What aircraft (other than airliners) have you flown or flown on?

Here’s one I forgot! When I was in the U.S. Navy, I got to fly in P-5 Marlin seaplane. Here’s a brief description of that flight, grabbed from a presentation I did recently for an adult ed class about aviation; the photographs are mine. Click on the image to see a larger version:

A few years later, after I had been wounded in Vietnam, I developed a seriouis bone infection in my right femur and was isolated in a sunroom at Balboa hospital. The sunroom overlooked San Diego Bay; I enjoyed watching Marlins taking off and landing. 

Kenny stayed in the Navy and eventually he became a rear admiral. Early in his career he had been a Grumman S2F submarine hunter pilot. He described aircraft carriers as looking about the size of a postage stamp when he was preparing to land on them. 

Bob

In the mid 1980's, I flew from KI Sawyer AFB in Michigan to Dyess AFB in Texas for a TDY. 

My ride was a old school water injection KC-135A tanker and that thing was LOUD. 

Coolest parts of the trip were watching them air refuel a group of F-106A Delta Darts on their way to Red Flag and on the landing, I was allowed to sit in the instructors seat to watch. 

Weird part there was wondering why they were coming in at an angle off to the side; I didn't know about crabbing into the wind at that time but I did know enough to keep my mouth shut while the pilots focused on their job. :-)

Would've loved to get a ride in a B-52 or a Six but I wasn't anywhere near a priority for getting an altitude card. Oh, well. 

This could be quite a list. Some of these date back to the 1970s when I first started flying. A lot of these are right seat or back seat, but some I actually had the stick/yoke in my hand. Here goes...

Very first flight in a Boeing 707, after basic training, Feb 1967, San Antonio to St. Louis.

PT-22, T-6D, T-6G, Harvard Mk II, T-28, T-34

PT-17, PT-19, BT-13, Tiger Moth

P-51D "Color Me Gone", P-51D "Ge Ge"

B-25J "Chapter 11", B-25J "Killer B", B-25J "Pacific Prowler", B-29A "FiFi"

Grumman TBM, S-2 Tracker, C-47 "Tico Belle"

Island Airlines Ford Tri-Motor, EAA Ford Tri-Motor, JU-52 "Iron Annie"

Piper Super Cub, J-3 Cub, PA-11 Cub, Piper Tomahawk, Aeronca Champ

Piper Comanche and Twin Comanche, Piper Aerostar, Piper Cherokee

Cessna 150, 152, 172, 172 Straight Tail, 185 on floats, 206, 210,

O-2/Skymaster, L-19/O-1

RLU-1 Breezy, Vans RV-8

King Air, V-Tail Bonanza, Fuji LM-1, New Standard D-25, Rockwell Twin Aero Commander

Schweizer 2-33A, Grob 2-Seat Sailplane

Sikorsky H-34, Jet Ranger, Bell 47

Most of the Northrop Raiders wound up at Sheppard AFB where they were use as maintenance training airframes until they were sold as surplus. When I was in high school a friend and I found three disassembled examples behind the civil passenger terminal on the base and ruined our clothes crawling through them.

Not too many, no military.

Collings B-24.

Freight only. No stick time on anything whatsoever.

Mostly corporate stuff.

King Air, Citation.

Fun one was a DeHaviland Dove corporate aircraft that belonged to BAC. We flew all over France and Britain back in the early 60's when my father was evaluating Concorde for United Airlines (spoiler: they didn't buy it). He flew in Concorde; I did not.

Jim Lovell's 421C which a guy I used as a vendor owned.

bill

Piper J-3 Cub, Supercub, Cherokee 180, Arrow, Cherokee 6, Apache, Aztec, Vagabond, Tripacer

Cessna 150, 172, 310, and L-19

Mooney

Beaver

C-123, C-9 Nightingale, Sea Stallion, Huey, Gulfstream C-20, B-24

Starduster Biplane

Grandpa had a Piper dealership, soloed me and I flew for eight years. He and my Uncle built Stardusters and Pitts. I also served 8 years in the US Navy. We had a Navy flying club. I was an ER physician in the Navy. We utilized a Sea Stallion as a Medevac chopper. Most of the single engine planes I have piloted with the exception of the L-19 and the Beaver. The light twins flown as a passenger. Passenger or ER Physician on the military stuff. Joy riding paying passenger on the B-24. Lots of fun involved!

