B-47 Stratojet bomber
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet was the most important multi-engine jet plane in history;
from it came many a bomber and airliner. I loved to fly it because it was so responsive to
the controls. It was demanding, and it could bite you—but it was a lovely airplane.
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XB-70 Valkyrie
The North American XB-70 Valkyrie is
a favorite because it was such a supreme engineering effort. Its life was cut short by
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who felt that it was vulnerable to missiles. It may
have been, but it was a remarkable aircraft, and you can still see the surviving example
at the great Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
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F-22 Raptor fighter
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is the key to the future of air combat. I just hope the
country has enough sense to buy it in large enough quantities to do the job it needs to
do. It will be around for many years, and expensive as it is, will still be a bargain if
we go to war again.
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F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter got off to a bad start with the USAF--it was just too
small and didn’t have enough range. But it did yeoman work for other air forces
around the world, and thoroughly proved Kelly Johnson’s genius once again.
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