Whats your favorite Warbird

[pilottj 198]

Hey guys,

I know warbirds aren't as popular here as they are at SOH, but out of curiosity, whats your favorite warbird?  Favorite warbird in general, currently simulated, want to see simulated. 

 

Flying warbirds is such a visceral form of flying, it's 'seat of the pants' flying seriously magnified.  If you ever want to sharpen your 'seat of the pants' instincts, I can't think of a better teacher than a warbird.  Not only does your 'grey matter' and instinct have to be sharp to fly the thing, you also get to keep a big V-12 or radial 'happy'.   That and the sound of that big V-12 or radial is frickin awesome!  :smile:

 

Warbirds also look beautiful because they evolved from the 'golden age' of flying, and you can see the art deco and streamliner styling in their designs, like the Spitfire and it's Schneider cup racer heritage.  

 

My favorite warbird currently simulated is the A2A P-40.  It is a rugged, and very 'manual' airplane....nothing automated in that thing.   Like flying an old stickshift Jeep

 

Something I would seriously love to see accusimmed is the Douglas A-26.  Not only a fantastic warbird and excellent design, like the P-51, it makes for an excellent civilian transport. 

My fantasy airplane(If I had Bill Gates money) is the On Mark A-26 Executive Invader. :wub:   Who would turn down a ride in this thing? lol

 

It's hard to pick a favorite warbird in general, there are so many.  The C-47 because my Grandfather flew them, the Spitfire IX because it's beautiful looks, the Mustang for it's capabilities, the FW-190D for its technological innovations, the Lancaster, Corsair....hard to pick lol 

 

So whats your favorite? :smile:

 

Cheers

TJ

[Glynn 405]

Just Flight Canberra PR9

 

[neucoas 82]

I have never tryed or been interested in warbirds, but I am waiting for the A2A T-6 Texan to give a try!

[warbirds 555]

Any that are not in FSX. Flying a warbird in FSX is like kissing your sister, there are so many good air warfare sims why would want to mess with a civil sim? I fly  IL2 heavily modded and Cliffs of Dover and Rise of Flight and in FSX I fly airplanes without guns. 

 

Well, I did make one exception, the A2A B-17 but I always pretend I am taking it be repaired or going to a show. 

[Alan_A 1,650]

After lots of trial and error... the Spitfire.  Any Spitfire.  Currently going back and forth between the A2A (early models) and RealAir (mid-war and late models).

 

And the C-47.  Waiting (im)patiently for Jan Visser to add his vintage VC to Manfred Jahn's freeware version.

 

And the B-17.

 

Common theme - they're all beautifully balanced airplanes - easy and intuitive to fly.  My biggest surprise was finding out that the P-51, which I'd grown up admiring, is really kind of a beast.  Great capabilities - as you say - but I always feel beaten up by it.

 

Frustration - that there aren't more good civilianized warbirds - not airshow queens or racers but something purposeful.  Would love to have a disarmed, dis-armored B-17 for search and rescue or transport...  or something along the lines of your On Mark Marketeer.

 

For want of that, I use the Spit (photo recon paint) or B-17 (RAF Coastal Command Paint) as weather observers.  Good for a quick turn and a nice change from spam cans and tubes.

 

I try air combat sims from time to time (currently spending time in modded IL-2 Cliffs of Dover and in Battle of Britain 2) but I get enough stress in the rest of my life without needing to turn on my computer and get shot at.

 

Looking forward to the A2A T-6 but when the Jahn/Visser Dak gets here, I may be set for life.

[pilottj 198]

Any that are not in FSX. Flying a warbird in FSX is like kissing your sister, there are so many good air warfare sims why would want to mess with a civil sim?

 

For the same reason people enjoy flying restored warbirds today....they are fun B)  For the same reason people like to drive vintage Shelby Cobras, Jags, Corvettes...etc....cause they are fun.  Warbird fighters are the closest aviation equivalent to Shelby Cobras, Jaguar XJ13, Corvette Mako edition....ie thoroughbreds, designed to do nothing other than thrill the pilot/driver.  The original thoroughbreds like the Schneider cup era Supermarine S6Bs, Macchi MC72 types don't exit anymore, at least no flying examples, so ex fighters are the closet thing to a pure thoroughbred airplane. 

