US WWII Fighter Poll

What is your favorite US WWII Fighter

  • p-40 Warhawk

    Votes: 4 4.9%

  • F6F Hellcat

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • P-47 Thunderbolt

    Votes: 7 8.6%

  • F4U Corsair

    Votes: 22 27.2%

  • P51 Mustang

    Votes: 26 32.1%

  • F4F Wildcat

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • P-38 Lightning

    Votes: 18 22.2%

  • F8F Bearcat

    Votes: 2 2.5%
  • Total voters
    81
MickYoumans

MickYoumans

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MickYoumans
What is your favorite US fighter from the WWII era? I'm on the fence between the P51 Mustang and F4U Corsair. I love 'em both.
 
edit: Didn't see the US part.

Of the list, definitely the P38
 
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Have to go with the corsair,one all around great airplane.
 
The iconic P-51 Mustang. Turned the airwar around with its long range capability, and they look sexy as hell.

P-51-_Hangar__Medium_.jpg
 
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P-47 followed closely be the P-51.
 
MickYoumans said:
What is your favorite US fighter from the WWII era? I'm on the fence between the P51 Mustang and F4U Corsair. I love 'em both.
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You missed one, the P-39 Airacobra. That's just limiting it to those that played a significant role. If you include all those that saw combat you'd have to include the Boeing P-26, Seversky P-35, Curtiss P-36, and Brewster F2A. If actual combat is a qualifier then the F8F Bearcat should not be on the list. If combat is not a qualifier then the F7F Tigercat and Lockheed P-80 should be on it.
 
The P-51D with the Packard V-1650-7 engine.
 
F6F Hellcat for me! Most kills of any other Navy Allied fighter. Beautifully simple and rugged with no frills. Plus you cant beat the radial roar!
 
Since I started my instruction in a P51C the Mustang gets my vote.
So far I have one hour............another 20 to 30 hours I'll have my HP endorsement covered.:D
 
Geico266 said:
The iconic P-51 Mustang. Turned the airwar around with its long range capability, and they look sexy as hell.
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They sound pretty dang sexy too. When you see them do fly-overs at Oshkosh they sound so cool. They have a deep throaty sound that is different from the other war birds.
 
P-38 without a doubt. America's top two WW2 aces, Dick Bong (40 kills) & Tommy McGuire (38 kills) both flew the P-38. Also it was a P-38 that shot down Yamamoto. Plus it is just a bad ass looking bird of prey.
 
It was a tough choice for me on this list. I think one's affinity towards one aircraft or another usually is based in part by the stories and exploits of an individual plane.

  • P40 Warhawk- Awesome stories and operational history. Cool paint jobs and a nice looking airplane. For me, contender number one!
  • F6F - Hellcat- A godsend to the Navy in the Pacific. By all accounts a great plane with proven success, but I don't think you could have designed a more boring looking airplane. Kind of like "generic fighter plane" on the box.
  • P47 Thunderbolt. Neat stories, a terrific ground attack plane and could hold it's own against other fighters too. However, it is an awkward looking plane. Kind of like a champion body builder. All muscle and poor aesthetics.
  • F4U Corsair- Wildly popular stories about the Black sheep Squadron. The only one in the group to get it's own TV show! Interesting blend of meat, muscle and grace. For whatever reason though, it never really resonated with me.
  • P51 Mustang- The pretty boy, the savior of the free world, the greatest fighter that ever existed. To this day, it still flies in numbers that rival many small countries entire air force. But kind of like the hansom, star quarterback, so popularized, so perfect and so storied, that it's actually kind of boring.
  • F4F Wildcat- Poor thing had a tough time of it. A bit behind the times but through the ingenuity of her pilots and exploiting her virtues, was able to hold back the Japanese until better machines arrived at great cost. Still, a neat looking airplane with nice balance and very... well, Grumman. I like um.
  • P-38 Lightning- Great stories of Lindberg flying seemingly impossible distances. Many aces scored in this plane. Fork tailed Devil indeed! Great service record in both theaters. Most visually interesting fighter produced by any country during WWII. Contender number 2.
  • F8F Bearcat- As far as I can tell, pretty much just a Reno air racer. No remarkable service history and visually, like it's F6F predecessor, kind of generic. Had the war in the Pacific gone on another year and had the Japanese had much of an air force left, it would likely have become legendary. It's stories really all came after the war.
After much consideration, I had to go with the P-38. It is just so damn cool sounding and looking!! I too think the P-39 should have been included in this list, but I guess all it's remarkable stories and triumphs came at the hands of Soviet pilots and not ours. It's fascinating history is not told enough and I wish for once, the current owners of these planes would choose to honor this history and paint one in the colors of the Soviet army instead of the Army Air Corp, circa 1940. Just a tiny personal pet peeve.
 
