Top 20 list from Eric Brown: Greatest planes 1930 - 1970 he flew

[Roadrunner]

Hi gents,

 

i thought you might enjoy this list of the greatest planes in Eric Browns opinion from the area 1930 to 1970.

 

For those who are not familiar with this man, he was a Royal Navy aviator and test pilot in Britain, having flown 487 diffrent aicraft (no subversions counted i.e. Spitfire Mk. I, II, V, etc. would count as one aicraft type) and the man with the most carrierlandings to his account, 2,407.

 

You can read about him on wikipedia.

 

The list itself is from his book: Wings on my sleeve

 

I just finished it, and it is highly recommended for anyone interested, a joy to read :)

 

Anyway, here is his list from the book with his comments:

 

Avro Lancaster:

Just to sit in the cockpit was sheer joy. It exuded self-confident.

 

Boing B-29 Superfortress:

Gave a feeling of unpregnability.

 

Bücker Jungmeister:

An aerobatic gem.

 

De Havilland Hornet:

Overpowered perfection.

 

Douglas Boston:

Its take-off acceleration was a taste of things to come.

 

Fieseler Storch:

A virtuoso of slow flight.

 

Focke Wulf 190D-9:

German fighter technology at its best.

 

Gloster Gladiator:

Last of the great biplane fighters.

 

Grumman Bearcat:

A pilot''s dream mashine.

 

Hawker Hunter:

Flies as good as it looks.

 

Junkers 88:

Efficent in all its multi-roles, and a delight to fly.

Lockheed Constellation:

A standard bearer for long-haul passenger airliners.

 

Macchi C.205:

A wonderful combination of Italian styling and German power.

McDonnell F-4 Phantom II:

Exciting performance and a thrill to fly.

 

Martin-Baker MB.5:

A real beauty that arrived too late for World War II.

 

Nort American F-86E Sabre:

Handling perfection with help of a 'flying tail'.

 

Nakajima Frank:

A lively performer that was a revelation to fly.

 

Supermarine Spitfire XII:

Jeff Quill and I enjoyed this most of all Spitfires.

 

Vickers Viscount:

Set a new standard for short-haul passenger airliners.

 

Personal note:

I guess it was hard for him to descide on a list with so many diffrent types he had flown, anyway, an interesting list in my opinion, hope you enjoy :)

 

Regards,

RR

Edited June 10, 2017 by Roadrunner
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