 

From a pilot's perspective who only has real flight time in Cessna's, Pipers...etc....the chance to ride in, let alone get some stick time in one of those thoroughbreds would be nothing short of like being asked if I wanted to test drive or ride in a Jaguar XJ13

 

There is are no modern  equivalent purely civilian aircraft designs comparable to the speed and power of a vintage warbird fighter, and the ones that come close like the Thunder Mustang, Turbine Legend..etc are based on fighter designs, namely the Mustang.  The only thing I can think of that came close was the Pond Racer, but even that was left in the dust by Mustangs and Sea Furys at Reno.  

 

As for combat, thats fun too, but just for the sake of flying them, mastering these beasts and their systems, like worrying about the oil pressure in the Mustang getting too high because of the cold temps at high altitude....that kind of stuff.

 

But FS is ultimately just a virtual fantasy world anyway, like any MMO or Sims or whatever, make it your own, fly what you like and what gives you a thrill.  :smile:

 

Cheers

TJ

[DickB 6]

Plane Design Lancaster. Yes, I know the interior textures are dated (it's a FS9 model),, but it's still the best version of this iconic a/c in FS. Apart from an occasional sortie in the RealAir Spit, it's about the only aircraft I regularly fly.

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[bob44 1]

My favorite warplane is the A2A B17 with Accusim.

I like the bigger vintage aircraft, military and civilian, and this aircraft fits perfectly.

As far as FSX being a modern sim, yes it is, out of the box. But it does not have to stay that way. Just like many have updated to the latest detailed airports, nav aids, AI. I have done the same, only going the other way. Back in time.

[LAdamson 240]

I do have a great interest in warbirds. My father owned a BT-13 trainer when I was a young kid, back in the early fifties. The BT-13 looks kind of like an AT-6 without retracts. I've flown in a 1944 P51-D.  A few friends of mine, are doing a complete restoration on a A-26 Invader. . I'm amazed at the amount of control cables running to the center console. Was for single pilot. Everything seems to be controlled by cables, that wrap all over the place.  Engines will be total rebuilds, etc.  Lots of money, in something like this.

 

I do own the A2A B-17 & P-40. Just haven't got around to installing them yet. I also don't have a problem with airplanes that shoot guns. I once flew the Marchetti SF260's in simulated combat with laser guns. I won three, and the other guy got me three times. I also own guns, and shoot arrows, just to become better skilled at it. 

 

 

edited.....change to A-26.  

[Alan_A 1,650]

One of the other nice things about warbirds in FSX is that you can fly them on unstructured, short "up and back" flights, without a lot of planning or a heavy load of preflight tasks.  In some cases you have no choice but to get them off the ground quickly (Spitfire, anyone?)  So it's a good change of pace after an overdose of IFR or procedures-heavy study sims.  Nothing like a little high-performance hacking around to settle the mind and improve the disposition....

[warbirds 555]

To be honest I do have my eye on that Sim Skunkworks F-104 that is now on sale half price.

[Howellerman 104]

Eh, I guess I am a traditionalist: P-51 all the way.

 

I have both A2A versions, and I like taking the Military version out to terrorize the countryside and dazzle the folks wandering around the Orbx airport,  although they never seem to focus on me - weird...    My favorite is to take off from KRDD and fly under the I5 bridge over Shasta Lake at 300 knots - lots of pucker factor, even in a sim!

 

The Civilian is a slightly more refined beast, but the navigation aids (AP being the biggest) make is great for going somewhere fast. I used it several times in my US capital cities tour.

 

I also have the A2A P-47 (frustrates me every time I bring it out), and Aircraft Factory Corsair (not nearly the sophisticated model as the Mustangs). I thought about the Spitfire, debating between RealAir and A2A, but never pulled the trigger. 

 

A semi-military aircraft I really enjoy flying is the PC-21 from IRIS (the Anniversary issue). Has the same general characteristics of a P-51 (speed), but damn, is that thing quick on a turn, and the avionics are really sophisticated.

 

As others have observed, it is nice to hop in something without a flight plan and just go hunt down something interesting...