Gasman From New Zealand, joined Mar 2004, 733 posts, RR: 0 Posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2794 times:
Here's a chance to wax lyrical about your favourite (and least favourite!) aircraft of all time. Don't feel obliged to back up your emotions with actual science!
For me, anyway, the list would be:
Favourite
5. A320. Gotta respect the aircraft that has taken on the mighty 737, and in many respects, won; has a spacious cabin, nice clean aesthetics on the exterior and performs like an F-16.
4. 747. Riding on one of these babies is like coming home. Reliable and safe, and you gotta love the macho, don't-mess-with-me-punk shape of the cockpit windows.
3. 707. It brought the Beatles to JFK and the whole world into the jet age. Beautiful yet rugged to look at, many fine examples in airline liverley - my favourite being the Qantas V-Jet with the red tail and gleaming aluminium underbelly. Reliable as hell
2. 767 It has beautiful, clean lines on the outside; a very tidy aircraft to visually admire. It brought ETOPs to the world and an extremely passenger friendly 2-3-2 configuration in Y class.
1. DC-10. Okay, so a few of them ended up a bit more thinly spread over the ground than they were before takeoff, but those swept wings, upward pointing no. 2 engine on the tail.... this aircraft is beautiful whichever way you look at it. Nice interior with 2-5-2 config that always managed to feel more spacious than it really was. My all time favourite.
And my least favourite:
4.DC-3 Okay okay, I know it dropped troops on Normandy and it still delivers mail to Nebraska, but it just doesn't push my buttons. Sorry. And why are the engines mounted so damn close to the fuselage??
3. 757 Too long, too skinny, with a butt-ugly nose section and also was the aircraft directly responsible for re-inventing long-haul travel in a 3-3 configuration. Ghastly.
2.747-SP What were they thinking? I mean really!
1.Concorde Now don't get me started on this one. Just about bankrupted Britain & France designing the thing, cramped & noisy cabin, small windows and a pretty unimpressive incident per flying hours record. Cost about a trillion bucks to fly on and who really cares about shaving 2 hours of LHR-JFK anyway? Give me Virgin upper class any day. Recycle bin for me.
IAHFLYR From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 4718 posts, RR: 25 Reply 1, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2766 times:
In no particular order of pref
Fav:
1. B727-100/200 what a machine....you want to get there in a hurry and drop in like a brick, that was the airplane.
2. B762 a little rocket....great comfort in biz class and excellent performance in climb.
3. B738....what legs and with the winglets great lines and ETOPS too.
4. C210 just a joy to fly with plenty of ways to load it.
5. B752 sure is a racehorse, love the nose and quiet flight deck compared to most previous Boeing jets and the technology is still good today.
6. GULFSTREAMS, nothing more needed.
7. B772...WOW
Least fav:
1. CRJ just can't find a comfortable seat and window to look out.
2. MD80 in Y class on the 3 side, oh I hope the lady next to me is cute.
3. B735 why? Short stubby straight winged jet but it's slow. Why not just say it was a MD version of the stretched C500. Okay, so other than the WN aircraft it has maps.
4. MO20 just hate the johnson rod and the lack of room on the left side of the airplane to rest your arm.
Enjoy
Any views shared are strictly my own and do not a represent those of any former employer.
Gasman From New Zealand, joined Mar 2004, 733 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days ago) and read 2743 times:
I agree with a lot of what's on your lists - particularly the 727 - but can you explain why you think the 772 is "wow"? Not that I think it's not a fine airplane; I just can't see much about about it to particularly excite!
FlyDreamliner From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 2759 posts, RR: 15 Reply 3, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 2723 times:
My top 5:
1. Boeing 767-300/400 - Ideal seating arangement (2-3-2), long, slender, beautiful, a joy to ride on, long range without feeling like you're in a flying bus-station, not too big, not too small.
2. Boeing 757-200 - the plane is the sports car of commerical aviation, it launches on take off, climbs like crazy, is comfortable, and seemingly perfect sized. Also a gorgeous aircraft.
3. Boeing 737-800 with winglets - just a gorgeous aircraft, quiet, comfortable, less fun than a 757-200, but also quieter. I had a flight on one of AA's 738, it was one of the most comfortable narrow-body aircraft I've ever been in.
