The Boeing Dash-80, short for Model 367-80, was THE progenitor of all the aircraft I listed. And yes, it was used to test the flying boom rig for the tanker. The 707 uses a slightly larger fuselage cross-section than the KC-135 but basically the same, and the civil verison followed the military one into service. Tex Johnston's autobiography spends chapters on his adventures with the plane. Commercial passenger aviation as we know it simply would not exist if it were not for Boeing's huge gamble with this airplane. Think about this, guys and gals:

It's 1954, and only military fast jets are approaching the speed of sound. The Air Force needs a fast cargo/tanker aircraft, and Boeing sees an opportunity for this and passenger use from one basic design. But the USAF won't spend a dime until it sees the sheetmetal. So the Board of Directors bet the company on building the 367-80. Spent FOURTEEN MILLION of company dollars, and back then that's real money. The gamble paid off. And I'm sure everyone already knows the story of Tex's barrel roll over the crowd at the Seafair hydroplane races....

Greg

...Penny, ...:::::siff, sniff:::::: you put the Corsair before either the Spitfire or the P-38?.........you're breaking my heart......... .......:::::::sob, sob::::::::

Tread.

Sorry Tread, but I didn't list them in the order which were liked most...that's just the order that they came to mind.... :-) :-) :-)

Favourite Aircraft not in any order
1.Hawker Hurricane
2.Hawker Sea Fury
3.F-86 Sabre
4.EE Lightning
5.F-100 Super Sabre
6.F-104 Starfighter
7.A-1 Skyraider
Lots more on my list ,overall favourite is the P-47 Thunderbolt :-)

My favorite airplanes from ww2 to contemporary are for ww2,P47,P51,B29.Korean war the F86 sabre jet and the Mig15.contemporary F4J Phantom ll,the F8 crusader the Hercules C-130 all variantions,the F100 super sabre,and the B52 stratofortress.

........sniff,...sniff,........siggggh. Thanks, Penny.......I feel a bit better now.........:::::::wiping eyes::::::::;

:-) #:-)

Our New Zealand government has only recently finally retired the NZAF Skyhawks, a sad day for military aviation in this country

My personal favourites would be the A-10 or F-117 (guess I like ugly aircraft!) or the P-45 or Spitfire from the WWII era.

Glad that made you feel better, Tread......

A-10. dishes out and takes more punishment than any other. (any other it's own size anyway)

I'm joining in late, but here I go anyway.
WWII = P47, F4U Corsair, and B25
Korea = F9F Panther, F86 Sabre and F80
Vietnam = F4J Phantom and F8
Modern = F14 Tomcat and F/A18 Hornet

I called the Douglas SBD as my favorite, however I have two "modern" favorites:

XB-70, I was a young Air Force brat at Edwards AFB whenit was being tested, got to see it taxi and fly, and also got to kick the tires at an air show, then when I was in high school and my Dad was stationed at Wright-Pat, the XB-70 was towed around the field from old to new Air Force Museum.

X-15, my Dad was the chief engineer for the engines, he took me to watch engine tests, first manned aircraft to exceed 4000mph!

Here's the late guy...
1) F-15 - Was a favorite of mine for a long time. Big, two engines, and lotsa bombs. 'Nuff said.
2) F117A stealth fighter - Saw it on the ground at an airshow once. It was surrounded by armed soldiers.
3) P-51 - Very smooth WWII fighter
4) P-38 - A very cool WWII plane!
5) Incom T-65 X-wing fighter - Hey, / qualify that as a plane! It flies, dosen't it?

YodaMan - The little Star Wars geek

As you can tell by my nickname.....the Ju-87 Stuka is my favorite. Modern favorite is the F/A-18

Here's my tuppence worth!
Modern
1 A10
2 Harrier
3 AH64D Apache

WWII
1 Spitfire
2 B25J Mitchell (8 gun nose)
3 B17 (E F and G versions)
4 PBY5A Black cat

All the best
Peter

In no particular order:
P-38 Lightning - unusual and deadly.
F-14 Tomcat (Jolly Rogers) - closest I can get to a Veritech. Massively beautiful.
B-1 Bone - sleek and menacing.
B-52 BUFF - size DOES matter.
A-10 Warthog - so ugly it's beautiful.
Hawker Typhoon/Tempest - have big mouths and carry big sticks.
F4U-Corsair - I envy Pappy Boyington and his Black Sheep Squadron.
Saab Viggen - can't get over the sexy main landing gear.
PBY Catalina - slow and steady.

And the list goes on. I haven't seen a single one of these up close. With models I can set up my own airshow

I forgot the Russians!
Su-27, Su-37, MiG-29 - sexier Tomcats.
Tu-160 Blackjack - meaner Bone.
Tu-95 Bear - how often do you see a plane with coaxial turboprops?
Mil-24 Hind - flying tank.
Any Kamov chopper - the coaxial rotors remind me of GI Joe.

My fav is the P-38, cause my cousin flew'em in Europe.

My favorite would be the ones with a set of wings and an engine or two :-)

The Phatom would be my top choice
The Skyraider
The F-15,14,and 18
The Hurricane
And finaly the Y-wing...

My Favorite would be the B-36 Peacemaker, due to the fact my Grandfather flew them. Kinda like it runs in the family.


SRA Atkinson
55 FS
Shaw AFB

Kia ora
My favorite WWII plane would is etheir the dauntless or the vought corsiar .

Andy007

Here's my few:

DH-89 Dragon Rapide


Ba.88 Lince


AH-56 Cheyenne


Hs 129


Me 410


Pe-2


Sea Venom


Ta 154


Cheers,
Linz

No contest, Spitfire

C-141B Starlizard
B52D Stratofortress
F-4 Phantom
F-15 Eagle
F-14 Tomcat
SBD Dauntless
B-25 Mitchell
Cessna 180
O-1 Birdog
OH-13
Boeing 737-300

.......Wish that I was talented enough to build aircraft models.

Thanks,
Kevin Keefe
Mortars in Miniature

Hey Guys, have to start at WW-II. P-51 Mustang (savor of many bomber crews over Germany) sleek, fast and very agile. B-17G Flying Fortress, (able to punish and be punished) F-86 Sabre, ( the answer to the Mig15) Fine fighter. C-130 Hercy Bird. The best all around multiple role aircraft built. As for modern aircraft- The F-14 Toimcat (despite engine problems in the beginning, very powerful) The F-16, most manuevrable fighter ever built (not counting thrust vectering) A-10 Wart Hog, why did they scrap it. Too good an airplane. The Navy has the toughest aircraft made. Try landing an Eagle or a Falcon on a deck and get it back up. NOTTTTTTTTTT Go Navy