Aviation

[Fulcrum]

I realize, this is somewhat off the wall of a topic. Apologies, if you find this too irrelevant and the mods are of course free to knock this off.

I am a self confessed aviation junkie, and I actually dream them too. ...and I know there are at least 3-4 more on IFG. Am trying to draw them out, and other in the closet aviation folk.
My favourites are:
Commercial:

1. Till 1950s: Dakota DC-3
   50s-late 70s: Boeing 707
   Late 70s onwards: A300

Military Combat

1. WWII to early 70s: P51, XB 41 Liberator, Spitfire Mk II, and Avro Lancaster
   Early to late 70s: Panavia Tornado
   Late 70s and later: MiG 29, YF 22
   Helicopter /Gunship - Apache. I used to live near the factory, and these guys used to do test runs around, awesome stuff.

What are yours?

[Mack The Knife]

Quite a few and I will come to those later but here's a quizzer for you. One of my favourites was used by a squadron on specific water based targets who's motto was Apres Moi Le Deluge.

Name the squadron, the targets and the aircraft that were used.

Google specialists needn't answer.

[lazybones]

617 Squadron RAF, the Dam Busters
One of my favorites too Mack The Knife.

Ashok

[kanwar76]

Shucks man.. net is too slow today

[lazybones]

617 used to be commanded by our very own Indian born Guy Gibson and later by Leonard Cheshire (of Cheshire Homes fame). Dam Busters was one of the most checked out books in our school library; made into a great movie as well. The targets were those 3 dams on the Ruhr - used to know the names:) They flew the Lancaster - the movie is still vivid in my sclerotic brain

Ashok

[Fulcrum]

sorry, Lazybones caught this while I was in transit and netless. but there you go.

But here is one (somewhat easy) - which a/c caused a change in the way windows on a/c are shaped?

[cottage cheese]

I realize, this is somewhat off the wall of a topic. Apologies, if you find this too irrelevant and the mods are of course free to knock this off.

I am a self confessed aviation junkie, and I actually dream them too. ...and I know there are at least 3-4 more on IFG. Am trying to draw them out, and other in the closet aviation folk.
My favourites are:
Commercial:

1. Till 1950s: Dakota DC-3
   50s-late 70s: Boeing 707
   Late 70s onwards: A300

Military Combat

1. WWII to early 70s: P51, XB 41 Liberator, Spitfire Mk II, and Avro Lancaster
   Early to late 70s: Panavia Tornado
   Late 70s and later: MiG 29, YF 22
   Helicopter /Gunship - Apache. I used to live near the factory, and these guys used to do test runs around, awesome stuff.

What are yours?

Saar, I am an avid MS Flight Sim jockey...will that qualify?
Done millions of hours and cost me billions due to...well... improper landings and....er...takeoffs.

... also decimated the Luftwaffe three times over...

[Fulcrum]

CC - I reckon that is about a million hours more than most of us. I have never owned Flight Sim

[cottage cheese]

My soft corner is for the ones from the 30's... I think that was the best era in aviation.

[Fulcrum]

IMHO - you have periods of time where a whole lot of quick changes happen, and then you have watershed periods. End of the 30s, was one of them. Late 50s was one of those ...that was sort of the beginning of the Jet Era (Comet). Then 70s is when (besides B747) the widebodies starting coming out. 70s was also the time when Concorde came out.

[Mack The Knife]

Nice one, Ashok. The dams were Mohne, Eder and Sorpe.

[lazybones]

Nice question Mack The Knife. All those hours spent "studying" Commando comics in school has paid off

CC: next time you hear "Die Schwienhund Englander pig" from the ME 109 on your tail- that will be me:)

Ashok

[TenX]

Nice question Mack The Knife. All those hours spent "studying" Commando comics in school has paid off

Well some people like me who read a lot of commando comics never paid enough attention to the details... Although I have noticed some of the information you guys are discussing, I am never really able to place it, despite some bit of interest in aviation and planes in general.

When I get back, I will post some pics of drawings of planes I used to make as a kid in tight stretch-shorts (But the pics will be of my drawings, and not drawers )

Interestingly, the only planes that I still remember today are the Superfortress )that dropped the bombs on Japan) and the WW1 & 2 planes - The P-51 Mustang along with the Sopwith Camel.. these are all the names I can recall, how much ever I scratch my brains

.. Someone remind me to kick myself for not visiting the San Diego exhibition of war planes....

[lazybones]

Let's see those sketches TenX.
Biggles flew a Sopwith camel

Ashok

[hamiclar01]

ahh... a topic after my own heart.

i adore 'planes too, throughout the ages. living near two big aircraft museums both in england and delhi has been a fulfilling experience indeed. my favourite sounds of melodious albion have been the roar of merlins as the spits and mustangs fly over our garden in the summer airshows. this year we even had a me 109 (yes, a spanish remake), following a vic formation of spits!!!

i can't pin down any favourites, i love too many aeroplanes. however, aesthetically speaking the aircraft types i love the lines of and have enjoyed modelling again and again would be:

Commercial
Till 1950s: the tante ju............i love it! i'm waiting for the swiss flights to start again
50s-late 70s: the super connie. specially in lufthansa livery
Late 70s onwards: nothing....nobody remotely close to a constellation IMHO

Military Combat
WW1: The albatross DIII-DV, i must have done more models in more colours, and am going to work on another pair this weekend
WWII : the spits are beautiful, though me109s have more variety, hence my preferred subject (specially the Es and the Gs)

jets: ooooohh baby..........the F 104 starfighter