NationStates Jolt Archive

We've had innumerable polls about guns, some about ships and one about tanks, but not very many about planes. This is a travesty. I know people are going to kill me for lumping some together in groups, but that can't be helped. Blame Jolt, not me.

A-10 Thunderbolt II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDRJLOfEOVE)*. Hands down.



*blah blah, language warning

I've always loved the planes of WWII, though I'm not an engineer or anything like that, so I can't really judge them from a technical standpoint.

Of the list, I like the F-22, which I believe is the newest jet we have. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's faster and has a longer range than any of the others. :)

A-10 Thunderbolt II. Hands down.

just don't use it in a Dogfight

I'm a fan of the Fokker series used in WWI. Specifically, the Fokker D.VII and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_D.VII)the favourite of the Red Baron, the Fokker Dr.I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_Dr.I).

Well you said 'fighter plane' so it's obviously the F-22 hands down for a air superiority fighter. Of course though those things are pretty damn expensive so in that context Russian planes aren't too bad.

F-22 Raptor
A-10 Warthog
F-117 Nighthawk

http://www.globalaircraft.org/photos/planephotos/f-22-1.jpg

http://www.artistic-realms.com/charles/images/a10.jpg

http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/20th/images/f117.jpg

just don't use it in a Dogfight

A-10 isn't a dogfight fighter. it's a close ground support plane.

There's a reason why it's called a Warthog. it's tough (it can still fly with half it's engines shot up and more percentile damage than modern fighters.) it has one role and it's superior in doing that role, and the Air Force hates it because it wasn't designed by the Airforce.

It would be a toss up between the A-10 or the Tomcat (F-14) sure it's old, sure it's more trouble than it's worth. but I like the design.

A-10 isn't a dogfight fighter. it's a close ground support plane.

...

That's why you wouldn't use it in a dogfight. :p

Yeah, the A-10 is cool, but attack planes aren't included as they wouldn't fit on the poll.

Myself, Su-47 for the win.

I prefer the Sopwith Camel.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Sop1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_Project_1.44

This one ain't bad.

Okay, fine. If I have to pick a fighter, I'd go with the Su-47. I'm a sucker for forward-swept wings.

Well, that or a P-40.

http://www.air-attack.com/MIL/_EXP/su47/berkut.jpg

:p

http://www.aero.iitb.ac.in/zephyr/images/paperplane.png

Power in numbers.

I prefer the Sopwith Camel.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Sop1.jpg
For those types of planes, I prefer this version.

http://www.mucignat.com/blog/uploads/snoopy_on_doghouse.s9y_th.jpg

http://www.air-attack.com/MIL/_EXP/su47/berkut.jpg

:p
why am I hearing the G.I. Joe theme song?!?

Well... that depends.

The Raptor is the king of the roost at this point in terms of a pure fighter.

For Nations States, I'm liking the F-35 because it can walk and crew gum at the same time. It has long legs, is somewhat stealthy, has a carrier version and can handle fighter and/or strike missions with a wide variety of weapons.

The A-10 is out of place compared to fighters as it is a best suited for air to mud ops at which it excels. It is not well suited for air to air ops although it is not entirely defenseless. I think that the Air Farce ;) usually hangs a couple of Sidewinders on them just in case.

I always liked the F8 Crusader... And its cousin, the A7 corsair. I thought the shape was so unique, nothing else like it. Modern fighter planes all look nearly identical, meaning small variations of a single design idea.

North American P-51 "Mustang" (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/P-51D.jpg)

Sure, your F-22's and such are nice and expensive and shiny and what not. But how many of these modern fighter aircraft being contested in this thread can actually claim to have played a vital role in rescuing the European sub-continent (if not all the other continents as well...) from the fascist horde?

Largely untested (and unnecessary...) technical superiority is nice in theory, but actions speak louder than bloated military-industrial pork-barrel politics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire

If these two planes hadn't won the Battle of Britain, the Mustang wouldn't have had the chance to do that. As for modern fighters...I like the F-4 and F-14.

I posted this not to long ago... The sea dart.



Look it up yourself, I'm a tired

From the poll...as much as I want to vote for the Raptor, I like what the Russians have done with the Flanker/Super Flanker series, so that's my vote.

All time, though, I'd have to say the P-38 Lightning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_Lightning). :)

Though it's not a fighter, I thought I'd mention the stealth bomber. That's my favorite among planes I've actually seen in flight. They're quick, but dead quiet. Pretty neat. :)

I posted this not to long ago... The sea dart.



