"Jcarr" (jcarr)
04/04/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Planeopnik
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"Jcarr" (jcarr)
04/04/2014 at 11:00 • Filed to: Planeopnik | 3
| 26 |
So I like commercial airliners. I find them fascinating and fun to watch. That got me thinking about which ones I like best, which got me thinking, "Maybe I should spend a bunch of time ranking them for no reason".
That said, here is my completely subjective, totally arbitrary ranking of a not all-encompassing list of popular airliners. I'm sure you're dying with anticipation...
Disclaimer: This list doesn't contain every airliner, or variant thereof, in service. It contains the ones I see most often in plane spotting videos. I don't care much about little regional jets and turboprops, so I didn't include them. Feel free to disagree with me and tell me that I don't know anything :)
13. Airbus A320 family: The nose is too stubby, the main gear is too far forward on the fuselage, and it sits too high. This thing looks awful compared to the 737.
12. Airbus A380: Form definitely follows function with this beast. Sure, it serves the purpose of hauling lots of passengers just fine, but that huge fuselage and small, tapered nose make this thing look like a neanderthal with a huge forehead. I like the way the wing roots slope into the fuselage, but there's just no getting past that huge cranium.
11. Boeing 757: Like the A320, it sits too high. The tall main gear and beakish nose make this bird literally look like a bird, and not in a good way. It looks like they shaved the bottom third of the fuselage off.
10. Douglas DC-9/McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family: Only two knocks here. The nose is too stubby and I hate how short the gear is. Something about this thing just looks cheap and dated. From the nose back and gear up, though, it's not that bad.
9. Boeing 787: I like the tapered and swept back wingtips. I like the serrated edges on the nacelles. I don't like the tapered nose.
8. Boeing 737: Not much bad to say here. I like it's shape, I like both the older "cigar" style engines and the newer flat bottom ones. It's managed to stay modern looking even though it's been around forever.
7. Boeing 767: Nice, solid, wide-body twin. Nothing awkward or offensive about the design and shape. That said, not much to get excited about, either.
6. Airbus A330: Pretty much the same as the 767, although I find it to be slightly better looking. The slightly more tapered nose and fuselage bulge at the wing root add some character.
5. Lockheed L1011: A classic from the dawn of the wide-body. Lots of debate over whether the Tristar or DC-10 is better looking. Personally, I've never been a fan of the way the tail engine is routed down instead of straight back so that puts it behind the DC-10 on my list.
4. Airbus A340: I love the way the -600 looks with that long body and big engines. Shame they're out of production.
3. Boeing 747: The queen. Even the most naive and oblivious in the world can identify the 747. My favorite is the -8I with the elongated front section. Looks particularly good in Lufthansa livery.
2. Douglas DC-10/McDonnell Douglas MD-11: Best looking trijet in my opinion. These things look strong, sleek, and powerful. They got a somewhat unfair safety reputation early on and I'm sad to see them becoming fewer and far between.
1. Boeing 777: Big, long, sleek and strong. I love the long body -300ER. I love those gigantic GEs. I love the 6-wheel mains. I love the blade tail. This is my favorite commercial aircraft, bar none.
Jagvar
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:06 |
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To date, the 777 is the largest (and nicest) plane I've ever flown in. The 747 is still on my bucket list.
Frank Grimes
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:10 |
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I wish there was an airliner that was say flat gray livery with black stenciled type. you sit in jump seats the whole way and have to wear ear protection the whole time because they insist on opening the back in flight and letting some people or a jeep jump out to their destination and conduct their business or vacation. The drinks and food selection will be limited to jerky ginger ale and peanuts and its really really cheap. And flys all over the place. Also they do barrel rolls on each flight.
desertdog5051
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:11 |
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Yeah, but 737 feels like the tiniest cabin ever.
FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:11 |
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I'd put 747 as #1 and put 737 further up. I really like the nose on the 737. Also the 707 is quite striking and still flying.
wabbastang
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:11 |
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This was probably the most irrelevant review of anything I've ever read, and I like it.
jariten1781
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:15 |
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No Concorde?
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Jcarr
> wabbastang
04/04/2014 at 11:17 |
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Who needs relevancy!
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Jcarr
> jariten1781
04/04/2014 at 11:19 |
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Totally forgot about the Concorde. It's never really captured my heart from an aesthetic perspective, so that's probably why. I did have the privilege of seeing it fly in person once in the mid-90s and I think my ears are still ringing.
