One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

DH9a
Bristol Bulldog
Catalina
Javelin
DC10

Ian

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

Phantom – It’s impossible to have a bias as the choices are purely and totally personal . If you look at my choices you will see hardly any European aircraft-infact it’s almost totally from the land of your birth !

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

1 – The Wright Flyer. Yes, there is bit of debate and controversy, but officially and historically, it was the very first powered heavier than air craft to fly.

2 – Bleriot XI. For no other reason than it proved that man could fly across oceans from one country to another, and laid the groundwork for the likes of Alcock and Brown and Charles Lindbergh.

3 – Heinkel 178. Proving that jet propulsion would work, and opening up endless possibilities.

4 – De Havilland Comet. When John Cunningham lifted the first Comet off the runway at Hatfield in 1949, the world changed forever. Transcontinental journeys which previously took weeks by ship or days by piston engined airliners would soon take just a few hours.

5 – Hawker Siddeley Harrier. Taking the concept of V/STOL technology from drawing board to operational use.

To come up with this list I asked myself one question; did this particular aircraft revolutionise flight? They all did, as did the likes of the DC3, Concorde, and many others mentioned. I just figured these five aircraft tell the story of flight from start to present. Odd that most of them were civil machines….

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

PII

I totally agree with you regarding the Wright Flyer and the DC3. They were both in my list and I would find it difficult to think that anybody with a love of aviation could argue with the significance each aircraft holds in aviation history. If some poor Scot did fly before the Wrights, and I had not heard that before, then it is a damn shame that he didn’t think far enough ahead to realise the significance of what he was about to attempt and have a witness and camera present. Therefore, first place to the Wrights.

It is interesting to see the range of aircraft that others have nominated and guys, I think some of you have been just a little bit parochial. Really, only nominating 5 British aircraft or 5 US aircraft is not in the spirit of this thread. Many nations have developed significant aircraft (alas, not Oz amongst them!) and we need to think globally on this issue.

In the meantime, I’ll stick with my original 5 – a nice mix of nationality, and so far, nobody has told me to pull my head in with any of them.

Regards

The Wombat
(Official phounder of the Phlypast old pharts club!!!);-)

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

Man, do you guys realize there are planes outside of Europe. Aside from the DC-3 and Wright Flyer almost all of the choices are European…….bit of a bias maybe?

Anyway, in no particular order I’d pick the following:

Wright Flyer

DC-3/C-47 series

Boeing 707 or DH Comet (I prefer the 707 because it was a success and had a larger effect on the airline industry)

UH-1 Iroquois (Huey……nuff said.) (huge success both militarily and civilian-wise)

SR-71 Blackbird (way ahead of its time and thus far nothing else has been faster……and I’m talking pure airplanes….not the X-15 and such)

Really though, this is too hard and I have so many choices I could choose for my list.

The permanent ones on anyone’s list should be the Wright Flyer and DC-3…..if anyone has a problem with that please let me know and I’ll set you straight.

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

Merlin: Interesting info there, any pics of the plane that you mentioned, diagrams or stuff?

Give me coffee and no-one gets hurt!

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

My list is as follows.

Wright Flyer
Douglas DC3
Supermarine Spitfire
Gloster Meteor – first jet
Concorde

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

Hi ja

***Wright Flyer: Well it was the first plane***

Actually this is a debatable point as a guy in Scotland actually flew before the wrights and flew longer but no one was there to see the flight ie. the records people or witneses so he doesnt get a credit but the wrights do. All credit to the Wrights for getting the proper people in place for their flight.

Merlin

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

David: Well yes that’s true, I’ll have to concede defeat on that point!

Neilly: I list the 747 simply cause it’s more widely known, every country in the world knows about the 747, but only a few know about the Comet, I would agree with you, but personally I think the 747 has the advantage since there are more of them flying these days.

Give me coffee and no-one gets hurt!

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

If you’re putting airliners in, then surely the DH Comet comes before the 707 or 747! First passenber jet.

Neilly

RE: Here’s what I think and why!

JA – the list doesn’t necesarily have to be the first of any particular type. I list the Bell 47 purely because I like it and for the reason that it was really the first helicopter that could earn
it’s keep for both the military and civil market . They still fly today and that speaks for the soundness of the basic type.

Here’s what I think and why!

Wright Flyer: Well it was the first plane
Sopwith Camel: Best associated with WWI
Spitfire: Best associated with WWII
UH-1: Best most produced Helo
Boeing 747: Biggest and most produced airliner
Space Shuttle: the next generation, ok I know it can’t fly like the other planes, but still it has to be included as a plane, and Yes I know that’s 6 but you ca’t deny m list has some credit!

As for the Bell 47, it wasn’t the first military nor any first helo, does everyone forget about the RA-4 Hoverfly? It was in use back in 1944 with the USAAF, if you want the first helo, then that should be it!

Give me coffee and no-one gets hurt!

Postscript

Jim,

I’d offer you long odds that the DC3 won’t be flying 99 years or more from now, but since I probably won’t be here to collect it seems a bit pointless. 🙁

Mogs

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 31-08-02 AT 06:10 PM (GMT)]Hi Jim,

Just playing devils advocaat here but it does liven up a dull Saturday evening.

Defend putting in the SR71 and omitting the Boeing 707, jet travel for the masses, or indeed Me262 first combat jet?

Mogs

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

Moggy,

I guess I should have backed those up with some personal opinion 😉 all in fun though.

1. Piper J-3 – Revolutionized light plane flying and personal aviation for millions of people.

2. SR-71 – This aircraft was 100 years ahead of its time. We still don’t know all it’s capabilities. It set the ground work for aircraft that I am sure we have no clue exist.

3. Spitfire – No other aircraft in history has been enamored with the plight of a nation’s survival. A truely classic design that will never be taken for granted.

4. P-51 – Another classic design that laid the ground work for fighter performance and carried us through to the jet age.

5. DC-3 Modernized and revolutionized air transport in all forms, from people to jeeps, and fish to poultry. This airplane will fly well into the next century as one of the most enduring designs ever created.

IMHO
Jim Harley

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

Moggy – It’s purely a matter of what your opinion is that’s all .
The SR-71 is probably a significant aircraft in terms of the materials used in it’s construction and the records it broke during it’s service. I guess that NASA also gained a lot of information from it’s ability to carry various test payloads.
In military terms it greatly contributed to the US effort in Vietnam operating from bases in Japan. In many ways I think the ability of it to gain information quickly was one of the reasons that the ‘Cold War’ stayed relatively cool !!!!

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 31-08-02 AT 08:53 AM (GMT)]
1. Mosquito B IX (although, any Mossie would be nice!)
2. Sunderland
3. JU 88
4. Tempest V
5. TSR 2

TTFN,
Neilly

Ooops, misread the opening post (nothing unusal there!!). What the heck, these are all aeroplanes I’d love to see flying, again!

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

“1. Piper J-3 Cub
2. Douglas DC-3
3. SR-71
4. P-51
5. Spitfire”

Potentially a good list, but on what basis does the SR71 merit inclusion? To me it seems a bit ‘insignificant’ compared to the others in the list.

But then we are all entitled to our opinions.

Moggy

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

Thats Ok Les – what I actually meant was five ‘Cessna 150’s’ for example isn’t a particularily good representation of the first hundred years of flight if you catch my drift !

RE: One Hundred years – Five Aircraft

Thanks David

“Just pointing out again no duplicates please !!!”

OK, didn’t notice that before. “Significant” aircraft . .

1 Hawker Hart
2 Avro 707
3 Fairey Delta 2
4 EE Canberra
5 Hawker Harrier