The other day when writing about the new Boeing 787, I wrote about airplanes as art. After I wrote that, I started to think about making a top-ten most beautiful airplane list... so…these are my thoughts of the most beautiful aircraft ever to grace the skies. This list is by nature very subjective; I certainly would not expect other airplane aficionados to agree with either content or ranking...
My criteria:
Makes aviation-types light-headed just looking at it.
#10 Douglas DC-7C “Seven Seas:”
Sleek "classic lines" and those wicked turbo-compound engines with air scoops all over the nacelles. Very romantic in a trans-oceanic sort of way and very modern-looking for her time because of the pronounced dihedral, the tapered wings and "squared" wing-tips. Her panel also had a clean, modern look to it.
#9 Bristol Britannia:
The Brits have designed and built some of the ugliest airplanes that ever took wing. But the Britannia wasn't one of them... she looked awesome and powerful. She was a true, heavy-duty he-man's machine. I really love looking at photos of the big Bristol.
#8 Tupolev TU-114:
The monster Tupolev with the largest turboprop engines ever built amassed a great safety record although her main-line career was comparatively short. But the TU-114, like her sister the TU-95, just looks dangerous in a sexy-sort of way and that will suck in an aviator-type every time. You'd think she would have been quite the fuel hog with those massive contra-rotating propellers and huge engines, but she was known for better fuel economy than other early jetliners. Go figure. And she's still a beautiful machine today -- very tough-looking like the Britannia.
#7 Concorde:
Another European beauty. The sleekest of all airliners, ever, and an awesome sight on take-off with those mighty Olympus engines on afterburner. A British Airways Concorde came to town once and I just HAD to go see it.
#6 Sud Caravelle:
This French bird was very pretty. The curves, that perfect nose, the exquisite proportion of wing to fuselage, tail to length. She was a thing of beauty both airborne and on the ground. I've only seen one, at Phoenix-Goodyear Airport in the 1980s. She was probably 15 years old at least and still looked factory-new, in glistening blue and white, and polished aluminum that looked like chrome; I just love a French lady...
#5 Boeing 727-200:
This second-generation Boeing jetliner was nearly perfect with her beautiful sweep and three-engined swept t-tail. I always loved to watch the 727's as they departed, flaps and slats deployed for extra lift. As she climbed away, silhouetted by the evening sky, the high-lift devices were raised in sequence, until only the tab-slats on the outboard wing leading edges were visible - then those too were smoothly retracted leaving a perfectly clean, knife-edged wing, as she transitioned from initial climb to cruise-climb airspeed. Beautiful symmetry, beautiful flying machine. I could watch them all day.
#4 Boeing 707-720B:
The first Boeings still hold a special place in my affections, especially the 720B. The first airliner I remember being aboard (in July 1965), I still love the onboard memory of looking out the windows and seeing turbofan engines everywhere! The 707 was an almost perfect nexxus of design, proportion, shape and purpose, but looks aside, the 707 is my favorite airliner of all time so perhaps I am moved by my biases.
#3 Martin M-130 “China Clipper:”
Ah, the lovely Martin flying boat. I almost weep whenever I see this 1935 photograph of the first "China” clipper as Captain Musick climbs her out over San Francisco Bay on her inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Manila. I love the grace of her hull and sponsons, the overhead motors and that beautiful braced tail. If I could choose one airliner to fly on today of all those gone before, it might easily be the M-130. Alas, there are none in existence; all three were eventually lost.
#2 Convair 880 and 990:
While both models of the Convair four-holer's look almost identical, the 990 was the prettier of the two with those graceful aerodynamic "speed pods" atop the trailing edges of the wings. These were the fastest subsonic airliners ever built and I can still remember the TWA "Starstream" 880’s rocketing off the Phoenix runway in a glorious cloud of black smoke -- which then marked their path with a smudge for at least 30 miles until they disappeared somewhere off to the east of town over the Superstition Mountains. They were the fighter pilot's airliner... and they have some of the prettiest lines on a big jet I have ever seen -- provided you could see them at all through all that trailing smoke... I so love the smell of burning jet fuel!
