What aircraft would you want to fly?

Orange Anchor said:
Odd choice. Why the Mercure? Most probably do not even know about this machine. 2 prototype and 10 machines that went to Air Inter. A dead end for Dassault on this one.
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On 29 April 1995, the last two Mercures in service flew their last commercial flight. All Mercures are now retired with an impressive history: 360,000 flight hours, 44 million passengers carried in 440,000 flights, no accidents, and a 98% in-service reliability.
 
Orange Anchor said:
Odd choice. Why the Mercure? Most probably do not even know about this machine. 2 prototype and 10 machines that went to Air Inter. A dead end for Dassault on this one.
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It's always been one of my favorite planes. When I was younger, I just liked the way it looked. Since then everything I ever heard about it performance wise was amazing, but 90% of the information about it was regarding what a failure it was as a project. Airways recently did a story on it which put its amazing features to light. They interviewed its pilots and what they said about it left me with a press in my pants. It was the first airliner with HUD, and with that HUD it managed to have a 98.6% success rate in CATIII conditions. It was built to keep up airspeed and not bleed off much energy. Before the 250kias below 10,000 feet rule, it would fly at 380kias until it was at 4,000 feet. The pilots would keep the power in and use the speed-brakes to descend. As they did this, it would descend at up to 14,000fpm! Below 4,000 feet, they would retract the speed-brakes and start a clean descent at 210kias, still descending at about 6,000fpm. Then just a few miles from the airport, pretty much at the start of the approach, they'd dump all the flaps and the gear and land the beast. After a few years they stopped doing this as it apparently freaked out the passengers. However, the passengers probably didn't mind that instead of window-shades,the windows had a polarization nob that would let them control how much light the window would let in.

The pilots claimed it was the airline equivalent to flying the Dassault Mirage. A total stick and rudder airplane that would do whatever you wanted it to. As a matter of fact, with its very limited range and destinations, it is claimed that almost exclusively ex-Fighter pilots made up Air Inter's Mercure pilots. With its range it could barely leave France. And yes, only 10 were produced and all for one airline. But it hauled ass from point A to point B, and had a break-even operating cost of 33 seats. Not bad for a plane with about 150 seats.

If I could pick any plane to fly, I don't plan on touching that airplanes auto-pilot. I want airplanes that are actually fun to fly. Imagine what you could do in a Cri-Cri. Land in someones yard, steal the apple pie cooling in the window, and fly off with it all before the woman figures out that wasn't a lawnmower she was hearing outside.
 
My choices are a little bit different maybe.

To fly for a living (ie do it day in and day out, blah blah blah)

DC-4/DC-6
Beaver/Buffalo
C130
Twin Otter
Beech 1900C (in Africa)
YS-11
Caravan Someplace remote(I really enjoy this airplane)
Turbine Navajo
Merlin
727

Plane's that'd be fun to fly in general

F4U1D Corsair
P38 Lightning
Pilatus Porter
Turbine Commander
Turbine 206/207 (The Soloy one)
F4 Phantom
Mig 15
 
Like to fly...

B-1
RF4
F-15
SR-71
U2

Planes listed that I've been fortunate enough to fly:

F-16
L1011
737-800
OA-37
 
Ok, since Boris busted my chops ,:laff:, I'll list the other military a/c that I wouldn't mind flying:

A-20 Marauder
P-38 Lightning
P-40 Warhawk
F-15 Eagle
A-10 Warthog




atp
 
This thread needs to be renamed "Planes you're never going to fly in your life."
 
B-25.. As I understand it there is a place in Dallas that will let you fly theirs for a fair amount of money, I may just do it!
 
ChasenSFO said:
It's always been one of my favorite planes. When I was younger, I just liked the way it looked. Since then everything I ever heard about it performance wise was amazing, but 90% of the information about it was regarding what a failure it was as a project. Airways recently did a story on it which put its amazing features to light. They interviewed its pilots and what they said about it left me with a press in my pants. It was the first airliner with HUD, and with that HUD it managed to have a 98.6% success rate in CATIII conditions. It was built to keep up airspeed and not bleed off much energy. Before the 250kias below 10,000 feet rule, it would fly at 380kias until it was at 4,000 feet. The pilots would keep the power in and use the speed-brakes to descend. As they did this, it would descend at up to 14,000fpm! Below 4,000 feet, they would retract the speed-brakes and start a clean descent at 210kias, still descending at about 6,000fpm. Then just a few miles from the airport, pretty much at the start of the approach, they'd dump all the flaps and the gear and land the beast. After a few years they stopped doing this as it apparently freaked out the passengers. However, the passengers probably didn't mind that instead of window-shades,the windows had a polarization nob that would let them control how much light the window would let in.

The pilots claimed it was the airline equivalent to flying the Dassault Mirage. A total stick and rudder airplane that would do whatever you wanted it to. As a matter of fact, with its very limited range and destinations, it is claimed that almost exclusively ex-Fighter pilots made up Air Inter's Mercure pilots. With its range it could barely leave France. And yes, only 10 were produced and all for one airline. But it hauled ass from point A to point B, and had a break-even operating cost of 33 seats. Not bad for a plane with about 150 seats.
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I was not aware of the cat III HUD. I read once that the Caravelle was one of the first autolands and then read the Trident was also in that category. But it is a great looking abeit an obscure bit of aviation history.

As for handling, the Dassault machines I had a change to fly.. SUPERB! Like they were on rails. Light on the controls and you 'think' the airplane around. It is an extension of you.
 
Drop me in from inside the B-29... count me down.. drop me like ordinance. Wait for me to flip the switches.. Key the mike. Say, "Put the spurs to 'er, Chuck."

Hell yes.
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In the realm of (almost) realism:

learjet23_01.jpg


Looks fast sitting still, goes like a rocket, and you get direct everywhere because you declared a fuel emergency on the taxiway.
 
Boris Badenov said:
In the realm of (almost) realism:

learjet23_01.jpg


Looks fast sitting still, goes like a rocket, and you get direct everywhere because you declared a fuel emergency on the taxiway.
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Speaking of them, I saw one of them pass by SFO flying VFR on the Bay Tour today. That must have been a hell of a lot of fun for whoever was flying it.
 
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