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Anybody else 'obsessed' with one particular aircraft ??


Mancunian airman

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I know most of us have a favourite aircraft but what would be the reasoning behind that choice ??

 

Did you have a relative fly one ?,  worked as ground crew on one ? You likes it history ? etc

 

My choice is the Lancaster because in my younger days my Dad had a transport related business at Trafford park, Manchester.

I would go out with Charlie, as a drivers mate, and he talked of 'Bloody big aeroplanes' that he used to transport out of the factories around the Manchester area.

When the family moved over to Lincolnshire in the later 60's, my Dad started flying out of the former airfield at Wickenby which housed Lancasters.

I met a few chaps that flew from there and enjoyed listening to tales of their flying days, Ken Drakes name springs to mind. I later met Jack Currie.

 

So there you have it, I was fascinated by their deeds, I had the chance to explore the airfield and rummage through the old buildings and the first reunion I attended, I felt so privileged.

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My favorite aircraft per my stash is the C-47, Dakota. No personal connection at all, there's just something about that aircraft. Not the least of which it's still flying in commercial use almost 83 years after its first flight. It's also being brought to modern standard as a BT-67. It truly is the case that the only replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3.

 

After that, Grumman aircraft are my other keen interest. I was an engineer in the structural analysis group in Bethpage in the '80s, where I met my wife! I've managed to collect a 1/48 model of every FnF aircraft as well as others in 1/144.

Edited by dnl42
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I think my screen name explains that. ⬆️ I was influenced by its looks first, eventually that led to its history. To me the F4U Corsair is the Ultimate Radial engined aircraft bar none. The finest of Steeds in a huge gallery of warhorses if you will ? 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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Spey Engined Phantoms.

 

I only saw a couple fly as a kid but they seared themselves onto my consciousness.

 

Add to that the fact that Hasegawa's excellent 1/48 Phantom kit is still around, my whole modelling life almost, and it is simple enough to build when I was younger and good enough to add detail to now I am older.

 

 

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21 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Penultimate Radial engined aircraft

It sure was . It was built specifically and first to use the most powerful engine built , 2000 HP  ,cranked wing to give clearance to the massive 13 foot and bits prop diameter that could handle the power and a shorter ,  lighter undercart and fit in the wing Chord . Not the stability around the Longitudinal axis reason like some other cranked wing designs .

 

Mine is the VC10 .. My Dad was a Flt Eng on them before service , telling me things about his course and near death . I joined the ATC at Brooklands , 11F Squadron right next to the factory they were building them. Regular visits seeing the wing milling , Fuse join ups and the massive Cathedral Hangar . The last time I went in the sheds was when the very last one was waiting for it's first flight , East African's 5H-MOG . 2 years ish ( Feb 1972) later and after training I was posted to RAF Brize Norton . I left there in Sept 92 . Went all over the World in them . I've been on all 54 VC10s ( Weybridge, BOAC hangars, BUA hangars , Brize and other airports , flown on 20 ish  (RAF and BOAC ) ,worked on nearly 40 of them ( RAF,BA , Gulf Air , RAe Bedford and Sultan of Oman's ) . Great to fly on , great to work on and even better to look at , safer than a safe thing . Not sure which was following who , me or the 'Ten from 7 years old. The last VC10 I worked and flew on was ZA150 AKA 5H-MOG the last built ,how apt .

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For me it's the P-40.

Ever since I first saw that snarling, shark-mouthed profile in my Christmas-gift American Heritage History of Flight back when I was seven or so years of age, I've been hopelessly hooked.

(In 50+ years of building, it's the only plane I've ever built in 'my own' personal markings...several times! :pilot:)

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1 hour ago, At Sea said:

Spey Engined Phantoms

I went to Yeovilton the week the first 3 arrived . Their Airshow was on the Saturday , got there for rehersals the day before , two went out and vertical rolling in to the Blue til they disappeared , noise didn't and  back down to the deck fast enough for silence 'til they shot overhead. fantastic . We found the 3rd in a hangar and saw it through the rusted joints in the black tin the shed was made of. The next day's show was probably the best air show ever seen . All the aircraft took off in twos and threes , more than 60 jets  and  60 is on the light side. Vixens including Simons Circus display team ( LOUD), Hunters , Phantoms , Buccs ,Sea Venoms  French Crusaders it went on and on . Near sonic low level from behind . Reckon it was one of the biggest flypasts seen in the UK , don't think  it was repeated either. Red's Gnats down to concrete ! A reason I don't go anymore.... Display list below , mind blowing , what a show .

