INGO TOP-TENS(best FIGHTER aircraft of all time)

[jbombelli]

P-61.

 

[radar44]

sopwith camel * snoopy


P-47 thunderbolt

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

F-15 gets my vote

As awesome as the win:loss ratios that the F6F has it was introduced AFTER other aircraft had already fought and killed many of the elite pilots the Japanese started the war with. Their pilot training never caught up and the equipment was never brought up to the level of the US forces. The Zero was far outclassed by the time the F6F showed up anyway. It really wasn't a fair fight.

 

[Fenway]

P-51

 

[tv1217]

Messerschmitt 109, despite affiliation

 

[churchmouse]

A couple of years ago, I was mowing the lawn and I heard something approaching over the noise of the mower and knew exactly what it was. No sooner did I shut down than a P 51 flew past at power. You are right, the sound of a Merlin at power does give goose bumps. I recently ran across a set of negatives from a P 51 meet out on the west coast that are about 20 or so years old. There were well over 20 Mustangs in Santa Maria that day with everything from Pete Regina's P 51B to a P 51H. I'll try to scan those and post them one of these days.

But, to my point about the P 51, if you look at it from a purely performance standpoint, I think it misses the mark a bit. The Germans had faster aircraft and the Fw 190D was very strong against a Mustang. But, when you look at it from a standpoint of carrying the fight into the heart of Germany, it does stand out. It had the right armament for the purpose it was built for. While the Fw 190 was tasked with knocking down bombers and needing cannons to do that, the Mustang was needed to knock down fighters. The 50 cal was the perfect weapon for that and having 6 of them was very effective. Later, when the 51 was tasked with low level attacks the liquid cooled engine was vulnerable to ground fire but that was never the mission the aircraft was optimized for.

My dads family owned the farm land across from the Greencastle airport. I used to spend a lot of time there helping on the farm. When my work was done and dinner was cleared away I would go across the road and hang out where some men were restoring a P-51 D with a Merlin in one of the old out buildings. I got to help out as in cleaning parts at first and as I displayed a talent with wrenches I got to help on the air frame and engine. This project took a couple of years. When I was 14 or so I saw this plane come to life. It was the single most awesome thing I had ever heard to that time in my life. A few days later they were flying it. They would barnstorm around the area most of that summer. I have been a serious fan of that airplane ever since.

 

[Frosty]

F-14 TOMCAT FTW!

 

[scott delaney]

MIG 28

 

[Who Dares Wins]

F22


Going for modern technology/capability here!

 

[eric001]

ME 262


Yes, it was on the losing side of WWII, and no, it didn't have the unbeatable kill ratio of the F 15. By the time the 262 was put into action, the vast majority of Germany's superb pilots were already burned out or shot up by the Allies. With that in mind, the 262 was the first jet fighter that truly performed in combat. I also think the plane looks both vicious and beautiful, where form and function are perfectly in step. It has always made me think of a flying shark for some reason.

 

[churchmouse]

ME 262


Yes, it was on the losing side of WWII, and no, it didn't have the unbeatable kill ratio of the F 15. By the time the 262 was put into action, the vast majority of Germany's superb pilots were already burned out or shot up by the Allies. With that in mind, the 262 was the first jet fighter that truly performed in combat. I also think the plane looks both vicious and beautiful, where form and function are perfectly in step. It has always made me think of a flying shark for some reason.

Most likely the shape of the nose with those well defined holes for the cannons.

 

[PaulF]

Supermarine Spitfire.

I can't believe this hasn't even popped up on the list yet...it had the Merlin first!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The Zero was far outclassed by the time the F6F showed up anyway. It really wasn't a fair fight.

Well, you know what they say, Max, if you are fight fair, your tactics suck!

F6 had the most kills, highest kill ration, it could be used on a CV, and the USN's top ace flew one.

 

[Kutnupe14]

F-15 gets my vote

As awesome as the win:loss ratios that the F6F has it was introduced AFTER other aircraft had already fought and killed many of the elite pilots the Japanese started the war with. Their pilot training never caught up and the equipment was never brought up to the level of the US forces. The Zero was far outclassed by the time the F6F showed up anyway. It really wasn't a fair fight.

I considered this before making my decision, and choosing the F6F. The Japanese certainly lost a good number of pilots prior to the introduction of the F6F, but they still had reliable, comparable aircrafts, and their training was more than adequate. When you compare the F15, you must look at types of planes it engaged, and the amount of training available to their adversaries. The F15, never went head to head with first tier pilots, and had only a handful of engagements with aircraft from the same generation. F15s tallies include F4s, Mig 23-26, Mirages, and tons of other planes that were simply outclassed. If you put me in a vette, and put Tony Stewart in a civic, I doubt you be surprised who wins that race.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Vaught F4U

 

[danielson]

Supermarine Spitfire.

I can't believe this hasn't even popped up on the list yet...it had the Merlin first!

Its because the question was "BEST fighter"..

NOT

"THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING TO EVER TAKE TO THE SKY"

 

[24Carat]

Superiority ? F-15 . Weapons systems, radar, ECM and engine management systems all with some aspects that are still Top Secret.

 

[cobber]

NAKAJIMA Ki-84 "HAYATE" (Frank)?

 

[88E30M50]

P-61.

Interesting choice. The Black Widow has been one of my favorite aircraft of all time. It's a shame that there are not more still in existence in the world. I know of one in China, one under restoration in Pennsylvania and the P 61C at the Air Force Museum.

 

[88E30M50]

Supermarine Spitfire.

I can't believe this hasn't even popped up on the list yet...it had the Merlin first!

My main misgivings about putting the Spitfire at the top are its armament. It was a fantastic aircraft, but when tasked with knocking German bombers down, all it had were eight .303 machine guns. IIRC, R S Tuck asked for cannons but they did not come until after the Battle of Britain was pretty much over. When it came time to carry the war into France and beyond, the Spitfire had trouble getting far enough into German territory to really take the fight to the enemy.

ME 262
Yes, it was on the losing side of WWII, and no, it didn't have the unbeatable kill ratio of the F 15. By the time the 262 was put into action, the vast majority of Germany's superb pilots were already burned out or shot up by the Allies. With that in mind, the 262 was the first jet fighter that truly performed in combat. I also think the plane looks both vicious and beautiful, where form and function are perfectly in step. It has always made me think of a flying shark for some reason.

The 262 is one of the prettiest aircraft of WWII and I think it could have been one of the deadliest had the Germans figured out how to use it. When employed effectively, it was devastating. If a pilot tried to dogfight with it, it usually suffered. It's interesting that the Germans happened onto the swept wing by accident. They were attempting to manage the weight and balance of the aircraft and had not realized how the swept wing would help when getting close to the speed of sound. Kind of a lucky accident.