The best plane I never saw....

[greglloyd]

Just thought I would start a discussion on "the best plane I never saw....". What plane do you truly love, but never managed to get to see? For me, it's the SR-71 Blackbird. Boy what would I give to see that bird flying for real!


YouTube video from the 80's / 90's (not sure the exact year) below. Can't help but feel just how lucky those people were to see it fly like that :-


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N31eEXjNAUU


Who else loves the blackbird? Who else wishes they could have seen it at RIAT? And what is the "best plane you never saw??"

[AERTANK]

The An-225 Myra, it's been to Ireland a few times but I've never managed to grab a glimpse, I would also like to see and hear a Lightning or a Buccaneer!

[casper]

Mine would have to be the F-14 Tomcat. Loved it before it became the main star in Top Gun but loved it even more after it

[belfastplanespotter]

It has to be the Concorde for me.... An engineering MASTERPIECE!!!! Should still be flying

[Furryforest]

Tough one! Best plane I have never seen-I'd have to go with the B-52! Iconic and illusive for me

[Jake Lewis]

Easy!

Military: Lockheed U-2 - (2 Seat TU-2 Trainer)

Civil: For me... I would say the Airbus 380 - (A-380)

Jake

[greglloyd]

I've been getting a good fix on civilian aircraft for the past 5 years. My work sends me to the US once or twice a year (San Francisco and other cities) - almost always through Heathrow. Had some really close up views of the A380 when being transferred out to an aircraft by bus. Have yet to see a 787 though.


Also have managed to get a flight on most of my fav civil aircraft during this time as well (business / first class too!!). 747-400, A340-600, 777-200, 777-300, etc.  The last flight was with British Airways on a 777-200 from Gatwick to Orlando sitting up the front in Row 4 - Club World class. Great view of the GE90 engine (no Rolls Royce on that aircraft) from my seat (was sitting in a rear facing seat for the first time too!) with the classic spooling up sound on take off!


Other aircraft I have never seen but have always wanted to though are: F22, Apache, B2 Spirit.


The Blackbird has a special place in my heart though being an early eighties child. It seemed so secretive back then. I had a model kit I built of it, watched the movie DARRYL where the boy flew it, awed at photos of it in books think "how could they design such a futuristic looking aircraft at the beginning of the 60's when everything else looked so dated in comparison?"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lockheed_SR-71_Blackbird.jpg

[casper]

Two more I can think off (there'll be more) is the B-24 and B-29

[AERTANK]

The Military stuff I'd like to see are mostly Russian/Ukrainian and French/Swedish. I worked near a Military training area in the USA during the start of "Desert Shield" back in 1990, all manner of aircraft flew low over head. I've also visited the Intrepid sea & Air Museum in NYC and they have an SR-71 there plus many other exotic birds! Idon't think there are many civilian aircraft I haven't seen, I've even managed to see a Mercure landing at Orly, way back in 1980!

[Angry Turnip]

I was lucky enough to see a SR-71 Blackbird fly at the1986 Farnbourgh Airshow.

The things I would love to see fly would be many of the large Russian Mil types like the Bear,Backfire,Blackjack etc.

Also would love to have seen the XB-70 Valkyrie fly,but tragically it never got beyond a small number of flying prototypes,one of which was destroyed in a freak accident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_XB-70_Valkyrie

[Sneaky_Nikon]

Difficult, apart from one ofs and prototypes, like the TSR 2, (I've seen both of them but not flying obviously) it would have to be some of the Soviet types.   Trapped a Bear, Blinder & Backfire but have never seen a Blackjack. Have caught Fulcrum, Flanker & Fishbed but never Flogger, Fitter, Fencer or anything else beginning with an F.  Been lucky enough to meet Coot, Coke, Coal, Colt, Camber, Classic, Crusty, Careless, Cock, Cub & Candid... But never Cossack, Charger, Curl, Cleat or Cline.  Hip, Hind & Hook are the only 'H's I've ever seen. 

Vaguely aircraft related, I'd love to see an ICBM/SLBM launch (test shot obviously!)

[biggles]

Hi every one,i would have to agree with the blackbird which i never saw in the flesh.the other beauty of course is concorde of which  i saw on several occasions.
Ihave been very lucky in my travels to have been in and around  several types including arming phantoms,degreasing a lightning,playing with an f16 and an a10 warthog.
the most fun i had was a sortie in a black hawk and the longest was a flight in a nimrod which of course are now scrapped,what a pity they went like stink.

biggles   

[Aldergrove]

Interesting  topic... suppose mine would have to be Air Force One. Saw it land a few times at Aldergrove with Clinton and Bush. What alway surprised me was how quiet the actual plane was... it took off like a whisper, suppose that's a result of its great maintenance programme.

[casper]

Think you have mis-read the title, 'The best plane I never saw'

[Aldergrove]

  I totally did Casper.... lol sorry guys

[casper]

But you can still answer it

[Aldergrove]

OK... I've never seen an Avro Lancaster Bomber in flight... that's the one that I'd love to see land here at Aldergrove.... or else a Boeing XB-38 Flying Fortress. I had an obssession about these two planes as a kid 

[vanandjuanunited]

My list
Mosquito
Hind
B29/25
B1
Blackbird
F14
Hoping to tick some of these of in the next couple of years