The 11 Sexiest, Coolest-Looking Cold War Jets

[kentauros]

I thought y'all would appreciate this photo-story from The Houston Press the most around here :)

The 11 Sexiest, Coolest-Looking Cold War Jets

By Mel Sharkskin
Tue., Jul. 5 2011 at 6:01 AM

Jet aircraft, particularly the fighters, represent a Freudian's play date. Long, slender, blisteringly fast, spewing bullets out the tip and, until recently, powered as much by testosterone as by kerosene (the main ingredient in jet fuel -- what a disappointment). Of course, now that women fly them, and fly them quite well, thank you, this men's club is no longer so exclusive.

Airplane lovers like me all have our favorites, and though most of us won't admit it, those favorites are dictated more by aesthetic considerations -- or, to be more honest about it, by an airplane's sexiness -- as by important things such as performance, fuel efficiency and other boring statistics.

A famed aircraft designer, "Dutch" Kindleburger of North American Aviation, said (and why do these guys always have staccato, manly nicknames like, well, "Dutch," "Buzz" or "Bull"?), "If it looks good, it will fly good." And who are we to quibble with such wisdom from an aviation legend? At no time were airplanes so sexy, so come-hither, so inviting to a man to rub up against her skin, than during the Cold War. Take a look at, say, Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter (even the name was sexy) and compare it to their newest fighter, the F-22A Raptor. I would kick the latter out of bed, frankly.

We began to think about these Cold Warriors of the air, and tried to compile a list based purely on their aesthetic or sex appeal. So let's go. The top 11:

6-pages of images and individual comments at link above

[Vanje]

1. We spent billions and billions and billions of dollars

launching winged penises.

Great.

[Speck Tater]

2. They left out my personal favorite

The A4 skyhawk: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-4_Skyhawk

I used to watch the Navy Blue Angels when they flew A4's. They're such cute little compact planes, and maneuverable as all get out.

[kentauros]

3. Yeah, the problem with lists like that

is that you'll never please everyone ;)

After looking at your link, I now remember that plane and it is a good-looking one.

What's great, too, about the author of this piece is that he's flown some of the planes or ridden in them, so he has the experience to best describe and write on them. Kind of like James May of Top Gear getting to take a high-altitude flight in a U2 and give a good first-person account of the experience :)

[MilesColtrane]

4. I was a fan of the F-111.

The idea of a plane that could change its shape seemed pretty sci-fi back in the late 60s.

[leveymg]

5. I nominate the B-58 Hustler as the quintessential Cold War jet, and a few runner-ups

The RA-5C Vigilante was also a beautifully sculptured large bird



As was the Dassault Mirage IV. Stunning:



And, those are just the bombers . . .

[mn9driver]

6. There was a pair of privately restored F104's at Oshkosh a few years back

Definitely the coolest of the bunch in my book. They had those impossibly small, razor sharp wings...

But when they made their pass down the flight line in full burner, how they looked meant nothing: The sound was like the entire world caving in on itself. Nothing flying today makes that kind of noise :wow:

[kentauros]

8. I'll take your word on the sound,

but I can believe it! Maybe that's another indication of why it was so difficult to fly (too powerful!)

Oh, and the spinoff band of the Talking Heads, did a song somewhat about the F-104:

Booming and Zooming by the Tom Tom Club :)

[damntexdem]

7. Hey, what about the B52 Stratofortress; and the A10 Warthog?

Hey, the B52 is not a looker, but it's been around nearly 60 years. When I was in high school, just as we were getting out, there was the changing of the guard at the nearby Air Force base: dozens of the things looping around the sky, some taking off, some landing.

And the A10 is so ugly that it's beautiful. With a Gatling Gun asymmetrically in the nose, no less -- OK, a 'rotary cannon.' (Asymmetric so the cannon fires while centered, then rotates in the next barrel.) And, of course, the shells are DU, messing up local environments the world over.

[jmowreader]

10. A-10s are amazing aircraft

I worked out of the 2nd Infantry Division's tactical command post during Team Spirit 85. About two hours after we started setting up, four Opposing Force Warthogs came to "attack" the CP. They flew strafing runs for maybe ten minutes--and all of us, including a gentleman with two stars on his helmet, just stood there and watched the show. After we were all dead, they spent another ten minutes doing a little air show for us, like the Thunderbirds do.

Now there are two A-10 Demonstration Teams that do the same thing for civilians.

[Cheap_Trick]

9. Glad to see the SR-71 made the list.

My favorite.