And finally, the most beautiful airliner ever built...
#1 Lockheed Constellation:
The graceful curves of the Super Connie are unmatched by any other. The beautiful triple tail, the upward curve of the fuselage, those round-tapered wings with the tip-tanks... Howard Hughes was definitely an airplane person, no matter what else he may have been... he has two airplanes on my lists. (And of course I know Mr. Hughes did not design the Connie, but he did have much influence over her design). Anyway, 1950's American airpower is more clearly symbolized by Connies (and DC-6s and 7s), than by anything military. Just my opinion.
S ome others that almost made the list... This shouldn't surprise anyone -- in a near-century of aircraft designing there had to be more than ten beautiful transports, right?
The Douglas DC-3:
My criteria:
Makes aviation-types light-headed just looking at it.
- Weight proportionate to height... and span… ;)
- Makes lift look easy.
- Sleek
- Graceful
- Pretty
- Tough (looking)
- Curvaceous and aerodynamic
- Makes me want to go flying right now.
I think I may sometimes confuse the concepts of beauty and lust...
Bob’s top ten most beautiful airliners
#10 Douglas DC-7C “Seven Seas:”
Sleek "classic lines" and those wicked turbo-compound engines with air scoops all over the nacelles. Very romantic in a trans-oceanic sort of way and very modern-looking for her time because of the pronounced dihedral, the tapered wings and "squared" wing-tips. Her panel also had a clean, modern look to it.
#9 Bristol Britannia:
The Brits have designed and built some of the ugliest airplanes that ever took wing. But the Britannia wasn't one of them... she looked awesome and powerful. She was a true, heavy-duty he-man's machine. I really love looking at photos of the big Bristol.
#8 Tupolev TU-114:
The monster Tupolev with the largest turboprop engines ever built amassed a great safety record although her main-line career was comparatively short. But the TU-114, like her sister the TU-95, just looks dangerous in a sexy-sort of way and that will suck in an aviator-type every time. You'd think she would have been quite the fuel hog with those massive contra-rotating propellers and huge engines, but she was known for better fuel economy than other early jetliners. Go figure. And she's still a beautiful machine today -- very tough-looking like the Britannia.
Another European beauty. The sleekest of all airliners, ever, and an awesome sight on take-off with those mighty Olympus engines on afterburner. A British Airways Concorde came to town once and I just HAD to go see it.
This French bird was very pretty. The curves, that perfect nose, the exquisite proportion of wing to fuselage, tail to length. She was a thing of beauty both airborne and on the ground. I've only seen one, at Phoenix-Goodyear Airport in the 1980s. She was probably 15 years old at least and still looked factory-new, in glistening blue and white, and polished aluminum that looked like chrome; I just love a French lady...
#5 Boeing 727-200:
This second-generation Boeing jetliner was nearly perfect with her beautiful sweep and three-engined swept t-tail. I always loved to watch the 727's as they departed, flaps and slats deployed for extra lift. As she climbed away, silhouetted by the evening sky, the high-lift devices were raised in sequence, until only the tab-slats on the outboard wing leading edges were visible - then those too were smoothly retracted leaving a perfectly clean, knife-edged wing, as she transitioned from initial climb to cruise-climb airspeed. Beautiful symmetry, beautiful flying machine. I could watch them all day.
The first Boeings still hold a special place in my affections, especially the 720B. The first airliner I remember being aboard (in July 1965), I still love the onboard memory of looking out the windows and seeing turbofan engines everywhere! The 707 was an almost perfect nexxus of design, proportion, shape and purpose, but looks aside, the 707 is my favorite airliner of all time so perhaps I am moved by my biases.