Look it up yourself, I'm a tired

I looked it up. :p Pretty neat - weird-looking. Too bad they never got a chance. :(

I always liked the F8 Crusader... And its cousin, the A7 corsair. I thought the shape was so unique, nothing else like it. Modern fighter planes all look nearly identical, meaning small variations of a single design idea.

I didn't think anyone liked the S.L.U.F.

(S.L.U.F is a nickname for the A7, and means Short Little Ugly F_____).

I'm looking forward to seing a forward swept wing aircraft (whether it is a Sukhoi fighter or Cessna light civilian).

The Mossy.

nuff said.

How about a plane no one ever mentions. The Focke-Wulf Fw-190 Dora (as well as Kurt Tank's derivatives). Best propeller-driven fighter ever made.

All time is a toss up between the Lightining and the Spitfire in the Spitfire's case any plane that has over a dozen different versions made is top notch; if it wasn't for the Spitfire the multi roll fighter would never have been possible.

My favorite modern fighter is the F-14. At one time there was no denying it was top dog when it came to air superiority, it looks snazzy, and its still one of the quickest. We should all know the navy loves it; when it starts to fall behind they toss another sensor package on it or some other new upgrade and keep 'em running.

http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~jeff/115a/history/civilwarhotairballoon.jpg

Win.

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 or The de Havilland Vampire

Though it's not a fighter, I thought I'd mention the stealth bomber. That's my favorite among planes I've actually seen in flight. They're quick, but dead quiet. Pretty neat. :)
Wouldn't work over Britain, though, fair too rainy :p

And obviously, the Me262 or the Meteor. Because nobody else did it so well in World War 2 in the air as the Germans and British.

My favorite modern fighter is the F-14. At one time there was no denying it was top dog when it came to air superiority, it looks snazzy, and its still one of the quickest. We should all know the navy loves it; when it starts to fall behind they toss another sensor package on it or some other new upgrade and keep 'em running.

Actually the F-14 is sadly, now retired. It's been retired for about a year now, I think. It's shame, they were deadly planes capable of knocking out 6 enemy fighters from 90 miles away. They were my favorite modern fighter, too.

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved F/A 18s.

Of classic planes, I'd go with the p38 lightning.

I was always a bit of a fan of the old British carrier aircraft, the Vampire/Vixen series and the Fulmar were pretty cool.

My all-time fave has to be the Russian Su-27 series. Probably the best fighter in the world until the F-22 hit the scene (yeah yeah Eagle fans, I know but the only reason you win is 'cause you got more dosh than the russkies).

Honourable mentions go to the Hurricane (as an exapmle of private enterprise doing some good as an explicit aim rather than a byproduct as well as it's being an awesome plane and the mount of my personal hero - Douglas Bader) and the TSR2 (yeah yeah, strikefighter but still cool as hell).

P-51D Mustang

P-51! Mustangs Rule!

Call me an old-fashioned girl, but they're my favorites. My grandpa flew them in WW2, he trained flyers out of Arizona because he had... ringing in his ears and couldn't fly combat missions.

I've always had a soft spot for WWII Russian Fighters. I like the P-51 too though my favourite is the F4F

I would have to say my favorites are the MIG-31 Foxhound and the MIG-35

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/FW-190A8-N_small.jpg
FW-190A8

Although the ME-262 is awesome as well.

P-38 Lightning ftw!

Okay, fine. If I have to pick a fighter, I'd go with the Su-47. I'm a sucker for forward-swept wings.

Well, that or a P-40.

Why the hell would you pick a P-40 as a fighter plane?

If you want a good fighter from that era, use either a P-51, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, Spitfire, Bf-109, FW-190, Yak-3 (entire Yak series is superb, but it was the best), Lavochkin series, MiG-3, Ki-84, A6M series, or the c.202.

The P-40 was horrendously under-powered, and even the "Super Tomahawk", which was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engine, had many performance problems... Chief among them poor high-speed control and very low resistance to gunfire. It was just a bad design all around, though it did have some pretty nice advantages... *Some*.

Its maneuverability was decent. Had a good roll rate (though not as good as any 109), and it could turn well, especially with flaps (without flaps, its contemporary, the Bf-109F-4, could still out-turn it, though the Tomahawk could deploy its combat flaps at speeds of up to 350mp/h --- the 109 series could only deploy flaps at speeds up to 180mp/h). It also had a relatively hard-hitting guns package for its day, though up until the more powerful, supercharged "E" model, said guns package put a hit on its performance.

