The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

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om15
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#21 Post by om15 » Tue Dec 20, 2016 9:04 pm

Boac, I bet it was the most exciting of all the aircraft you have flown.
The Lightning was something special, particularly so as it was designed and built on a shoe string in a bike shed.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#22 Post by Woody » Tue Dec 20, 2016 9:06 pm

Surprised nobody has put any of these up yet.

[url]Image[/url]
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#23 Post by Boac » Wed Dec 21, 2016 8:04 am

OM - on balance, having been fortunate enough to fly the Harrier as well, I think that just wins for 'exciting' since it was so different - I will NOT, however, be putting it forward as a 'thing of beauty'. :ymdevil:

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#24 Post by om15 » Wed Dec 21, 2016 4:19 pm

Boac, Lightning and Harrier, both pretty special aircraft.

I was lucky enough to be given a go in this one, the only non transport military aircraft that I have flown in, (except the Chipmunk),

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#25 Post by Boac » Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:05 pm

Who was that with?

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#26 Post by om15 » Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:39 pm

The aircraft was owned by Philip Meeson, the then owner of Channel Express, who was kind enough to let me have a few trips in his aircraft.
I was fortunate enough to be given a trip in his Pitts special, the DH Rapide and the JP, the latter flown by the chief pilot, a former RN Harrier pilot, who gave me a full aerobatic experience together with a little, very ginger, handling experience.
I found the Pitts experience highly disagreeable, I prefer to be attached to something more substantial, but enjoyed the JP as at least it had a canopy to stop me falling out when upside down.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#27 Post by om15 » Wed Dec 21, 2016 5:48 pm

This was the DH Rapide, I had two trips in this aircraft, one with my wife who generally lacks enthusiasm for such things, but she thoroughly enjoyed such a staid way of flying.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#28 Post by Wodrick » Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:26 pm

Uncle Roger was right with his "Ahhhh De Havilland" when you consider for a moment they didn't make many ugly ones.
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#29 Post by Boac » Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:48 pm

Indeed - that Rapide has beauty.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#30 Post by 500N » Wed Dec 21, 2016 7:48 pm

Agree. The mosquito is a good example

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#31 Post by Wodrick » Wed Dec 21, 2016 8:35 pm

Tiger Moth, Chipmunk, and the inevitable Comet, piston and Jet.
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#32 Post by Karearea » Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:28 am

Another vote for the Spitfire, with its elegant form and all its associations.
An enduring memory is seeing and hearing one perform a victory roll over the nearby airport in 1990 on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Unforgettable.
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#33 Post by Ex-Ascot » Thu Dec 22, 2016 8:54 am

You all know that this would be posted as soon as I got into town on the computer.

The clip is after they sprayed them some God awful colour. Sacrilege. :(( But just look at that performance, the noise and air pollution =))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrGAaUqGbn0
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#34 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Dec 22, 2016 9:29 am

That wouldn't be a Mighty 10 would it Ex-A? ^:)^

Here's a nice piccie to make your Christmas.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#35 Post by 603DX » Thu Dec 22, 2016 4:35 pm

I never flew in the shapely, stylish and beautifully engineered VC-10, but was very pleased to sit in the left-hand seat on the flight deck of the preserved example at Duxford. It looked feasible to hold a cocktail party in that spacious cockpit! Formerly owned by some ME potentate I believe, with internal fixtures and fittings just a tad on the vulgar side. Very impressive to gaze upwards at that huge and lofty swept-back tailplane from ground level ... B-)

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#36 Post by ian16th » Thu Dec 22, 2016 4:45 pm

603DX wrote: It looked feasible to hold a cocktail party in that spacious cockpit! Formerly owned by some ME potentate I believe, with internal fixtures and fittings just a tad on the vulgar side.


If you want to hold a party on a flight deck, its gotta be a Beverley. How the ladies get up there isn't my problem, but warn them to wear slacks [-X

As for fixtures &v fittings, at Vickers, Hurn, I was taken for a tour of a Viscount, the personal a/c of the late King Hussein of Jordan. The most impressive a/c interior that I've actually seen.
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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#37 Post by Capetonian » Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:13 pm

Unless I'm mucho mistaken the one in #34 is G-ASIX / A4O-AB, the Sultan of Oman's private transport, now at Brooklands.
Gold bog, gold toilets, two bedrooms, and as you walk towards the rear of the passenger (plebs) section, the size and pitch of the seats decrease. The Sultan and his lot lorded it up front. From what I've heard of people who flew with him, he treated his staff and crews very decently and was well respected and liked by all. I believe he is still alive.

https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/explor ... -oman-vc10

The young chap in the RH seat is my son then aged 12.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#38 Post by 603DX » Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:37 pm

Capetonian wrote:Unless I'm mucho mistaken the one in #34 is G-ASIX / A4O-AB, the Sultan of Oman's private transport, now at Brooklands.
Yep, you're quite right Cape, it was at Brooklands not Duxford. (I'm a frequent visitor to both, plus a multitude of other aircraft preservation venues!) #-o #-o

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#39 Post by Slasher » Fri Mar 24, 2017 2:23 pm

Me mate Pinky wrote..
I understand your choice Alison, but I would have to say that my choice has to be the Spitfire. :-bd
Particularly the Mk IX.

Apologies for lack of piccy of same.


Here's one! :D

Image

The inescapable fact is a Spitfire Mk IX is THE most beautiful aeroplane ever, both in appearance and handling. There is no other. [-(

End of discussion. End of thread.

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Re: The most beautiful aeroplane ever:-

#40 Post by Pinky the pilot » Sun Apr 02, 2017 8:04 am

Thanks Slasher, me old..! :-bd

Many years ago I once remarked to my now late Father that.....'I'd give my left bollock to fly a Spitfire!' :-o

He was suitably horrified at that remark but later conceded that he appreciated my desire.

It turns out that back in late 1944 he had the opportunity to take a then brand new Mk IX for a 'quick flip.' He said that he 'played with the controls for a bit'....'went through the cockpit drills' in his head a few times whilst the Pilot who flew that particular aircraft stood on the wing next to him and coached him through the drills.....
and then thought that he'd better not, in case he bent it!

Dad kicked himself for the rest of his life!! ~X(

However, he did later take a Beaufighter for a 'bit of a fly around...' And finished the war flying Sunderland Flying boats with 461Sqn RAAF.
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