Ah, the lovely Martin flying boat. I almost weep whenever I see this 1935 photograph of the first "China” clipper as Captain Musick climbs her out over San Francisco Bay on her inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Manila. I love the grace of her hull and sponsons, the overhead motors and that beautiful braced tail. If I could choose one airliner to fly on today of all those gone before, it might easily be the M-130. Alas, there are none in existence; all three were eventually lost.
While both models of the Convair four-holer's look almost identical, the 990 was the prettier of the two with those graceful aerodynamic "speed pods" atop the trailing edges of the wings. These were the fastest subsonic airliners ever built and I can still remember the TWA "Starstream" 880’s rocketing off the Phoenix runway in a glorious cloud of black smoke -- which then marked their path with a smudge for at least 30 miles until they disappeared somewhere off to the east of town over the Superstition Mountains. They were the fighter pilot's airliner... and they have some of the prettiest lines on a big jet I have ever seen -- provided you could see them at all through all that trailing smoke... I so love the smell of burning jet fuel!
And finally, the most beautiful airliner ever built...
#1 Lockheed Constellation:
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| The Breitling Connie at Fairford in 2013 |
Honorable Mentions
On the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers 1st flight, the aircraft that would revolutionize the air transport business flew for the first time. In her time, the DC-3 was a gorgeous bird and when cared for, still is, especially when she presents herself sans paint in simple polished aluminum. She kicked the fledgling airline business into the big business it became and lured the American public into the sky -- and should I see one tomorrow it would bring tears to my eyes (probably from prop wash and dust, of course). A DC-3 sitting on the ramp on her conventional gear always appears to be yearning toward the sky. Classic, classic, classic.
Vickers VC-10:
Another beautiful Brit. Never made much of a success of herself -- she was expensive to operate and maintain. But she was definitely a beautiful and tough-looking machine with all of those motors hanging on at the rear and that beautiful t-tail! British aircraft, especially the ones on my list here, just seem to exude confidence and competence.
Boeing 377 Stratoliner:
The Stratoliner was a piston behemoth whose size belied her grace. Part of her appeal was the luxury of her accommodations. While she was huge and bulbous in shape, everything seemed proportionate and cohesive. Her career was shortened by the problems and expense of those troublesome turbo-compound engines. I often think that if the age of large reciprocating aircraft engines had lasted a few more years, they'd have designed the bugs out of these complex rumblers. Who knows! I used to see the military version of this bird when the Arizona ANG flew them back in the 60s -- and I really never appreciated this ship's beauty back then. Wish I could see one now.
Boeing 747-400:
Boeing's Queen of the Skies was sublimely beautiful in 1978, and she is just as beautiful today with her exquisite grace. Every time I see one I watch her out of sight and feel like I've had a great day! How presumptuous of Airbus to even begin to think they could replace her with that monstrosity of an ugly duckling A-380. Not gonna happen, not for me anyway. (Are my biases showing?)
Douglas DC-8:
Like the 707 and the Convair 880/990, the four-engine Douglas first-generation was all symmetrical grace and loveliness. I only ever rode one once, a stretch 60 series with Delta. It was a short hop from Atlanta to Savanna, but it was awesome. The climb-out from Atlanta was nothing less-than spectacular - something like being on the Space Shuttle on launch I think -- near-vertical and noisy as hell.
Lockheed L-188:
The Electra was another one of those pilot's airplanes. The wings looked too short to hold those big Allison turbines and 4-bladed propellers (14,000 HP!) while still leaving any wing-area for developing any lift -- but once they got rid of the harmonic vibration problems it proved to be a great and reliable airplane. Watching an Electra fly was always a joy -- it seemed effortless and like she belonged in the air, wanted to be in the air. And even though she appeared a bit stubby, it all seemed to work together and she was a pretty aircraft in spite of herself. The advent of the jet-age shortened her service life -- it was thought that pure-jet was better than turbo-prop (which we have since decided is not always true), and the Electra was relegated to freight service in the dark before some of us were ready to see her go -- and where she served long and hard. Even today, we can occasionally see her on some lonely ramp in an out of the way place -- or her sister, the even prettier Orion at a Naval Air Station. One of my best airline memories was a flight from San Diego to Phoenix on a Western Airlines Electra in 1965, floating and banking around and among the tops of many dozens of cumulo-bumper clouds in a serene ballet! The L-188 is still one of my all-time favorites and one of my best memories in aviation.