Keep in mind that most of the P-40s that saw victories in Europe were flown against very inexperienced, fresh 109 and 190 pilots. It's just like with the Eastern front --- most of the Russian pilots were conscripts with fewer than ten hours of flight time (many of them didn't even have thirty minutes). The Yaks, Lavochkins, and MiGs were all superior to their German contemporaries (though, like all aircraft, still had their downsides), though woefully inexperienced pilots made for tens of thousands of flying coffins... And the same amount of German victories.

Play some Aces High II, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. It has an extremely accurate flight model, and I urge you to try it out. Believe me when I say that the P-40B is trash... The P-40E, less so, but still.



As for my favorite fighter, well, that's a tough one. I really like the Corsairs, as they have a lot of good points and few bad ones. They're fast, maneuverable, have massive firepower, and they can absorb gunfire like a sponge absorbs water. Once you get past the bad visibility and heavy controls at lower speeds, you'll come to love the aircraft and everything it can do.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/FW-190A8-N_small.jpg
FW-190A8

Although the ME-262 is awesome as well.

The sound of that BMW-801 engine is incredible. Not quite as much as the P&W R-2800, but it's close.

Why the hell would you pick a P-40 as a fighter plane?

If you want a good fighter from that era, use either a P-51, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, Spitfire, Bf-109, FW-190, Yak-3 (entire Yak series is superb, but it was the best), Lavochkin series, MiG-3, Ki-84, A6M series, or the c.202.


What about the F4F or the F6F?

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

This one! Hurricanes are cool (and shot down more planes than the Spitfire in the Battle of Britain - actually, the Hurricane shot down more than everything else combined).

I'm also quite fond of the de Havilland Mosquito (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquito).


If you want a good fighter from that era, use either a P-51, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, Spitfire, Bf-109, FW-190, Yak-3 (entire Yak series is superb, but it was the best), Lavochkin series, MiG-3, Ki-84, A6M series, or the c.202.

*Coughs* :p

Again, it's the "other" option. The F-4 Phantom was the best all-around fighter that ever graced the deck of an aircraft carrier. The sheer number of variants across the USAF, USMC, USN, and foreign services are incredible. My most loved variants after the F-4S (USMC) and the RF-4C, was the F-4G.That was the Wild Weasel variant that the USAF flew.

The Wild Weasel had a mission that seemed like suicide to the casual observer, as well as to the educated. They would fly for the sole purpose of killing SAM batteries. The tactic was to launch some sort of ARM, then follow it up with a CBU. Those were the guys I really liked to see join a strike package.

But the Phantom II F-4 was such a superior plane in way range, endurance, armament, and performance were blended together, that it has to be rated at or near the top of any "best" list.

Starscream, obviously.

If you've ever played Battlefied 2 you'll understand why Nothing and No one can shoot down the following nomination:

J-10. :(

F-22 Raptor for me, but only just squeezing out those beautiful Sukhois.

This one! Hurricanes are cool (and shot down more planes than the Spitfire in the Battle of Britain - actually, the Hurricane shot down more than everything else combined).

I'm also quite fond of the de Havilland Mosquito (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquito).




*Coughs* :p

Hey, I know that the Hurricane and Mosquito were great, but I couldn't fit every damn good plane from that era in my list. There'd be well over twenty.

And the Mossie was an attack craft/night fighter, not a dogfighter.

Why the hell would you pick a P-40 as a fighter plane?

If you want a good fighter from that era, use either a P-51, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat, Spitfire, Bf-109, FW-190, Yak-3 (entire Yak series is superb, but it was the best), Lavochkin series, MiG-3, Ki-84, A6M series, or the c.202.

The P-40 was horrendously under-powered, and even the "Super Tomahawk", which was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 engine, had many performance problems... Chief among them poor high-speed control and very low resistance to gunfire. It was just a bad design all around, though it did have some pretty nice advantages... *Some*.

Its maneuverability was decent. Had a good roll rate (though not as good as any 109), and it could turn well, especially with flaps (without flaps, its contemporary, the Bf-109F-4, could still out-turn it, though the Tomahawk could deploy its combat flaps at speeds of up to 350mp/h --- the 109 series could only deploy flaps at speeds up to 180mp/h). It also had a relatively hard-hitting guns package for its day, though up until the more powerful, supercharged "E" model, said guns package put a hit on its performance.

Keep in mind that most of the P-40s that saw victories in Europe were flown against very inexperienced, fresh 109 and 190 pilots. It's just like with the Eastern front --- most of the Russian pilots were conscripts with fewer than ten hours of flight time (many of them didn't even have thirty minutes). The Yaks, Lavochkins, and MiGs were all superior to their German contemporaries (though, like all aircraft, still had their downsides), though woefully inexperienced pilots made for tens of thousands of flying coffins... And the same amount of German victories.