 

XF297/781BY Hunter WV380/794BY Hunter WW659/793BY Hunter WV374/795BY Hunter WV267 Hunter WT711/783BY Hunter XF357/779BY Hunter WW661/728VL Hunter XT453/K Wessex 845sq XT467/G Wessex 845sq XT455/M Wessex 845sq XS523/S Wessex 845sq XS520/Q Wessex 845sq XS512/W Wessex 845sq XK488 Buccaneer XV326 Buccaneer XV340/321 Buccaneer XV344/325 Buccaneer XV339 Buccaneer XT279/322 Buccaneer XT280/323 Buccaneer XT281/324 Buccaneer XJ503? XJ507??  XJ514 Sea Vixen XJ556 Sea Vixen XJ557 Sea Vixen XJ521 Sea Vixen XJ560 Sea Vixen XJ563 Sea Vixen XJ567?? Sea Vixen aircraft given w/o '62! XJ570 Sea Vixen XJ580 Sea Vixen XJ582 Sea Vixen XJ574 Sea Vixen XJ607 Sea Vixen XN647 Sea Vixen XN650 Sea Vixen XN651 Sea Vixen XN654 Sea Vixen XN658 Sea Vixen XN685 Sea Vixen XN687 Sea Vixen XN697 Sea Vixen XN699 Sea Vixen XN700 Sea Vixen XN707 Sea Vixen XN708?? Sea Vixen  XP919 Sea Vixen XP921 Sea Vixen XP957 Sea Vixen XS582 Sea Vixen WW187 Sea Venom FRU WW138 Sea Venom FRU WW200 Sea Venom FRU WW207 Sea Venom FRU XG737 Sea Venom FRU XG701 Sea Venom FRU WM571 Sea Venom FRU WM573 Sea Venom FRU XA129 Sea Vampire XA165 Sea Vampire XT859/725 Phantom FG.1 XT860 Phantom FG.1 XT861/727 Phantom FG.1 XT862/722 Phantom FG.1 XT863/723 Phantom FG.1 XT864/724 Phantom FG.1 XT865 Phantom FG.1 XT866 Phantom FG.1 XT867 Phantom FG.1 XT868 Phantom FG.1 XL714 Tiger Moth WK608/906 Chipmunk T.10 XM647 Vulcan B.2 XP532/32 Gnat T.1 XV211 Hercules C.1 XP683 Jet Provost T.3 XL502/764BY Gannet AEW.3 XV371 Sea King HAS.1 XM838/520PO Wessex HAS.3 XT433/460 Wasp HAS.1 31 Bretagne Aeronavale 19 F-8E 12F 33 F-8E 12F 40 F-8E 12F 41 F-8E 12F 158 S-2F R.Ne.N. 159 S-2F R.Ne.N. 147 S-2F R.Ne.N. 161 S-2F R.Ne.N. 167 S-2F R.Ne.N. 168 S-2F R.Ne.N.

 

And for F4U Corsair fans ...one in the museum !

 

Edited by bzn20
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I'm currently obsessed on researching Chuck Yeager's P-51D "Glamorous Glen III." I bought the Tamiya kit and a set of aftermarket decals by Barracuda and Repliscale in 1:48 to be able to build it.

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I've been always obsessed about the N.A. T6 Texan. Well, in fact, I'm obsessed about any of the planes wich my father flew...From the Aisa I-115 "garrapata" to the Douglas DC-4....but the Texan has been my all time favourite.....Douglas DC-3 is the second in line...

Best regards....

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For me it is the plane I am flying on.....

or, TSR2,  a world beater, highly advance, extremely powerful and a plane that conquered the rules of flight but not politics. And it looks damn good, those downturned wing tips caught my eye as a youngster.

If it is good enough for Roland it is good enough for me.

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The closest I come is the 262, which I like a lot, but I have probably between 7 and 9 kits of in different variants.  I just like the look of it, and there doesn't seem to be a variant I've met that I didn't like :shrug: I have a similar thing with Do.335, but as there are fewer kits around, I only have 4 or so of those.

