What is your Favourite aircraft?

[Hagar]

H.G. Hawker Engineering Co. Ltd. Formed 1920 from the remains of Sopwith Aircraft. Named after ex-WWI pilot Harry Hawker, who formed the new company with some of the former directors including Tom Sopwith. Hawker was killed the following year competing in a Nieuport Goshawk racer & Sopwith took over the reins.

Name changed to Hawker Aircraft Ltd in 1933 & Hawker Siddeley Aircraft in 1935, finally becoming Hawker Siddeley in 1960. Chief Designer - the brilliant Sidney Camm - reponsible for the classic range of Hawker biplane fighters & light bombers through the WWII Hurricane, Typhoon & Tempest. This line ended with the incredible Sea Fury before his classic jets - Sea Hawk, Hunter, Kestrel, Harrier & finally his valued input on the Tornado MRCA just before he died in 1966. http://user.tninet.se/~ytm843e/camm.htm

This famous company became the basis of British Aerospace (BAe) when the British aircraft industry was ruined in the mid-1960s.

You might have guessed that Hawker is my choice of favourite aircraft manufacturer. Sir Sidney Camm is my nomination for best aircraft designer of all time.

[C]

Got agree with you there, and I almost forgot the Hawker Cygnet, Camm's first design...

Strange to think one man could have been responsible for such a variety of aircraft.

Charlie

[Citationpilot]

Aero Commander 560 is the favorite airplane I've flown and Aero Commander is probally my favorite company too, doesn't even compare to the Citation flying wise. Once you learn to taxi them they're the best flying aeroplanes out there............

[ReverseThrust]

My name tells all...  

I like the 747 and the 757 best.  

Fighter wise- its the F-16
Hilo- the RAH-66 commanche.

[Ambassador]

My favourite planes are:

#1 - Fairey Firefly
#2 - Fairey Barracuda
#3 - Supermarine Spitfire V
#4 - Candair CL-41
#5 - Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Super Hornet

[HawkerTempest5]

Without doubt, Hawker has to be my choice of manufacturer and Camm best designer.
Favourite aircraft?
Spitfire MkXIV
Hawker Sea Fury
Spitfire MkIX
Spitfire PR XIX
Hawker Tempest V
BAC (English Electric) Lightning
Hawker Hunter
Avro Vulcan
Vickers VC-10
Avro Lancaster
this list is endless

[Ivan]

numbers are not an indication of rank, just to limit me to 10 machines
1: Su-37, Ultimate agility in a good-looking airframe
2: MiG-31, even if it's oficially a little slower than the foxbat, it still is faster than anything the west can offer
3: YF-23, looks better and is a better stealth compared to the F/A-22
4: Su-30MK with -FU engines, the thing the KLu should have bought instead of the F-35
5:B-1B, best looking stealth
6: Concorde & Tu-144, you know why
7: Tu-114, who cares about noise abatement... a prop that does M.80
8: EE Lightning
9: Spitfire, later big-engine models
10: Il-2, best ground-attack machine of ww2

[Stratobat]

Favourite Aircraft

Avro Anson
Avro Shackleton III
Hawker Hurricane
Bristol Beaufighter

[KnightStryker]

Favorite aircraft of all time: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina. I don't know why it is it just does something to me every time I see one. It is outdated and antiquated but there is nothing better than a vintage plane, they just have something about them that anything modern can't beat. Maybe one day I can see a real one, I hear that there is one in a museum near me so I might just have to plan a trip.  ;D

Kevin

[Ambassador]

[quote]Favorite aircraft of all time: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina. I don't know why it is it just does something to me every time I see one. It is outdated and antiquated but there is nothing better than a vintage plane, they just have something about them that anything modern can't beat. Maybe one day I can see a real one, I hear that there is one in a museum near me so I might just have to plan a trip.

[Rifleman]

Harrier, once upon a time there was an aeroplane called the Kestrel, built by Hawker, which then became Hawker Siddeley, which eventually became BAe, the BAE SYSTEMS, to give it its correct current name. The Kestrel lead to the development of the HARRIER...
Charlie

Charlie, once upon a time there was an aeroplane called the P.1127,

[Hagar]

Interesting. I read a somewhat different account. The way I understood it Sir Sidney Camm & Sir Stanley Hooker (Bristol Aero Engines) were old friends & sometimes had dinner together. Hooker had previously worked at Rolls-Royce & was responsible for development of the supercharger of the Merlin. During dinner they apparently discussed their ideas on various subjects & the possibility of a VTOL aircraft cropped up. One of them drew a rough sketch on a napkin. Camm promptly forgot all about it until Hooker rang him up 6 months later & told him "We built your engine - now where's the bloody plane to put it in?".

I don't remember where I read this now or what truth there is to it. I believe it was in an article written by Camm himself. I do know that I prefer this version rather than any official account. Having worked in the industry myself it seems more like the way things were done in the good old days.

[C]

[quote]

Charlie, once upon a time there was an aeroplane called the P.1127,

[Fredgirardo]

Bombardier Aerospace, they built the best on the market.

                                                                             Cheers

[Tequila Sunrise]

E.E. Lightning
DH. Sea Vixen
Hawker Hunter
McDonnel F-101 Voodoo
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
Grumman F-14 Tomcat