Sometimes I wish I had a job that would require me to just sit and read about different types of p[lanes. Hell, what am I saying, I have that thought far more often than just sometimes.
Airplanes are just one of those subjects that cause me to just keep going and going further into Wikipedia's rabbit hole where I'm reading about one thing and end up somewhere else.
11. Vought VE-7 "Bluebird".
Biplanes are something that will always leave me in awe when admiring their features, and the Bluebird is no exception. Not only was it the US Navy's very first fighter aircraft, it was also the first plane to take off from an American aircraft carrier. The Bluebird has a rich history that doesn't deserve to be lost.
10. B-52 Stratofortress.Â
Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress is a beast. The main thing that surprises me about this aircraft is its ability to just keep on going. Originally being first officially introduced in 1955, this aircraft celebrated 60 continues years of service in 2015, with it expecting to serve into the 2050s. 744 of these were built between 1952-1962.
9. North American F-82 Twin Mustang.
Do you see this plane and just how cool it looks? It's essentially just two P-51 Mustang's melded together, but it's not like that matters as the P-51 is sexy enough on its own. It's the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the USAF.
8. A-10 "Warthog" Thunderbolt II.
While not the most stylish aircraft around, the A-10 is a beast nonetheless. It's really more of a flying gun, then a plane with an attached gun as it was designed around the 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon gun; a gun specially made as an anti-tank weapon.
7. Boeing 367-80.
The 367-80 (Dash 80) was the concept for the 707 (Boeing's first jet airliner) and KC-135 (an aerial refueling aircraft), both of which still see service today.
6. Rockwell B-1 Lancer.
Supersonic and swing wing design are booth really cool in of themselves, but combing the two... oh man. Who can turn this down?
5. Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit.
The B-2 is like the epitome of coolness. I remember learning about the SR-71 and this plane and just imagining how cool it would be to be able to fly in either one of them. The B-2 is also set to get an updated younger sibling, the B-21 which is set to become active around 2025.
4. Aero Spacelines Super Guppy.
Okay, while the B-2 may the epitome of coolness, the Super Guppy is not. However, it is unique and beautiful in it's own Frankenstein looking way.
3. Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.
MASSIVE turboprops power this VTOL beast. It's that reason for which I really enjoy it as when the props are in their horizontal position it just looks so menacing.
2. Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.
This was the first American aircraft to be designed around stealth technology. One of the things that astounds me about this plane is that it is a single seat vehicle. How one person can control something that looks like this is just such a weird concept to me, but obviously, it worked as only one aircraft was ever lost in combat.
1½. NASA Space Shuttle.
Alright... this is 1½ on my list because I don't know if it truly counts as a plane... I mean it flies, kinda? At least glides to a landing? Either way, NASA's Space Shuttle brought us much closer to space travel than ever before. It deserves to always be recognized for its beauty and functionality.
1. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.
The Blackbird... what a beauty. Holding the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft with it being able to travel at over Mach 3 made it's aerial reconnaissance missions a breeze. I could go on and on about how badass this plane is, but just take a look at what it's pilots had to wear (yeah, those are basically spacesuits). How wild would that be to wear and fly in?
