kaz3g Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 `Winkle Brown', the British test pilot who did over 2,400 carrier landings and reputedly flew 478 different aircraft types said the single seat Hornet was his favourite piston aircraft, because it was `over-powered perfection'. His favourite jet was the F-86E Sabre (and Bob Hoover's).rgmwa Did you read his biography? Brilliant account of a life spent flying a multitude of different aircraft, usually with no more preparation than a quick read of the manual. He flew a Sikorsky helicopter from the wharves to his research establishment reading the manual on the way...he had never flown a helicopter before. And his party trick was a snap roll on takeoff over the bow until he had an engine failure. He was in a Martlet then and he recounts that he was supposed to be doing a demo for all the assembled big wigs at the time. He said it was nice of the Prime Minister to send a get well wish to him in the sick bay! The Martlet fortunately had flotation bags unlike the Spitfire which immediately assumed the characteristics of a submarine on ditching. Kaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgmwa Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I did Kaz. Very interesting book. There goes a much, much better pilot than I'll ever be!! In fact two better pilots if you throw in Bob Hoover (and there may possibly be others). rgmwa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planedriver Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 When you stand next to a Sabre, you can see it has some curves to it, probably the way the wing has been blended into the fuselage by flattening the round profile slightly and adding fillets around the wing roots, the Migs are very much as someone described the BAC Lightning previously. Not my cup of tea, but often the beauty is in the eye of the tea-drinker. And i'll leaf it that that:thumb up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 ALL early planes appear crude to those who design and build the next generation of new planes. Some have a nice appearance but a plane is a functioning machine and must give way to superior performing derivatives. Form should follow function . Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunder Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 As good as the FW 190 was even at the height of it's development, it was still no match for the Hawker Typhoons and Tempests, or even a talented P 51 pilot............Maj.... The last of the FW-190 development, the TA-152 may have given them a run......if they weren't kept back protecting jet bases and had the numbers. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Kurt Tank was the designer If I recall correctly. Apparently he test flew it without armament. In that condition it was supposed to be able to outrun anything else around. Very clean design (unlike the Bf 109) Nev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_d Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The last of the FW-190 development, the TA-152 may have given them a run......if they weren't kept back protecting jet bases and had the numbers.[ATTACH=full]27414[/ATTACH] Check out those paddles up front!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty_d Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I met a man a while back, who had been a design engineer on the SR71. Unfortunately he had gone all religious, as much as I was interested in the SR71, he only wanted to talk about Jesus. Happens quite a bit. The pride and euphoria of the design process is often replaced by regret about it's destructiveness. Several who worked on the A-Bomb ended up with similar issues.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-13/ak-47-rifle-inventor-mikhail-kalashnikov-regrets-creating-weapon/5198396 Bit of a difference between inventing the A-Bomb, or the AK47 (which has probably killed more civilians than any other firearm), and an unarmed reconnaissance plane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Kurt Tank was the designer If I recall correctly. Apparently he test flew it without armament. In that condition it was supposed to be able to outrun anything else around. Very clean design (unlike the Bf 109) Nev Saw both a standard FW190 (immaculately restored, better than out-of-the-factory which tends to be a feature of NASM restorations) and an unrestored H model in storage, the H is seriously longer and sleeker. Unfortunately it was very tightly packed in with a vast number of other aircraft and the wings were off it, but it has a presence all of its own, very elegant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bexrbetter Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 err, mass produced war plane. So...?....massed produced warplanes kept nazism from taking over the world, and kept the japs from taking over the Pacific.Thanks to massed produced war planes we don't goose step to work or eat only rice for lunch, and they continue to keep the communism pretty well boxed up............Maj.... ummm, errr what? Oscar said a war plane was as "rough as guts" and I merely pointed out that they were mass produced war planes meaning there wasn't time for perfection and prettyness. Slap them together asap and get them into the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchroll Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 .........and they continue to keep the communism pretty well boxed up............Maj.... Yeah China is just a shadow of its former self and shrinking by the day......... Rather simplistic and unconvincing argument. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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