Play some Aces High II, and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. It has an extremely accurate flight model, and I urge you to try it out. Believe me when I say that the P-40B is trash... The P-40E, less so, but still.



As for my favorite fighter, well, that's a tough one. I really like the Corsairs, as they have a lot of good points and few bad ones. They're fast, maneuverable, have massive firepower, and they can absorb gunfire like a sponge absorbs water. Once you get past the bad visibility and heavy controls at lower speeds, you'll come to love the aircraft and everything it can do.
Don't forget that Europe wasn't the only theater where the P-40 saw action. They tore up the Nate and Oscar fighters that the Japanese sent against them. Believe it or not, it was due to their superior speed and durability. Not to mention that six 50 cal cannon are a lot better than two 12.7mms machine guns.

Again, it's the "other" option. The F-4 Phantom was the best all-around fighter that ever graced the deck of an aircraft carrier. The sheer number of variants across the USAF, USMC, USN, and foreign services are incredible. My most loved variants after the F-4S (USMC) and the RF-4C, was the F-4G.That was the Wild Weasel variant that the USAF flew.

The Wild Weasel had a mission that seemed like suicide to the casual observer, as well as to the educated. They would fly for the sole purpose of killing SAM batteries. The tactic was to launch some sort of ARM, then follow it up with a CBU. Those were the guys I really liked to see join a strike package.

But the Phantom II F-4 was such a superior plane in way range, endurance, armament, and performance were blended together, that it has to be rated at or near the top of any "best" list.

Funny, because all of the pilots who flew it said that it was the most god-awful POS to control, thanks to its horrible structural design (most of those weird angles are compensating for a truly abysmal frame). They all call it a turkey, because it was.

Funny, because all of the pilots who flew it said that it was the most god-awful POS to control, thanks to its horrible structural design (most of those weird angles are compensating for a truly abysmal frame). They all call it a turkey, because it was.

I don't know what pilots you've been talking to, but the ones I flew with loved bringing it back aboard because it was so easy. In fact, I don't think I've ever met a F-4 pilot that didn't love the thing. And I know a lot of pilots.

The only airplane I've ever heard called a turkey is the F-14. And that's because of the turkey feathers on the afterburner. I've heard the Phantom called a Rhino and Double Ugly, but never Turkey. Besides, I don't think a dog would have lasted as long as the Phantom...Almost as long as the Intruder.

In spite of his failure at politics, Duke Cunningham was a pretty good stick. I talked to him about his flying in Vietnam for quite a while one evening and I don't think he would have traded the Phantom for anything.

Don't forget that Europe wasn't the only theater where the P-40 saw action. They tore up the Nate and Oscar fighters that the Japanese sent against them. Believe it or not, it was due to their superior speed and durability. Not to mention that six 50 cal cannon are a lot better than two 12.7mms machine guns.

Ki-43s were no match for the P-40E that saw action in the late-war Pacific theater, I'll give you that.

Keep in mind, though, that those Japanese aircraft were horribly out-classed (only beating American aircraft in maneuverability and fuel efficiency). The only Japanese fighters that could give our class A birds a run for their money were the Ki-61, the J2M3, the Ki-84, and the Ki-100.

Even then, the Ki-61 was, as performance goes, only on par with the Bf-109F-4 (it had the same engine). The J2M3 could take on the Hellcat (slower, but much better acceleration and far superior climb rate; nearly identical turn rate; better roll rate). However, the Ki-84 was more than a match for any of our aircraft.

For starters, it could reach a top speed of 421mp/h with high-octane fuel (386mp/h with the fuel the Japanese had to use). It had an astounding climb rate (well over 3400fp/m; the P-51D had a climb rate of around 2300), great acceleration, and outstanding maneuverability at speeds up to 345mp/h (combat speed rarely reached higher than 320). On top of that, its guns packages were very heavy-hitting (concentrated in both the cowling and wings).

The Ki-100 wasn't nearly as fast as the P-51D or the F4U Corsair (top speed of around 380mp/h), but it was more than a match when you take maneuverability, guns packages, flight time, and ease of use into consideration. Its wings were so large that it was a very easy plane to fly at high altitude (its prime altitude was around 23,000 feet), and its stall speed was very low, especially considering it was such a large aircraft. It's well-noted that a squadron of just a few Ki-100s took out an entire wing of Hellcats.

Though, as I've said many times in the past, the vast majority of Japanese air power was ridiculously out-classed by American and British aircraft. And rightly so.

