pretty planes

Is there a pretty cars thread?

Cause if we are going to talk about aesthetically pleasing planes, it seems fitting that we should discuss other instances of beautiful mechanical/transportation engineering.
you've been here since 2014 and you don't know about the car thread? Where the heck have you been?
 
Designed as a carrier based fighter, but the large prop made landing difficult.
Yes, that is why the US marines and US Navy didn't have them aboard carriers in WWII. However, the British worked it out where they actually approached the carrier in a sort of side slip so that 1. they could keep the carrier in sight and 2. so that they didn't damage the prop or decking when they landed. I think that either the Discovery channel or History channel did a story about this.
 
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to be honest, most of them "never" saw it before they were blown away
and they have never been offered to any other country's airforce. they were nearly chopped in the late '90's as I recall. The most devastating, effective ground attack aircraft. If they were deployed to a country in East Europe the word is these aircraft would clean up within two weeks.
 
to be honest, most of them "never" saw it before they were blown away
Saw them firing their 30mm canons once when I was doing land navigation training about 2-3km away from the impact area. This was in the early 90s just after gulf war one.

Zzzziiiiiipppppp. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of that.
 
I learned to fly in a 49 taylorcraft.
took lessons, wanted to be a pilot. never made it.
I remember sitting in the pilot's seat for the first time, looking at all the dials etc - felt right at home there.
here's a sample of a t-craft
 
I learned to fly in a 49 taylorcraft.
took lessons, wanted to be a pilot. never made it.
I remember sitting in the pilot's seat for the first time, looking at all the dials etc - felt right at home there.
here's a sample of a t-craft
Did you ever get to fly solo? before you stopped?
 
yep, in just 5 hours.
had to stop - money, and this was still post war and poor country Taiwan - fuel couldn't be wasted on amateurs.
the guy that owned the plane was a former Japanese zero pilot.
have you flown like that?
I remember getting buffeted around in that weather there, cloth covered plane. you could see the structural tubes, wires - I loved it.
 
another pretty plane in my life.
would fly on the famed connie to Japan n back. it was flying tiger airlines haha.
I would always sit by the window, watch those powerful engines start up.
gave me such a thrill every time. I still love flying. my last was an airbus 380 - the bar in the back was a wonderful addition.
 
I learned to fly in a 49 taylorcraft.
took lessons, wanted to be a pilot. never made it.
I remember sitting in the pilot's seat for the first time, looking at all the dials etc - felt right at home there.
here's a sample of a t-craft
My first airplane was a 1941 Taylorcraft which I bought as a wreck when I was 19 years old. I loved that plane but with a growing family, I had to trade it in for something bigger.
 
yep 19 - you too had the need for ultimate freedom. to me that what it was - me controlling everything, up n down this way that way.
and lucky you, still soaring :)
yeah, I can't remember if it was a 49, it was in the 40s though.
the guy ran a little fed ex type thing, flying things like documents, medicine etc around the country. I got to know him because I'd ride my bicycle by the end of the runway etc, he'd be working on it.
 
yep, in just 5 hours.
had to stop - money, and this was still post war and poor country Taiwan - fuel couldn't be wasted on amateurs.
the guy that owned the plane was a former Japanese zero pilot.
have you flown like that?
I remember getting buffeted around in that weather there, cloth covered plane. you could see the structural tubes, wires - I loved it.
I have not had the pleasure of an open cockpit flight. Our farms growing up weren't big enough to need crop dusters, so I never had access to any planes.
 
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