Shillzz Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 What a fantastic thread! Possibly wouldnt win anything in top trumps, but this little beauty is simple majestic: Saw the last operational one take flight at Fairford air show a couple of years ago, was undoubtedly the star of the show, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 Two pages and not a single mention of the Lightning? The only Mach 2 fighter that's British through and through? For shame, people! My Dad got to go up in one when he was at Coltishall, said it's the closest he's ever come to shitting his pants in his adult life. The original question did mention the Lightning... Did the Lightning ever see combat? much underrated plane was the Buccaneer; superb on low level.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Did the Lightning ever see combat? in some middle East conflict according to my dad ... he also reckons that one had to shoot down a harrier once :confused: (my dad is an anorak when it comes to planes so it's probably true on both counts) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Harrier Jump Jet. Revolutionised aircraft design, changed air combat forever and anybody who has played Call of Duty will agree its overpowered. And I have to admit a slight disdain for the Spitfire just because of the sheer number of hours of my life I have lost queueing in traffic at this **** island. :x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 17, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted November 17, 2011 No, seriously though... it's the Spit, no question; but here are a couple of that haven't been suggested so far. Supamarine S6b - direct ancestor of the Spitfire, Schneider Trophy winner and world air speed record holder: Hawker Hunter. Beautiful aeroplane, the Spitfire of the jet era: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumerican Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 And I have to admit a slight disdain for the Spitfire just because of the sheer number of hours of my life I have lost queueing in traffic at this **** island. :x I have to drive past it at least twice a day pal . It's fine in the morning but a mare at 5pm onwards . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiganvillain Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked. IMO the quote is fabricated as its from Wikipedia, but it made me chuckle. 633 Squadron Supposedly where George Lucas stole the idea for the Death Star Attack! This all day My favourite story about the Mossie (probably as true as the Goering quote) was that the Yanks used them for reconnasance missions but as unarmed they sent Mustangs as cover and they Mossie had to slow down to let the Mustang keep up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amsterdam_Neil_D Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Lancaster Bomber for me. The noise of the engine + history + it looks mean as ****, you don't ever want to look up and see 20 of them on the way to your city as that's a game over message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 21, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted November 21, 2011 Lancaster Bomber for me. The noise of the engine + history + it looks mean as ****, you don't ever want to look up and see 20 of them on the way to your city as that's a game over message.Yup. My father-in-law flew two tours in them (44 and 106 Squadrons, 1943/44). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted November 21, 2011 Lancaster Bomber for me. The noise of the engine + history + it looks mean as ****, you don't ever want to look up and see 20 of them on the way to your city as that's a game over message. It's only the same noise as 4 Spitfires ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theunderstudy Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We allowed to say the Concorde? Spitfire is the most iconic but yeah, maybe a tad overrated? Still one of the greats. Btw, the Harrier Jump Jet for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Lancaster Bomber for me. The noise of the engine + history + it looks mean as ****, you don't ever want to look up and see 20 of them on the way to your city as that's a game over message. It's only the same noise as 4 Spitfires ;-) or 2 Mosquitos... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted November 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted November 21, 2011 Taken by me a long time ago - they may not have been the greatest British plane ever, but they are my favourite. I went all over the world in them. It was fun. And one criteria they did meet is that they were the best at what they did. Shame some twunt decided to saw up the updated ones, below Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted November 21, 2011 Moderator Share Posted November 21, 2011 BAC TSR-2 anyone? Probably not but it was ahead of its time in a story very resonant of right now. What is that phrase about History and the ability to learn from our mistakes? And yes I know it only actually flew once. Wiki"] The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 was a cancelled Cold War strike and reconnaissance aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The TSR-2 was designed to penetrate a well-defended forward battle area at low altitudes and very high speeds, and then attack high-value targets in the rear with nuclear or conventional weapons. Another aspect of its combat role was to provide high-altitude, high-speed photo reconnaissance, requirements that necessitated incorporating "state-of-the-art" aviation technology that would make it the highest-performing aircraft in these roles. Although only one prototype was completed, test flights indicated that the aircraft would be able to meet its stringent[1] design specifications.[2][3][4][N 1] These specifications were however reduced as the results of flight testing became available.[5] The TSR-2 was the most visible victim of the 1957 Defence "White Paper" that,[N 2][6] along with inter-service squabbling over Britain's future defence needs, led to the controversial decision to scrap the programme in 1965. With the election of a new government, the TSR-2 was ostensibly cancelled due to rising costs, in favour of purchasing the General Dynamics F-111, an "off-the-shelf" decision that itself was later rescinded as costs and development times skyrocketed.[7] The interim replacements included the Blackburn Buccaneer and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, both types being previously considered and rejected early in the TSR-2 procurement process. Eventually, the smaller swing-wing Panavia Tornado was developed and adopted by a European consortium to fulfill broadly similar requirements that the TSR-2 was already meeting during tests in 1965. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted November 21, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted November 21, 2011 Read this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 And I have to admit a slight disdain for the Spitfire just because of the sheer number of hours of my life I have lost queueing in traffic at this **** island. :x I have to drive past it at least twice a day pal . It's fine in the morning but a mare at 5pm onwards . Going into town it is always okay, mostly because there is the roundabout avoiding lane. Coming out can be horrible from about 3pm onwards, especially if (like me) you are turning right at the roundabout. Problem is that in ten years of working in Birmingham I havent found an alternative which doesnt get as busy in the rush hour. Actually, that is not true, the alternative is to work in Tyseley rather than the city centre (which I managed for 7 years) but I cant do that anymore. **** spitfires eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Taken by me a long time ago - they may not have been the greatest British plane ever, but they are my favourite. I went all over the world in them. It was fun. And one criteria they did meet is that they were the best at what they did. Shame some twunt decided to saw up the updated ones, below Thing is; its a development of the good old Comet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Taken by me a long time ago - they may not have been the greatest British plane ever, but they are my favourite. I went all over the world in them. It was fun. And one criteria they did meet is that they were the best at what they did. Shame some twunt decided to saw up the updated ones, below Shamelessly repeating the Gib photo. Thanks for the pleasure! Agreed on the idiocy surrounding the later development, particularly as the 'replacement' will be 50 year old American airframes :shock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Can this be as shocking as the TSR2 fiasco? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerlad Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 What a fantastic thread! Possibly wouldnt win anything in top trumps, but this little beauty is simple majestic: Saw the last operational one take flight at Fairford air show a couple of years ago, was undoubtedly the star of the show, gets my vote too, I used to frequent the airfield where the last one was stored for years. Its a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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