I don't know what pilots you've been talking to, but the ones I flew with loved bringing it back aboard because it was so easy. In fact, I don't think I've ever met a F-4 pilot that didn't love the thing. And I know a lot of pilots.

The only airplane I've ever heard called a turkey is the F-14. And that's because of the turkey feathers on the afterburner. I've heard the Phantom called a Rhino and Double Ugly, but never Turkey. Besides, I don't think a dog would have lasted as long as the Phantom...Almost as long as the Intruder.

In spite of his failure at politics, Duke Cunningham was a pretty good stick. I talked to him about his flying in Vietnam for quite a while one evening and I don't think he would have traded the Phantom for anything.

Well, I did hear the turkey thing on a History Channel program on the plane, so... Let's just say I still have my reservations, as the History Channel is usually not so accurate.

Well, I did hear the turkey thing on a History Channel program on the plane, so... Let's just say I still have my reservations, as the History Channel is usually not so accurate.
I don't watch that channel too much. Last time was when they had a "Band of Brothers" marathon and I caught the episodes that I liked the best, as well as the early ones that I missed on HBO.

The poll features only fighter jets.

My favorite fighter plane is the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

The poll features only fighter jets.

My favorite fighter plane is the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

I'm a bit of a Lightning fan myself, though they're a tad difficult to get the hang of. Tip: Don't engage a Focke Wulf if he can see you. :p

You learn a lot of things like that when you've been on an MMO flight sim for several years. I think you should check Aces High out --- the updated aircraft have some extremely accurate flight models... Far moreso than those found in Il-2 Sturmovik, and that's saying something.

And really, the Lightning is one hell of a smooth ride, and that guns package in the nose is black death. But it can be the biggest flying coffin of the 1940s if you take it into a dogfight without knowing it inside and out.

By era and operational aircraft:

WWI: Albatros fighters
WWII: Supermarine Spitfire
Jet era: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

WWII: Supermarine Spitfire

Yeah, but which variant? Each variant (I through XVI, discarding XV) was quite different from the next.

But keep in mind that variants III, IV, VI, PRX, PRXI, XII, and XIII were either highly-specialised, very limited production run variants, or prototypes.

I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX, XIV, and XVI were the successful, mass-produced variants of the Spitfire. The others, not so much.

F4U Corsair, a big part of why we won the war in the Pacific.
http://www.world-war-2-planes.com/images/corsairturning.jpg

Although it was more of a fighter/bomber, I also like the Il-2 Shturmovik.
http://wio.ru/gal2a/bomb/il-2dive.jpg

Here's some of it's handiwork:
http://www.battlefield.ru/destroyed/germany/mobelwagen_01.jpg

Well, I did hear the turkey thing on a History Channel program on the plane, so... Let's just say I still have my reservations, as the History Channel is usually not so accurate.
After I thought about it a little, I wonder if that's the reason the Phantom was redesigned into the Phantom II. I know it was underpowered, but I didn't figure the handling would have changed all that much.

Of course, any fighter pilot is going to bitch forever about an underpowered plane...

Not the best, the fastest, most deadly or anything but good looking, but the F-16 Fighting Falcon gotta be the prettiest jetfighter out there:)

I've always had a soft spot for WWII Russian Fighters. I like the P-51 too though my favourite is the F4F

I like the look of the post WW2 Russian jet fighters that had the nose intake system.

Not the best, the fastest, most deadly or anything but good looking, but the F-16 Fighting Falcon gotta be the prettiest jetfighter out there:)

I reckon the English Electric Lightning beats it for looks. Not as sleek I'll grant you but there's something beautiful about it.

Plus it was the fastest-climbing jet in the WORLD up until the F-15. Only aircraft to beat it off the blocks before that was the Harrier because the cheating bugger didn't need to taxi :p

The A fucking 6.

The A fucking 6.

I'm with you all the way, buddy. But if it's the A-6 Intruder you're talking about, it wasn't much of a fighter. We could go one turn with anyone, but after that we had to hit the deck and run away...

Here's what the Intruder did best...
http://www.farfromglory.com/images/A-6A.JPG

mmmmmm F-14......

The Hawker Hunter (http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/images/camm_hunter_500.jpg) of course. Most beautiful fighter ever built.

Favourite fighter jet? The Glostor Meteor...

What can I say, Sir Frank was from Coventry :D

The Grumman F4F Wildcat! (http://www.globalaircraft.org/photos/planephotos/f4f_1.jpg)

The fighter that stopped the Japanese!