- Mike

It is straight Don, but it looks like a lot of dihedral to me, too, in this three view.  But then, I've heard it didn't fly too right either.

But the Caribou designed to the same purpose is similar, if not so extreme.

Maybe the center section is straight and dihedral is only from engines outboard?

Hi - Yup, I was thinking of the twin engine Pioneer I saw in the UK, indeed it was the Northrop Raider that I got the ride in. Thanks for the information and letting me get it right.

One thing that puzzled me at the time, why would a high wing aircraft need so much dihedral?

Patrick

Northrop C-125 Raider?

This aircraft?

The Trislander

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Trislander

While based briefly in Anchorage in the late 60's, I had the opportunity to get a ride in a sort of strange looking Tri-engine, fixed landing gear cargo airplane, I think it was called a Scottish Pioneer. Slower than Social Security raises, loud and rattley bang ride, instrument panel looked like a 1954 juke box. Entirely random instrument placement, single artificial horizon dead center in the lower middle part of the panel.

The pilot was a seasoned Alaska bush pilot, he handled the old thing masterfully and obviously loved it.

Same time period I had a ride on a Curtiss Robin, I think it may have been from the late 20's. I heard that it was still flying out of Fairbanks, in the mid 70's. Remarkable, because Alaska bush flying isn't known to be easy on aircraft.

In the very early 60's I had a ride on the Army H-21, tandom rotor, radial engine in the back. Whatever the driveline system to the front rotor was, it made a LOT of weird noises in flight.

Patrick

Okay, here you go, flying and diving at the same time. Using USMC CH46's to insert and extract our gear in the flooded volcanic crater (Kauhaku Crater, on the Kaulapapa Pennisula, on the island of Molokai, Hawaii). This op was in support of a National Park Service project. Additionally, we were 'flying' an mini ROV there, down to about 500' BSL (below sea level). Somewhere down there is a vent to the sea, so the water in the crater is brackish and the surface is at sea level.

One should note that during part of those insertions and extractions, there were times where there was only about 15' of clearance between the rotor tips and the overhanging trees. Yeah, it was a fun op, and those chopper jockies had big brass ones!

Some guys just want to spoil the fun. I stopped off an Ascension on my 3 flights to and from the Falklands. Mostly just 2 hour stoppovers but did do one over nighter. Would have like to have explored that place more.

All in all, very cool!

I missed getting a ride on the HMS Otter in 1989(?) while at Wideawake airfield on Ascension Island. We became friendly with the crew at the all ranks club. 

We had it all set up, but my squadron opps officer pushed up departure time up by 12 hours. He wanted to get home. Sad.

Mach, i couldn't tell you. I was only at the controls a few mins and was to excited to take note of such things. The boat was operating around the Isle of Wight doing some training with the SBS, so i don't think we went very deep.

Tankerbuilder:

"How did you find the Embraer to fly or ride in?"

If you are asking about the Bandeirante, it was OK but no where near what I was used to coming after lots of time in King Airs.  Systems were not well designed, I remember that if you failed to follow the right sequence of procedures in certain electrlcal malfunctions you could lose all electrical power and never get it back even though there were still enough operating components for it to work  Prop deice was not very reliable and the nosewheel most often would shimmy no matter what I did to prevent it on both of the two that I flew.  No matter how fierce I talked to maintenace as chief pilot they could never really fix those two items.  The airplane was designed by a school to be an assault transport for the Brazilian military and was adapted to the airline role, these two were part of a corporate flight department.  The single engine climb was very poor at 12,500 pounds, though the airlines operated them at 13,500.  Fuel load was minimal with 18 pax on board.  Control harmony was good but selecting full flaps brought a large trim change and a tendency to balloon unless power was reduced to near idle, that made things interesting on low approaches.  All that flap was unnecesary on normal length runways anyway.  The cockpit was large and comfortable and switches and controls were well laid out, visibility was good.

