Okay, this is for military aircraft buffs...if you could fly any fighter, bomber, or transport in?

Question

either WW2, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, or current..what would they be?

Mine would be the P-51 Mustang(WW2)or Supermarine Spitfire(Also WW2), F-86 Sabre(Korea), F-100 Super Sabre, F-4 Phantom, B-52 Stratofortress(Vietnam)...it's incredible the B-52 is still used, what an incredible bomber for it's time.
Desert Storm, I'd love to fly the F-117 Nighthawk, as part of the initial strikes on Baghdad. Also the F-16C Fighting Falcon, Tornado, AV-8 Harrier II, and the F-14 Tomcat...which is now retired from service. Nowadays, it would be cool to fly the F-22 Raptor!!!

I'd have to add to the list the English Electric Lightning jet fighter, and the British 'Buccaneer' which has some of the same duties as another jet I forgot to mention...the F-111.

Answer 1

Wow, it's almost being in a toy store during Christmas time when I was much younger. So much to choose from.

WWII (fighters) - Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank), Kawanishi N1K2-J Shinden-Kai (George), Vought F4U Corsair with those beautiful gull-wings and Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

WWII (bombers) - Boeing B-17G and North American B-25 Mitchell

WWII (transport) - Douglas C-47 Dakota

Korean - Grumman F9F Panther and North American F-86F

Vietnam - McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, North American A-5 Vigilante, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, North American XB-70 Valkyrie and Boeing B-52D with the tall tail.

Definitely, F-14 Tomcat (especially the D model), F-18 of all versions (A thru F), F-15 Eagles & F-16 Falcons, F-22 Raptor, F-20 Tigershark, Saab JAS 39 Gripen & JA 37 Viggen, Mirages, Rafale, MiG 29 & Sukhoi Su 27.

Great question!

Answer 2

No, it isn't a question of whether a "fighter aircraft is hard to fly" but instead, "how does technology simplify flying a fighter aircraft?" and the answer is no, they aren't hard to fly. A lot of modern-day high performance airplanes that have fighter / interceptor mission roles are very technologically sound. All flight control systems are pretty much computer-based, meaning they augment and help the pilot fly the airplane and avoid unwanted things like airframe overstress, inadvertent departures and internal coupling which can happen rather easily when doing your turning & burning and yanking & banking at a range of airspeed. Look at the Boeing F/A-18: The control augmentation system or CAS, tailors the rate commands from the stick, which adds in various inertial and air data parameters to alter the inputs or tweaks them a bit to avoid pushing the airplane too far. This way the airplane is more obediant per se at a wide range of speeds and altitudes, and weights versus having no augmentation at all. Also some airplanes NEED control and stability augmentation to make them controllable and safe to fly. An example would be the great F-16. Although these system do make the aircraft a lot complex, they make them easier, more maneuverable, and safer to fly from a pilot's perspective. Honestly, you could take any pilot with some jet experience, brief them on aircraft systems and flight procedures, and they would probably have no issue flying a fighter aircraft. It's an airplane like any other. Just a lot faster...

Answer 3

I would choose the P-51D for WW2 as it was and I feel still is the most beautiful fighter in the world as well as the fastest for it's time. The P-38 was perhaps the best well rounded plane for fighting, ground attack, and light bomber is it was big, maneuverable, and fast. Those were close quarter fighters where you could see the enemy's eyes, so to speak. The same with the F-86 in Korea.

Viet Nam would have been the F-4 Phantom. Anything after that was not really a fighter as you rarely saw the enemy as it was mostly done with missles and radar, but I think the F-14 was and still may be the fastest plane in the air today. Of the modern planes, I would have to pick the SU-27 because it could fly backwards.

Answer 4

The F-22 Raptor

Answer 5

Er.. How many? I would like to fly P-38 Lightning (twin engine is good) from WW2, MiG-21 Fishbed from Vietnam War, F-14D Tomcat from Gulf War (too bad they retired the best and also meanest looking fighter...IMHO) and also Russian SU-37.

But what i really want is to be on the seat of a Predator UAV, Why? because if i crash i wont get killed.

Answer 6

The Lockheed P-38 or Boeing B-17 for WWII, one fast, one slow, both with massive engines, the latter being virtually indestructible and the primary a dream to fly.

For the "Korean Conflict" I'd have to go with the Douglass A4D Skyraider, possibly the last American fighter with a radial engine to go to war

Vietnam is a hands down for the Grumman A6B, a big, heavy bomber that even with full fuel and a bomb load, I can throw around the sky like an empty beer can at 420 kts. Next option is the AC130, firepower, baby!

The Huey gunship in both of the Iraqi wars. "Insurgents? I can eradicate insurgents for you."

Answer 7

F-22 or F-117 Nighthawk.

Answer 8

Having flown the F-102, F-104, F-106 and the F-111 (Viet Nam), I would love a chance to fly the F-15. That has to be the most hellacious fighter in the history of flight.

Answer 9

Just about any decent fighter would be pretty cool but my faves are the MiG 29 and the Messershmidt ME-109. I've seen one of the few restored 109's in flying condition up close and the whine of the supercharger when it's wide screaming open about 50 feet off the ground is just seriously cool.

Answer 10

WW2 would have to bea ME-109 or FW-190. Vietnam would be a F-105 or B-52. Currently would be a SU-37.