Ilyushin IL-86 and IL-96:
The IL-86 was the first Russian jumbo, I think, and she (and the newer quieter IL-96) really is an impressive bird -- and beautiful.
Tupolev TU-134:
This little twin looked a lot like a DC-9 (at least in basic conformation) -- and in my opinion is a shade prettier than the little Douglas (which is no wallflower either). Her higher stance contributes to her good looks, and her flight deck "treatment" makes her look a little less-stubby than the similar Douglas.
Saunders-Roe SR45 Princess:
I had forgotten about this huge flying boat, the only one of her type ever built, until I saw a photo today on Airliners.net. Gargantuan ship though she was, the Princess was very beautiful. Looking somewhat like a Boeing Stratoliner fused onto the top of a (made-larger) Boeing 314 hull, and looking pretty perfect regardless, she came too late to participate in the seaplane era -- very poor timing. But the British utilized seaplanes to an even greater extent on their long-distance routes -- perhaps more than did the Americans. This is a fact not much remembered by us Americans these days and perhaps it was natural that they were late to realize the day of the mighty seaplanes had (regrettably) passed.
Vickers VC-10:
Another beautiful Brit. Never made much of a success of herself -- she was expensive to operate and maintain. But she was definitely a beautiful and tough-looking machine with all of those motors hanging on at the rear and that beautiful t-tail! British aircraft, especially the ones on my list here, just seem to exude confidence and competence.
The Stratoliner was a piston behemoth whose size belied her grace. Part of her appeal was the luxury of her accommodations. While she was huge and bulbous in shape, everything seemed proportionate and cohesive. Her career was shortened by the problems and expense of those troublesome turbo-compound engines. I often think that if the age of large reciprocating aircraft engines had lasted a few more years, they'd have designed the bugs out of these complex rumblers. Who knows! I used to see the military version of this bird when the Arizona ANG flew them back in the 60s -- and I really never appreciated this ship's beauty back then. Wish I could see one now.
Boeing's Queen of the Skies was sublimely beautiful in 1978, and she is just as beautiful today with her exquisite grace. Every time I see one I watch her out of sight and feel like I've had a great day! How presumptuous of Airbus to even begin to think they could replace her with that monstrosity of an ugly duckling A-380. Not gonna happen, not for me anyway. (Are my biases showing?)
Douglas DC-8:
Like the 707 and the Convair 880/990, the four-engine Douglas first-generation was all symmetrical grace and loveliness. I only ever rode one once, a stretch 60 series with Delta. It was a short hop from Atlanta to Savanna, but it was awesome. The climb-out from Atlanta was nothing less-than spectacular - something like being on the Space Shuttle on launch I think -- near-vertical and noisy as hell.
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| L-188 |
Lockheed L-188:
The Electra was another one of those pilot's airplanes. The wings looked too short to hold those big Allison turbines and 4-bladed propellers (14,000 HP!) while still leaving any wing-area for developing any lift -- but once they got rid of the harmonic vibration problems it proved to be a great and reliable airplane. Watching an Electra fly was always a joy -- it seemed effortless and like she belonged in the air, wanted to be in the air. And even though she appeared a bit stubby, it all seemed to work together and she was a pretty aircraft in spite of herself. The advent of the jet-age shortened her service life -- it was thought that pure-jet was better than turbo-prop (which we have since decided is not always true), and the Electra was relegated to freight service in the dark before some of us were ready to see her go -- and where she served long and hard. Even today, we can occasionally see her on some lonely ramp in an out of the way place -- or her sister, the even prettier Orion at a Naval Air Station. One of my best airline memories was a flight from San Diego to Phoenix on a Western Airlines Electra in 1965, floating and banking around and among the tops of many dozens of cumulo-bumper clouds in a serene ballet! The L-188 is still one of my all-time favorites and one of my best memories in aviation.