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:22 |
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I personally think the Embraer E-1xx (E-190s pictures) series are some of the handsomest things in the sky right now. They are small, but the cabin is airy and bright with big windows, excellent lighting, and in all the configurations I've flown, surprisingly spacious seating. They are also extremely quiet.
I've flown on everything you listed above —except the A380— and I only give the MD-11 higher marks for comfort, and only because the one I flew hadn't been re-fitted in nearly 15 years and still had leg room. Like AMAZING amounts of leg room. It was loud though; but I mean the coach seats were like current generation first class! They may have, in fact, had slightly more leg room than first class in most current 737s (which are classic machines, I'll give you that.)
heliochrome85
> Jagvar
04/04/2014 at 11:24 |
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Concorde. #1-12. 747 #13.
f86sabre
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:30 |
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You miss something important to Opponauts with this list. The 757 is the hotrod of the group. Best power to weight ratio around. The newer 777s might be close. A 757 launching with a light load is a thrill, especially if the pilot is willing to hold the brakes for a bit.
The 737 is the Miata of the group. Always the right answer. Especially now with the long range/high capacity variants.
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JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> f86sabre
04/04/2014 at 11:47 |
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Agreed, I never thought I'd get a launch like a 737-200 Advanced (lets just say that when your take-off window opens up at Newark and your pilot is from New Jersy and in a bad mood you'll see some serious shit in a 737-200 Advanced) again until I rode the 757 Rocket-Express. GODDAMN that thing has some hustle!
AMC/Renauledge
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 11:56 |
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Your complaints against the DC-9/MD-80 family were largely addressed on the Boeing 717 (MD-95) version. The nose isn't as stubby. And I love how enormous the engines look against the fuselage on this thing. POWEEEERRRRR!!!!!
My favorite-looking commercial airliner is a much, much smaller plane. The Fairchild Metroliner. It looks like a missile and a mosquito bumped uglies and brought this into the world. I love the look of the props and the shape of the vertical stabilizer. Brilliant.
My second-favorite is the Boeing 707. Just look at it. And apparently, bits of it are still being used in today's 737.
Stef Schrader
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 14:11 |
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Something about this thing just looks cheap and dated.
I'm pretty sure McDonnell-Douglas pretty much anything is older than I am. Shoot, they got eaten up by Boeing when I was a kid (IIRC).
twochevrons
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 14:19 |
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That said, you REALLY don't want to get a back-row seat in one of these, with the engine right next to your ear - I'm pretty sure that I suffered slight hearing loss after a 5-hour trip in the back of an MD-80 a while back.
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Jcarr
> Stef Schrader
04/04/2014 at 14:28 |
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Fair point, they were introduced way back in 1965. Guess the design just hasn't aged as well as say a 737 or 747.
Makoyouidiot
> Jcarr
04/04/2014 at 17:31 |
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And tomorrow....business planes? Maybe? Please?
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Jcarr
> Makoyouidiot
04/04/2014 at 18:05 |
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Ah, I don't know business aircraft well at all so I'm afraid you'll have to look to someone else for an arbitrary, useless ranking of those.
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Makoyouidiot
> Jcarr
04/05/2014 at 11:58 |
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damn
Because-Racecar
> Jcarr
04/05/2014 at 21:12 |
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OP: I fly the KC(DC)-10. Let's be friends!!
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Because-Racecar
> Frank Grimes
04/05/2014 at 21:15 |
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Join the US Air Force. Become a C-130 loadmaster, FE, Nav, or (if you can hack it) Pilot.
You get to do all of the above! Including the flys and food!
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Frank Grimes
> Because-Racecar
04/05/2014 at 21:52 |
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I'm too old. I regret not joining the military. I am not sure if I would do good in the military but by the time I realized it might be something to consider I was too old.
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Jcarr
> Because-Racecar
04/06/2014 at 00:06 |
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Awesome! I had the opportunity to walk through one at EAA AirVenture a few years ago. It really makes the KC-135 look puny.
Mike_Smith
> Jcarr
04/07/2014 at 17:41 |
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You forgot Concorde.
UH60_Pilot
> Jcarr
04/11/2014 at 12:30 |
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You forgot my personal all-time favorite, the Boeing 727 :)
Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
> Jcarr
08/27/2014 at 23:06 |
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I'm with you about 50% of the time, with the 757 being at the top of my list.
One more to consider - the Dassault Mercure. It's like an early 737 with a dash of French style:
