stay with me forever.

Early Jet-Age

The F-86 Sabre

A utterly striking aircraft. When flown against early MiG's during the Korean war, it was easy for fresh pilots to identify during dogfights, giving rise to the phrase "if it smokes, it's friendly!"

Spoiler

Spoiler: Honourable mention

The Hawker Hunter (single-seat variants)

One of the best looking silhouettes ever!

The Modern Age

The Tornado

An aircraft that I've loved ever since I was a youngster. With its swing-wings, huge tail, and old-school turbo union jet engines (that boom, when modern units scream), it has everything that's needed to be an icon. From daring low-level raids in Iraq, back in 1991 (at camel-height, I shit you not!), to it's modern role as a precision strike bomber, it's been an utterly devastating weapons platform. I'll miss the Tonka when she's retired

Spoiler

Spoiler: Honourable mentions

The F-15

With an utterly astounding kill-ratio, there's no denying the brilliance of the aircraft. It just doesn't hold that special place in my heart.

The Typhoon

Doing a stellar job of policing our skies. Prettier from some angles than others, it's certainly eye-catching. Here's a shot of one, blasting out of RAF Coningsby fully armed, on its way to intercept the Russians........again!

In case anyone's curious, all these shots are mine

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Manta Team's plane (which never had an onscreen name) is absurdly cool.

Spoiler: Then there's this plane that did exist

But usually only Canadians know what that one is.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

I don't really have a favorite plane IRL, but I do have a favorite for fictional.

Spoiler: Hope it comes back someday for more than just a season and a half

 

[Private Custard]

Spoiler: Then there's this plane that did exist

But usually only Canadians know what that one is.

The Avro Arrow. A great aircraft that, like many others, was killed off by politics. Over the pond, here in the UK, we had the TSR-2.