Ilyushin IL-86 and IL-96:
The IL-86 was the first Russian jumbo, I think, and she (and the newer quieter IL-96) really is an impressive bird -- and beautiful.
Tupolev TU-134:
This little twin looked a lot like a DC-9 (at least in basic conformation) -- and in my opinion is a shade prettier than the little Douglas (which is no wallflower either). Her higher stance contributes to her good looks, and her flight deck "treatment" makes her look a little less-stubby than the similar Douglas.
Saunders-Roe SR45 Princess:
I had forgotten about this huge flying boat, the only one of her type ever built, until I saw a photo today on Airliners.net. Gargantuan ship though she was, the Princess was very beautiful. Looking somewhat like a Boeing Stratoliner fused onto the top of a (made-larger) Boeing 314 hull, and looking pretty perfect regardless, she came too late to participate in the seaplane era -- very poor timing. But the British utilized seaplanes to an even greater extent on their long-distance routes -- perhaps more than did the Americans. This is a fact not much remembered by us Americans these days and perhaps it was natural that they were late to realize the day of the mighty seaplanes had (regrettably) passed.
The 12 most beautiful aircraft ever (other than airliners)
I whipped this list off the top of my head -- there were a couple of aircraft I wanted to put on the airliners list (the Beech 18 and the PBY) -- but they aren't thought of as airliners so much, except in weird circumstances. So this list came out of wanting to talk about some of those other favorites. But even as I write these down, I can think of others whose beauty might belong among the top ten most beautiful aircraft of all time.
#12 Cessna 310/Skynight:
Every Saturday morning, I'd watch the CBS black and white television in the living room to see "Sky King" fly the "Songbird II" to the rescue! The sleek, rounded cabin and canopy and the wing tip tanks made her distinctive and the 310's high stance on her gear made her look like she was always ready to spring into the air. The C310 and the similar Skynight are both still a common sight around executive terminals. Of all the aircraft that it would be possible for me to own, this one would be a top choice.
#11 Piper Comanche:
Perfect in proportion, pretty in execution. The Comanche was one of the sweetest aircraft I ever flew -- light on the controls, sure in the air, and for her class (at 260 hp), faster than a cheerleader at a drive-in movie -- she was a joy to handle. The beautiful laminar-flow wing with a seeming forward-sweep was a particular joy (it really wasn't a forward sweep, it just looked so because of the line of the trailing edge).
#10 Lockheed Jetstar:
The most beautiful executive jet ever built I think, although the pretty Lear 24 was also on my mind as well as the exquisitely beautiful Dassault Falcon 10. The Jetstar was larger, and more James Bond-ish, and nearly intercontinental in range. This was another design with four engines mounted on the tail -- very tough looking. The modernized version (1970s) with Garrett 731s was even prettier I think.
#9 The Smith Aerostar:
I whipped this list off the top of my head -- there were a couple of aircraft I wanted to put on the airliners list (the Beech 18 and the PBY) -- but they aren't thought of as airliners so much, except in weird circumstances. So this list came out of wanting to talk about some of those other favorites. But even as I write these down, I can think of others whose beauty might belong among the top ten most beautiful aircraft of all time.
Every Saturday morning, I'd watch the CBS black and white television in the living room to see "Sky King" fly the "Songbird II" to the rescue! The sleek, rounded cabin and canopy and the wing tip tanks made her distinctive and the 310's high stance on her gear made her look like she was always ready to spring into the air. The C310 and the similar Skynight are both still a common sight around executive terminals. Of all the aircraft that it would be possible for me to own, this one would be a top choice.
