Special Aircraft Service

the SAS Hangar => The Lounge => Topic started by: SGT68 on May 16, 2018, 11:17:42 AM

Title: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: SGT68 on May 16, 2018, 11:17:42 AM
Given what we now retrospectively know about the performance/reliability/safety/mission profile (or any other criteria of your choosing) of WW2 planes , I want to know what plane would you have MOST preferred to be in, and what plane LEAST wanted to have flown, or been a crew member of... and why..

My choices

MOST: Mosquito FB.... speed, firepower
LEAST: Lancaster or Halifax....Luftwaffe nightfighters

Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: P51vsFw190 on May 16, 2018, 12:04:48 PM
MOST: Fieseler Fi-156 Storch....Can fly from basically anywhere and very few accounts of being shot down.

LEAST: Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet....While fast and agile, very vulnerable after initial attack run and prone to fuel explosion.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Shakaali on May 16, 2018, 12:51:15 PM
MOST: Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor   Long range missions all alone over the open seas in a beautiful plane

LEAST: Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka  Do I really need to say why?
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Ta183Huckebein on May 16, 2018, 12:59:05 PM
Most: Fiat G.55  Claimed to be the best Axis prop fighter by some, and with good reason. It was a rare mix of aesthetics and performance, and more than a match for it's Allied contemporaries at the time

Least: He-162A  According to Eric Brown it was rather enjoyable to fly, but in combat conditions it's many quirks did it no favors
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: max_thehitman on May 16, 2018, 02:29:09 PM

MOST:  8) P-51D Mustang = One of the fastest piston-engined fighters, that could also fly higher and go further than any other combat aircraft of the WW2.
Great visibility all around due to its bubble canopy. Great fire-power and easy to fly.

LEAST:  :(  Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet = Although it was extremely fast, it only allowed the pilot a few seconds firing time, and the low rate of fire and
muzzle velocity of the cannons made aiming extremely hard. Fuel was used up very quickly (8 minutes tops), after which the pilot had no option other than to glide back to base
and made it an easy target for allied fighters. Another major flaw, was the extremely volatile nature of the propellant. A hard jolt on takeoff or landing would
cause the aircraft to explode, and if the fuel leaked, it was capable of fusing flesh to steel....your skin melted like hot butter  o_O
Of all the Komets lost, 80% were in take off and landing accidents, 15% due to loss of control or fires, and the remaining 5% to Allied aircraft.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: LameHawk on May 16, 2018, 04:06:58 PM
MOST: Tempest V...speed, firepower!

LEAST: Panzerbücker. I believe the loss rate was about 100%
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: SAS~Gerax on May 16, 2018, 10:43:47 PM
most: Ar-234
least: Short Stirling
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: BalDaddy on May 17, 2018, 02:15:36 AM
Most; Tempest, faster than anything Sausage Side except 262, I could be a bit of a hooligan with it and it's rockets smashing up trains and stuff.
Least: anything manufactured by Blackburn. How on earth did they keep getting Air Ministry Contracts?
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: SGT68 on May 17, 2018, 04:21:39 AM

How on earth did they keep getting Air Ministry Contracts?

Old boy network??
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: huudi on June 06, 2018, 01:20:40 AM
In contrast, "winkle" Brown who probably flew more types than anybody listed the Lancaster as no 1 in his top twenty and the Mosquito didn't feature at all. He did however do many trials with the Sea Mosquito and managed to bring the landing speed down to 78 mph from the normal 100. The DH Hornet however did come very high on his list. A worthy read.
As for me I like the Hurricane for stability, the 109 for power & stability, on the downside I invariably 'die' in a spitfire.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: duffys tavern on June 06, 2018, 06:29:19 AM
Air-to-air: P-51
Ground Attack: P-47

Least desirable: F2A
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: cgagan on June 06, 2018, 03:17:55 PM
Most, and this is a choice from the heart, the Hurricane
Least, and this is pure survival instinct, the Hampden
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: SAS~Bombsaway on June 06, 2018, 03:33:24 PM
First, F4U. Last, any unarmed plane. :)
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Alfie Noakes on June 06, 2018, 03:37:51 PM
Erm....

