Favorite airliner and why?

Bill

Bill

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On the back of the "Favorite airplane and why?", I'm asking our airline pilots to tell of their favorite airliner and why.

If this thread has been done before, let me know and I'll delete. Thanks!
 
B-747 -easiest big airplane to fly
B-757 (a 172 with more power than you can imagine)
B-767 (same as 757 but roomier)
MD11 (present airplane - not an easy plane to fly - proof that engineers cannot design airplanes without pilot input...but they keep trying) too close to retirement to learn a new plane.
DC9/MD80 - first jet and enjoyed flying it
DC8 (just plane old solid honest airplane that would take you anywhere and back)
Twin Otter - more fun than a East Texas farmboy should have
 
Not enough experience to have a favorite. Mine isn't technically an "airliner" either.
 
Gucci Pilot said:
Not enough experience to have a favorite. Mine isn't technically an "airliner" either.
Click to expand...

But, from what I gather, you fly for either FedEx or UPS, correct? Those freighters are close enough.
 
B-727: real pilots airplane, built strong, great systems, takes a 'lickin and keeps on tickin.

B757/767: easy to fly, Boeing built, need I say more?

A-320: High tech, very intuitive. Flies like a GA light twin.
 
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757 - Lots of power and just plain fun
767 - Similar to the 75 but more Cadillac like
727 - Only got to plumb on it but it was just a great overall airplane
E-120 (Brasilia)- was the best turboprop I flew. Fast, had an APU, and flew really nice.
 
Concorde....nothing else comes close ...and probably never will again..
 
I have 1,000s of hours on each of these but only as self loading freight.

1) 747 - because back in the day they had a bar and lounge upstairs. Sadly I was too young to drink back then but I can reminise when I'm up there. Also the business class seats by the window upstairs have a ledge that's great for keeping stuff in flight.
2) 767 - because they have more first class seats so I have a better chance of snagging an upgrade.
3) 757 - same reason as #2 when compared to a 737 and they just feel a little roomier.
4) 737 - too much of a cattle car vibe and with the extended range version of these you can find yourself on some really long flights.
5) MD80s - I hate being older than what I fly commercially and ever since I looked into the cockpit of one and saw a 496 on the dash I've lost a little confidence in the airframe.
6) RJs - The worst. One of the reasons why I became a pilot was to never have to fly on one again. Also there is no reason why I should ever have more hours than the professional pilot flying me and my family at this point in my flying life.

Probably not the answer the OP was looking for but writing this post was therapeutic so thank you.
 
The Connie! Coolest most iconic plane ever.
747. 2nd coolest most iconic plane ever.

While technically an airliner, the Concorde would be tops but I can't call that a real airliner by the common definition.
 
DHC-7.

DHC-7_N174RA_Pan_Am_Ex_KBOS_02.08.87R_edited-3.jpg


Most fun I've ever had while getting paid to fly people around.
 
DC-9. Built like a tank, easy to fly, been around forever, solid airplane for what it can do. The -10/15 is a little rocket too.
 
For riding on, I like the Embraer 145s when you get on the 1 side of the 1-2 layout. Nothing like having both the window and the aisle, and boarding and deplaning is super fast because it's so small.
 
I'm just an SEL pilot, so don't have any airliner experience from the very front end. From my experience flying in coach they are all pretty similar, but I HATE the 777 as a passenger. They have what I think are video control boxes under every 3rd seat. Those $#@& boxes take up a third of the already constrained space for my legs, and I always seem to get seated in a location hobbled by the bloody things. I will actually pay more to avoid flying on a 777. So, it is gratifying that they don't show up as a favorite for pilots either.
 
When the seat reclines and has support for my legs, that airliner gets my highest rating. I last found this on a B747.
For cabin noise, the A380 upper deck wins for me not needing my ANR ear buds.
I never travel first or business.
Looking forward to the day I'll experience the lower cabin alt of a B787!
 
Flyhound said:
I'm just an SEL pilot, so don't have any airliner experience from the very front end. From my experience flying in coach they are all pretty similar, but I HATE the 777 as a passenger. They have what I think are video control boxes under every 3rd seat. Those $#@& boxes take up a third of the already constrained space for my legs, and I always seem to get seated in a location hobbled by the bloody things. I will actually pay more to avoid flying on a 777. So, it is gratifying that they don't show up as a favorite for pilots either.
Click to expand...

Same exact thing in the A340 and A330.

This applies to older airframes; the newer ones have smaller boxen...
 
It's the only one I've flown so I'll vote for it -- and I'm a little surprised it hasn't shown up in this thread before now:

DC-3.

Glad I had a chance to fly a DC-3, at least once. 6/28/72, N1213M, Long Beach CA to Medford Oregon, 4.0 hr., signed off in my logbook by the CFI-captain as “1st officers duties – co-pilot checkout.” The airplane was being ferried to a new owner in Oregon and the captain needed a co-pilot on the spur of the moment to be legal. I took the rest of the day off from work to make the trip. All it cost me was airline fare back home from Medford, a bargain in my view.

dc-3_n1213m4.jpg


I’m told that the airplane was scrapped a few years ago.

Weird coincidence follow-up to this story ...

A few months ago I was flying the 172 home to Washington State from San Diego. Flying more or less the same route from Southern California toward Medford, I reflected on that DC-3 trip so long ago.

Passing Medford, my reverie was broken by chatter on the Cascade Approach frequency. A Lancair Columbia was IFR from the Medford area toward Burns, and there were a number of transmissions between that aircraft and the controller.

All of a sudden I got a chill when I realized what callsign I was hearing from that Columbia: N1213M !! Same registration number as the DC-3 had.
 
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