#11 Piper Comanche:
Perfect in proportion, pretty in execution. The Comanche was one of the sweetest aircraft I ever flew -- light on the controls, sure in the air, and for her class (at 260 hp), faster than a cheerleader at a drive-in movie -- she was a joy to handle. The beautiful laminar-flow wing with a seeming forward-sweep was a particular joy (it really wasn't a forward sweep, it just looked so because of the line of the trailing edge).
The most beautiful executive jet ever built I think, although the pretty Lear 24 was also on my mind as well as the exquisitely beautiful Dassault Falcon 10. The Jetstar was larger, and more James Bond-ish, and nearly intercontinental in range. This was another design with four engines mounted on the tail -- very tough looking. The modernized version (1970s) with Garrett 731s was even prettier I think.
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| Aerostar |
#9 The Smith Aerostar:
Still the fastest light-piston-twin ever produced, the Aerostar looked like she was doing 600 mph just sitting on the ramp. The slender fuselage, the tight fit of her cockpit ("You don't get into the aircraft son, you put it on" - Tex Hill), the sweep of her rudder, this is another pilot's airplane. I guess that is exactly what this list is about though, isn't it? Planes I would like to have flown! (Alas, my flying days as an aviator are over, and it is on to other pursuits.)
#8 Consolidated PBY Catalina:
This one is on here partly for sentimental reasons... The lovely parasol wing, the wake and waves trailing her when she's on the step... the bubble canopies at the waist... a prettier amphib was never built. It is evocative of some of Anthony Fokker's work with fully-cantilevered airfoils back in WWI days (the Fokker D-VIII comes to mind). What a lovely sight she must have been to those downed aviators, lost at sea during the war, when she arrived to rescue them from those vast expanses of ocean.
#7 Convair B-36 Peacemaker:
The B-36 was unquestionably a beautiful giant. Part of it is the slight, beautiful sweep of those massive wings and the many, many motors. She has simple looks and lines and I think that is a plus in her case. I remember B-36's passing overhead when I was a boy. The propellers were so large that you could hear her coming from 50 miles away -- they just throbbed and I am convinced I could hear individual prop blades beating the air. While she was huge -- her simple lines were trim and sleek in proportion. The bubble canopy added to her mystique and made her look wicked. She was simply awesome and (for an American bomber) nothing has ever matched her in that way since -- only the B-52 (and to a lesser extent, the B-47) have ever come close.
#6 Martin B-26 Marauder:
Sleek and fast, did her job and forced her pilot to be on his toes (and with a nod toward those wonderful WASP's, "her" toes as well!). No good pilot could resent that. While the Marauder was a challenge to fly well, and dangerous if you didn't fly her well, Glenn Martin made her very, very pretty at the same time, with that exquisite streamlining and the upswept stabilizers; so if a pilot died, he at least died happy and in a plane that he wanted to be seen in!
#5 Beech Model 18 Twin: Another Beech design where everything works together to look perfect. The Model 18 out-Electra'd the early Electras (thinking here of the Model 10 like Amelia Earhart flew, not the L-188) -- and this is another aircraft that seemed to jump at the chance to go flying. Those big round motors and that double-ruddered tail -- everything worked toward the good of the whole! I second-seated on a D-18 a couple times on some sky-diving runs back in the 70s; what a lovely machine she was – those were red-letter days. There are still lots of these flying around. Not enough, of course, but a fairly frequent pleasure for me. This is one of those aircraft whose distinctive sound tells me what she is before I ever look up.
#4 Convair B-58 Hustler: Can a bomber be beautiful? Yes, Virginia, she can. The B-58 was all the future and looked like Star Wars before George Lucas was out of short pants. There was just something about a Convair I guess...
#3 Hughes H-1 Racer: Sleek, beautiful, powerful... A few years ago Mr. Jim Wright built this almost-exact replica of the H-1. It was exact enough that the FAA awarded it H-1 Serial Number 2. Seeing it fly was about as close to the mile-high club as most sane pilots ever get; seeing Jim Wright fly his beautiful, beautiful aircraft was like being transported back in time to the golden age of American aviation. The aviation community lost him and the aircraft in a Wyoming crash while they were flying home from Oshkosh in 2003, reportedly when a counter-balance on the H-1's troublesome prop failed. So the only one we can see now is the original, in the National Aerospace Museum; and Mr. Wright flying his in this picture, of course. In Memoriam for Mr. Jim Wright.
