for aviation fans . . .

[OneBlueSky]

ten planes that shaped modern aviation . . . and ten runners-up . . .

http://www.msnbc.com/news/990865.asp?0bl=-0&cp1=1

[lpbk2713]

1. I wonder if they considered the DC-6?

A stalwart in the Berlin airlift.

[DemoTex]

3. DC-6: AKA the Douglas C-54 "Skymaster" (military version of the DC-6)

Berliners watch a C-54 land at Tempelhof, Berlin, 1948.

[ewagner]

2. B17 & P51

True, they were great planes but I'm a little dubious about their role in shaping flying as it now exists.

I would have suggested the British Comet as being relevant as the first jet airliner although the Boeing 707 did make the greatest mark on aviation.

[trof]

4. I've flown 5 out of 20.

1. DOUGLAS DC-3
Runner up: Boeing 747.
2. BOEING 707
5. NORTH AMERICAN P-51
8. CESSNA SINGLE-ENGINE AIRCRAFT

I think the reason the 707 was chosen is that it was the first truly "sucessful" jetliner.
But only a year after it began commercial service, Comets started to fall out of the sky. Extensive investigation revealed a devastating design flaw - metal fatigue. The constant stress of repressurization would weaken an area of the fuselage near the Comet's square-shaped windows. The Comet's thin-skin exterior would become so stressed that high pressure cabin air would burst through the slightest fracture, ripping a large slice in the aircraft's wall. All Comets were grounded until the line of jets could be redesigned.
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/planes/comet.html

on edit: Thanks for the article.

[JohnyCanuck]

8. Here's another link about the Comet and its history.

It gives a bit more detail about the early Comet crashes and the investigation leading up to the discovery of metal fatigue. I did hear someplace that the research by the British engineers into the Comet metal fatigue problems was shared with other aircraft manufactureres including Boeing which was in the process of rolling out the 707 prototype around the same time.

http://www.super70s.com/Super70s/Tech/Aviation/Aircraft/Comet.asp

Mystery Solved
In late May, an important discovery was made. The tail section of the second Comet to explode was found and had carpet from the inside of the aircraft embedded in it. As the tail section landed far away from the rest of the plane, this could only have happened as a result of a rapid decompression. Had it been the result of metal fatigue?

Then in June, the fuselage in the water tank finally failed after the equivalent of 9,000 hours of flying. An eight foot long crack developed below a window and escape hatch. But none of the recovered debris had shown such cracks. Finally in July more debris was brought up from the ocean and this time such a fracture was found.

The lessons learned were incorporated into future designs of the Comet, as well as all of its competitors. In fact, in the fifty years since these accidents, not one civilian airliners has crashed as a result of this particular phenomenon (cabin pressure fatigue failure).

The British aviation industry never recovered and instead were left to contemplate what could have been. The five remaining Comet 1s remained permanently grounded and only a few Comet 2s were sold to the Royal Air Force.

[trof]

10. There was a Comet parked at O'Hare

for a long time in the 70s. The story was it belonged to Elvis. Had some kind of major engine problem and he just said the hell with it and left it there. I think somebody bought it eventually.

[BlueCollar]

5. My personal favourite

the Boeing 727-100 and 200

Built like a dump truck and flies like a bat out of hell...

Also, one of the sexiest airplanes on the ramp...:-)

[trof]

6. And stops on a dime.

[BlueCollar]

7. dammit

we keep telling you guys....reverse thrust...

I hate changing brakes...:-)

[trof]

9. That's what I mean.

Reverse thrust was amazing.
And the engines were high enough you didn't have to worry much about sucking in FOD.
Liked that plane.

[BlueCollar]

11. hardest thing to teach a pilot?

That brakes are for parking...lol

Seriously though...I agree with you...the design was very effective...after we figured out how to keep blue-water ice from being thrown into the intake.

Another great plane for me was the P-3C Orion (L188 Electra)

Variable pitch props, fowler flaps and boost package design...simple, excellent engineering and very forgiving at low speeds...

[aQuArius]

12. AMEN