Most : I-16.....any type really.....I've spent many a happy hour flying I-16's ( + had a thorough apprenticeship in Spain  ;) )
Least : Fairy Battle......a LORRY if ever I flew one....... o_O   :))
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: dagger123456 on June 06, 2018, 04:05:18 PM
most = P-51 = the first time i went in hobby store( simulation doesnt exist then) looking for WW2 aircraft, it was the Mustang that caught my attention.  i dont know anything about aircraft but  it's the Mustang's sleek looks that  i fell in love with.  then with the advent of simulation, i flew it right away.

least = = I-16/F2A
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Gatrasz on June 06, 2018, 05:56:15 PM
MOST : P-38 Lightning, then B-25 Mitchell (how to choose ?)
LEAST : don't know, any big bomber or Gloster Gladiator, maybe ? :D
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: jpten on June 07, 2018, 11:34:04 PM

Most: Flying Tiger P-40
Least: Brewster Buffalo
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Shakaali on June 08, 2018, 11:27:09 AM
Least desirable: F2A

least = = I-16/F2A

Least: Brewster Buffalo

Well, Brewster ain't that bad... Finnish LeLv 24 flew them from June 1941 to April 1944 with victory ratio of 26:1  ;)
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Venator77 on June 12, 2018, 06:17:46 AM
Most - Bf-109/Fw-190

I like both of these fighters equally and would love to fly them.

Least - LaGG-3

This fighter is garbage. There's a reason the Russians called it a varnished guaranteed coffin.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Kopfdorfer on June 12, 2018, 06:40:29 AM
As a pilot statistician looking at capability and survival rate I'd have to say a preference of F4U or P38.

I would avoid the Fairey Swordfish - horrendous loss rate , the Me163 and the Baka.

As an Il2 sim flyer , I dearly love the Bf109F - never ever out of the fight - and the lowly Buffalo.
I would love to say the Mossie , but the pedantic flight model that so obviously fails to fulfill the reality of the aircraft
(just read the pilot and enemy thoughts on this aircraft - you'll see the light) that it makes me cry inside when it just can't get away from anything in the game ,  I have to say the brutality of the Typhoon wins me over.

I am not partial (gagging here, swallowing again) to the Lerche (aka wasted game slot).

Kopfdorfer.


Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: King_109 on June 12, 2018, 03:02:15 PM
Most:Bf109 or F4U
Least:I-16
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Kashmiro on June 23, 2018, 08:22:52 PM
Most: am i really the only one who will say b-17 as a bomber? I relly love it and aLso thanks to film memphis belle. Bf109 in any variant until year 42 is my heartbreaker when we will talk about fighters.

What i actually dont wanna be in is any plane with russian or japanese cockpit. Why? When any trouble approaches in my cockpit, i will not be able to read a single word. Try-fail-try again rinse and repeat would not work in that case i guess
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: huudi on September 09, 2019, 10:02:58 AM

How on earth did they keep getting Air Ministry Contracts?

Old boy network??
I was told the Beverly halved navigation problems, they followed the oil slick on the way home.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Ranger97 on September 09, 2019, 12:00:05 PM
Most: P-51 Mustang, great all-around fighter and beautiful plane.

Least: TBD devastator, terrible loss rate, slow
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: RealDarko on September 09, 2019, 02:42:40 PM
Most: Bf-109

Least: Bf-110, I like how it looks, simply can't kill anything with it and got always killed.
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Flanker27 on September 10, 2019, 10:18:36 AM
most like to fly a 262 because "it felt like angels pushing" and represents the turning point in history that prop planes would become obsolete
least like to fly Heinkel He 177 Greif , it was extremely prone to engine fires, had a fragile air frame and being made late war was a large and lightly armed juicy target

for allied aircraft i would most like to fly a P-38 just because its a beautiful aircraft and handles like no other

least would like to fly the Boulton Paul Defiant, the only guns mounted were the turret which was big and heavy and made the aircraft handle like it had a dead elephant on its back the guns also had the tendency to blind the pilot at night
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: Knochenlutscher on September 11, 2019, 05:11:36 AM
most: N1K2-J Shiden-Kai
least: everything else than a monoplane (no wing at all!!!, double, tri, quadruple, ~)
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: jeanba on September 11, 2019, 10:06:02 AM
Most : P47
Least : Ki-43 Oscar
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: urmel on September 11, 2019, 10:37:12 AM
Most : Yak-3
Least : Hs-129
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: sixstrings on September 12, 2019, 10:27:12 AM
Most : Spitfire Mk IX
Least :Fw-190 A1-2
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Title: Re: If you were a WW2 airman what plane would you MOST choose to pilot /be a crew member...And..LEAST choose to fly
Post by: mexchiwa on September 12, 2019, 11:04:26 AM
Most: Me-163 - Climb like an angel, no boring transit time to and from target, big fat, juicy targets, descend in engineless serenity (now just stick the landing...)

Least:  Night Witch U-2?