#2 P-51 Mustang:
The 51 is still a gorgeous machine -- and the sound of a Merlin winding up for take-off makes me weak in the knees. Watching a Mustang on a high-performance upwind is like watching a homesick angel. Thrown together in a hurry in the heat of a war, North American’s designers pumped out a classic beauty.
#1 Beech Model 17 Staggerwing: The 1930s oilman's personal flying machine is probably the most graceful and sublimely beautiful aircraft of all time.
Then there was the lovely Lockheed P-38, the Bell P-39 and the DeHavilland Mosquito and beautifully handsome DH-C Beaver... Maybe I should create a list of the top 100 most beautiful aircraft of all time?
Then... we could talk about the Lockheed Vega and Sirius, the beautiful Beech Debby, the sleek Fokker D-VIII, the capable-looking Cessna 195, Kurt Tank's FW-190 and North American's F-86 and F-100. We could mention the Dornier 328. Then there's the Windecker Eagle, the Bellanca Skyrocket, any one of a number of different Wacos or Great Lakes... even the Ford Tri-Motor was pretty in a paleolithic sort of way... sigh. Oh wait! What about the incomparable Supermarine Spitfire with her elliptical wing... the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter... Oh well, I give up.
#4 Convair B-58 Hustler: Can a bomber be beautiful? Yes, Virginia, she can. The B-58 was all the future and looked like Star Wars before George Lucas was out of short pants. There was just something about a Convair I guess...
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| Jim Wright and his Serial No. 2 H-1 Racer |
#3 Hughes H-1 Racer: Sleek, beautiful, powerful... A few years ago Mr. Jim Wright built this almost-exact replica of the H-1. It was exact enough that the FAA awarded it H-1 Serial Number 2. Seeing it fly was about as close to the mile-high club as most sane pilots ever get; seeing Jim Wright fly his beautiful, beautiful aircraft was like being transported back in time to the golden age of American aviation. The aviation community lost him and the aircraft in a Wyoming crash while they were flying home from Oshkosh in 2003, reportedly when a counter-balance on the H-1's troublesome prop failed. So the only one we can see now is the original, in the National Aerospace Museum; and Mr. Wright flying his in this picture, of course. In Memoriam for Mr. Jim Wright.
#2 P-51 Mustang:
The 51 is still a gorgeous machine -- and the sound of a Merlin winding up for take-off makes me weak in the knees. Watching a Mustang on a high-performance upwind is like watching a homesick angel. Thrown together in a hurry in the heat of a war, North American’s designers pumped out a classic beauty.
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| Staggerwing! |
Then there was the lovely Lockheed P-38, the Bell P-39 and the DeHavilland Mosquito and beautifully handsome DH-C Beaver... Maybe I should create a list of the top 100 most beautiful aircraft of all time?
Then... we could talk about the Lockheed Vega and Sirius, the beautiful Beech Debby, the sleek Fokker D-VIII, the capable-looking Cessna 195, Kurt Tank's FW-190 and North American's F-86 and F-100. We could mention the Dornier 328. Then there's the Windecker Eagle, the Bellanca Skyrocket, any one of a number of different Wacos or Great Lakes... even the Ford Tri-Motor was pretty in a paleolithic sort of way... sigh. Oh wait! What about the incomparable Supermarine Spitfire with her elliptical wing... the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter... Oh well, I give up.
1 comment:
Bob - I have to say we are in agreement on the Beechcraft Staggerwing. I have always been partial to it. Gorgeous! As I scrolled through your list I was looking for her! Then BANG - #1!!! I slobbered all over one a few years back up at the Prescott air show.... LOL
Chris
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