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EE Lightning for me. My Dad used to take me to Finningley air show each year and they were just the most exciting thing in the world. Sheer brute power. Finished up joining the RAF and spent three years on them at Binbrook, or Windy City as it was known to all. Which wasn't so exciting as seeing them at an air show...😊

Edited by Matt White
Just thought of something else.
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54 minutes ago, Mike said:

different variants

I don't know how old you are but …. Airfix magazine in the 60s did a few  issues running concurrent on the Me262 conversions for the different marks using the Airfix kit …. what a surprise ! 1964-67 ish is best guess because I started getting Aircraft Illustrated when that started .

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I have a few...

The A-10  . I have a relative that worked on the design of this plane.... dont know "Which" relative...

The TBF/TBM Avenger. Just think it's one TOUGH Turkey.

The Sopwith Camel..... it's an Awesome plane !

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I must admit to being torn between three different aeroplanes, so I'd like to share my obsession if I'm allowed. 

Firstly, the Spitfire in all its marks and guises.

It's such a beautiful and iconic aeroplane. I've been gradually working my way through building all the different marks in 1/48th scale, the only large quantity of 1/48th kits I have kept in my stash since releasing the rest into the wild during the Great Downscale of 2016.

 

Secondly, the Lancaster. 

Just the word Lancaster summons up very strong emotions within me of the price paid by the 55,573 members of Bomber Command who were sadly lost on operations in WW2. 

Every year, my wife and I take a few trips down to Lincolnshire and stay at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, which was the one time Officers Mess for 617 Squadron.

Joanne is mesmerised by the atmosphere of the place and loves to relax in the Squadron bar and take in the artefacts on display, so there's never an argument whenever I suggest going. 

We then toddle off to East Kirkby to see Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre and "Just Jane", the only other lady that I'm allowed to get close to. We like to go there for the 1940's Hangar Dances and the night time Lancaster taxi events. 

Whenever I hear those four Merlin start, it brings tears to my eyes. It's always a very moving event and if you haven't experienced one, I'd thoroughly recommend it. 

 

And last but not least, the De Havilland Dragon Rapide. Why? It's just simply a beautiful and extremely elegant old aeroplane from a bygone era. 

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A cursory glance at my collection would reveal the answer: over 150 Spitfires. I've always loved the aeroplane, which I contend is the most beautiful thing crafted by Man, even over the Fender Jazzmaster! My favourite variant is the Mk I, which also makes up the majority of my Spitfire stash. There's barely a straight line to be found on the Spitfire and it looks right from every angle.

 

Second would probably be the Fw 190D-9. Not beautiful in a conventional way, but striking nonetheless. I think the variations in camouflage and markings help. The Revell 1/32 kit was one of the first models I owned. I remember seeing it in the local newsagents (this would have been maybe '71/'72) and because I would only have been 5 or 6 at the time, dad built it and mum painted it. Being quite the artist, mum actually did a pretty good job of it.

 

I've also got a bit of a thing for Phantoms, especially the short nose versions. There always seemed to be a Phantom overhead when I was a kid.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

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I would say that my stash leans heavily towards the EE/BAC Lightning in all it's various guises and scales

I've always loved them seeing them at airshows with my parents in the  late 60's and 70's then venturing to Binbrook a couple of times with a mate in the 80's

Now still seeing and feeling the power at LPG's open days at Bruntingthorpe

I think I like them as  being an engineer I like things that are built for a purpose and that is just what the lightning was,

Second and third on the list would be the Buccaneer then the Tornado as they seem to have always been around for me

 

Strange thing is though, with these 3 planes in the list, I have no completed models of any of them at present, even though they are the bulk of my stash 🤔 must get around to sorting that out :) 

 

Ian

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Like Mike, if I had to choose one it would probably be the Me 262, but really I haven't the attention span to be obsessed by one aircraft – oh look, another shiny thing! I have favourites, but my list of favourites would contain several dozen, well, probably many dozen.

 

Oddly, the aircraft that members of my family were involved with, like the Swordfish, Shackelton and Argosy, aren't on the list, so I have no clue why I prefer certain aircraft over others. When I was a nipper, there where some models that I liked and valued more than others, for example I much preferred my Short Stirling over the Lancaster or Halifax, but I have no idea why, and that continues to this day.

 

I'd rather not venture into my brain to investigate why. It's dark and bewildering in there.

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49 minutes ago, Vince1159 said:

The Viscount for me after flying on them when i was a nipper

 :)  Agreed - a very sadly neglected aircraft - This one originally flew around the Caribbean when owned by Cubana. Currently under restoration at the Australian National Aviation Museum in Melbourne. Needs its tail sorting but you can get to sit in the cockpit-:)

 

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