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The votes so far seem to fall in line proportionally with what you see most commonly at airshows.

My vote is for the P-47 - it's all engine, big, and bad-ass looking.
 
Dav8or said:
It was a tough choice for me on this list. I think one's affinity towards one aircraft or another usually is based in part by the stories and exploits of an individual plane.

  • P40 Warhawk- Awesome stories and operational history. Cool paint jobs and a nice looking airplane. For me, contender number one!
    ...
After much consideration, I had to go with the P-38. It is just so damn cool sounding and looking!! ....
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The P-40 is also a top favorite of mine, mostly due to the Flying Tigers. We also agree on number 1 being the P-38. Great minds think alike!
 
While the P51 was THE fighter in Europe, the Coursar what THEplane in the Pcific. It's my favorite. Here's to VMA-214. They flew the Coursar through WWII and on into Korea.
 
SkyDog58 said:
I have no idea what that is. :dunno:
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Long story short, WW2/little beyond era air combat game for PC and PS4. Free to play. :yes:

US/Germany/Russia/Britain/Japan trees. I am torn between US/Russian/mid german planes. All have their own styles and tricks to them which is nice. Energy fighters here, angles fighters there, etc etc. Fun game for the price of free. Great looking too!
JJGeOTb.jpg
 
I have PIC time in a P-51D. Fabulous airplane.
Sentimental favorite is the P-38. Never got to fly one.
F-8F is a beast, but I don't believe it ever made it to the dance during WWII and by Korea it was obsolete.
 
Why no non-American planes in these polls? Spitfire, ME-262, FW-190, etc?
 
Love the Super Corsair, saw two of them at the Cactus fly-in a few years ago, probably about a year before we lost Bob the owner, both aircraft were excellent examples of the aircraft.
 

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I didn't make a British poll because I figured the Spitfire would have 99.9% of the votes. Once you get beyond the Spitfire, what other contenders would there be besides the Hawker Hurricane and de Havilland Misquito? I personally like the Misquito. I thought it was pretty unique considering it was made of wood during a time when aluminum was the standard aircraft material.
 
MickYoumans said:
I didn't make a British poll because I figured the Spitfire would have 99.9% of the votes. Once you get beyond the Spitfire, what other contenders would there be besides the Hawker Hurricane and de Havilland Misquito? I personally like the Misquito. I thought it was pretty unique considering it was made of wood during a time when aluminum was the standard aircraft material.
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Always a classic.... http://youtu.be/1MFsq5CVAN0
 
The P-47 for me. It was outstanding in all phases of air combat, from aerial engagements to ground attack. It also had good range (later models had outstanding range, escorting B-29s to Japan and back). Above all, it was beloved by pilots for its ruggedness. The USAF should have retained the P-47 for use in Korea instead of the P-51 due to its firepower and survivability in the ground attack role.

I may be alone here, but I think the P-47 is a beautiful airplane, especially with the bubble canopy. Pilots loved its roomy cockpit and mild-mannered flying characteristics. The wide undercarriage made it easier to land as well.
 
ETres said:
The P-47 for me. It was outstanding in all phases of air combat, from aerial engagements to ground attack. It also had good range (later models had outstanding range, escorting B-29s to Japan and back). Above all, it was beloved by pilots for its ruggedness. The USAF should have retained the P-47 for use in Korea instead of the P-51 due to its firepower and survivability in the ground attack role.

I may be alone here, but I think the P-47 is a beautiful airplane, especially with the bubble canopy. Pilots loved its roomy cockpit and mild-mannered flying characteristics. The wide undercarriage made it easier to land as well.
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I agree and would have rather been in a P47 or a corsair due to survive ability in ground attack mode. P51 very vulnerable. An FBO I knew, now deceased flew corsairs in the marines. Claimed the later model could eat a P51 up in a dog fight and he said it was proved in practice sessions.
 
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