4. Airbus A330-200 - It's like a more intimate 777. Has beautiful lines with the wide wings, twin engines, but not too long like A333. 2-4-2 seating isn't bad. Quiet, a nice ride for a long trip. A ways out I have a flight PDX-NRT on one, and I can't wait.
5. Boeing 777-200/300 - Larger than my taste (for flying in one, atleast), but an incredible aircraft. Fast, the longest range aloft, the roomiest seats of anything going, first class is often incredible (2-2-2), and coach, in 2-5-2 atleast is pretty good too (assuming you're on one of the 2's). Simply put, the finest example of aeronautical engineering flying.
Worst:
1. A380 - for starters, it's too ugly to fly. It's overhyped, it's oversized (I really have no desire to deal with deplaning with 550 other people, much less sit with all of them for a 15 hour flight) Thumbs down.
2. CRJ - I will never ride one again. tiny seats, low cieling, no room - whatsoever, overhead bins are tiny, it's not quiet, a mistake.
3. DC-10 - maybe NW killed this one for me, but 2-5-2 in one of these simply isn't fun. Seats are cramped, aisles are narrow, sit anywhere behind the wings and bring earplugs. Just not a good plane to be on for a long flight. I love douglas, I do not love DC-10
4. A318 - the ugliest little thing ever. A320 series planes might be nice (if boring) to fly on, I can't get over how ugly this thing is. That and its rediculous PW6000 engines.
5. Beachcraft 1900. Ride one and then question my decision.
"Let the world change you, and you can change the world"
IAHFLYR From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 4718 posts, RR: 25 Reply 4, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 2707 times:
Quoting Gasman (Reply 2): I just can't see much about about it to particularly excite!
Absolutely! Extemely quiet, very fuel efficent, great legs, great cruise and econ cruise speed, comfortable, superb systems, and oh one more, the pilots I know that fly it love it.
Any views shared are strictly my own and do not a represent those of any former employer.
Web From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 423 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (7 years 1 month 2 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 2659 times:
Love:
757 - both series knock my socks off. The -200 is a rocket, has performance like none other. The -300 is so long and disproportional it defies imagination. And looking at either nose and you can see that it definately has attitude (they should have called it the Mad Dog, not the MD-80!)
DC-9 - Not a great performer, but the rumble of the JTs leaves me speechless. It will be a sad day when NW retires their last.
747 - So majestic; truly the Queen of the Skies. Graceful beyond belief.
777 - Not too big, not too small, and has legs like none other. My Goldilocks, she's heavy, capable, versitile, a performer, and in all respects is 'just right'.
Dash-8-400 - Outstanding. Truly innovative and a powerhouse. Can't wait to get on one.
Hate:
A320 - The whole series - I never feel as safe on one of these as a 737. They just seem to be built cheaply and haphazardly; they squeak, jiggle, creak, moan, and whine more than any other plane I've been on. The 737 is so much sturdier. I don't see many A320s in Alaska, Africa, or Australia; I wonder why?
Shorts 360 - Ugliest plane ever to fly. Period.
Jetstream 31/32/41 - Awkward, stupid looking, and I hear they're extremely uncomfortable. I've never had the displeasure of flying in one and I'm glad of the fact.
L1011 - Ripoff of the amazing DC-10. I don't like people who copy other's designs; henceforth, I am glad Lockheed no longer makes civilian airliners.
These are strictly my opinions; please don't take offense, as I would gladly fly on any plane any day due to the fact that I don't get in the air often. I just have my preferences.
Gasman From New Zealand, joined Mar 2004, 733 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (7 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 2629 times:
Quoting Web (Reply 6): A320 - They just seem to be built cheaply and haphazardly; they squeak, jiggle, creak, moan, and whine more than any other plane I've been on
Yeah I must admit that for a high tech, modern machine they do sound a bit like jughead's jalopy. I still like them though .
But c'mon! Isn't there anyone out there who can't stand the 757?? Am I the only one?? Just looking at one of these unimposing fairies lowers your sperm count, for crying out loud.....
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