Yeah, I took a 195 in trade on an A-36TC and flew it a bit with the ex-owner.  It had been modified with a turbocharger on the Jacobs.  A bungee on the yoke pulling against the trim was the trick to get it to stop hunting in pitch.  It felt more like the 170 than the 180 so far as control feel.  Flaps were useless.

Cessna 150
Cessna 152
Cessna 172
Cessna 182
Cessna 210
Cessna 310
Cessna 410

Piper Tomahawk
Piper Warrior
Piper Cherokee
Piper Siminole
Piper Seneca
Piper Navajo

Beechcraft Bonanza T and V tail
Beechcraft Skipper
Beechcraft Musketeer
Beechcraft Duke
Beechcraft Dutchess
Beechcraft Baron
Beachcraft Queen Air
Beechcraft King Air

Bell 47
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King
C-130

Hawker Siddeley 125

Several Hot Air Ballons

I was an aircraft mechanic for Beech, Piper and an FBO.

Bish,

The VC-10 is a great plane!

How deep did you go in HMS Trafalgar? I'm betting you beat my 105ft, buy a lot!

I was selected for an exhange tour to RAF Brize-Norton to fly the VC-10. Love the plane! its a rocket! Sadly I had to turn it down.

I forgot a few on my passenger list:

Embrea

Brasilia

ERJ

190/175

Bombardier

CRJ

Dash 8 200/400

How could I forget the Boeing 757 and 767!

Fokker F-28 and F-100

Some very nice aircraft people have listed.

So far no one has listed the Cessna 190/195. Thats on my bucket list to fly.

Anyone have time in one?

WOW Hoo Yah Deep Sea!

Now that is cool!

How did you find the Embraer to fly or ride in?

Well Let's see;

    Flew in the following.The early 707s

    Flew in Capitol Airlines Vickers Viscount

    Flew in American Airlines D-C-7-C

    Flew in D-C- 3 and C-47

    Flew in Southwest's Inaugaral 727 flight from L.A.X. to San Francisco

    Have flown the following:

    Cessna-180 and 180 Float Plane

    Taylorcraft Esc. Spray aircraft

     Piper J-3 (owned it and restored it)

     Sweitzer M-series Sail Plane

     C-130 and B-24

     Owned and Flew a B-25 - J

     Flew Transfer flights from Orly (Paris,France) to the U.S in Falcon 10s, 20s and 30s       for Fed Ex. and Little Rock Airmotive.

     Now fly a modelers bench as the ticker grounded me permanently 

Flown:

Piper Cherokee, Piper Arrow

Flown in:

Piper Cub

Beech Baron

Beech Bonanza

Vultee BT-13

AT-6

B-17G

PBY

Can't remember 'em all, but this was one of the most memorable. Flying second seat on a Breezy. The only things between me and oblivion were a 12 inch square seat cushion and a lap belt. What a rush! Here we are on final for 29 at New Smyrna Beach.

Im PPL rated on PA-18, C-150,C172 .

I have piloted DH Chipmunk, DH Tiger moth, C-182, Aeronca 11, J-3 ,PA-180

Have flown in - Super Decathlon, R44, DC-3, Beechcraft 18, Kitfox 7, T6 harvard, most light cessna/pipers

When I was in the Airforce I flew in AS 330 Puma, Alloette 3 (as flight medic) , Atlas Oryx, Boeing 707, C-47, C-54, TP-47, C-130, C-160

I am lucky to be working and rebuilding aircraft so I dont have to look far to get a ride :-)

Theuns

Aeronca C-3

PT-17

C-150

Piper -140

T-33

T-37

Grumman Yankee

Ercoupe

NASA 737

Beech Bonanza

VariEze

Fixed wing.

C-130

C-17.

Tristar

VC-10

Helicopter.

Wessex

Puma

Merlin

Lynx

Chinook

Sea King

S-61N

And underwater.

HMS Trafalgar. And thats the only one i got to get my hands on the controls.

Oh, if your counting 'flying' in the depths .  .  .  add 285 feet down breathing air, and 300 feet down on mixed gas (HEO2), and I don't need to be wrapped up in 2 inches of HY80 steel either. HOO YAH DEEP SEA !!!