What's the Air Equivalent of a Corvette?

[bigD]

Ercoupe!

 

[tarp]

Gobs of horsepower, open canopy......got a be a P-51 Mustang! Can't think of anything finer for the man who has everything.

Poor man's edition --- get a T-34 Mentor (i.e. Bonanza with canopy and inverted capability).

After that, you're stuck with planes that "thrummmm".

Good engines on:

A-36 Bonanza (it has that thrum in it)
C-310Q (another good vibration runs through it)
Aerostar (good thrum, can't hold much weight)

Love the sound of:

Glassair 540
Porshe Mooney
Lancair (I don't know the number, but it sounds good!)

Trailing the pack:

C-210 (turbocharge it and it sounds just right)
Turbo Saratoga
Turbo Baron

 

[CatYaaak]

A restored Grumman F9F Panther (for going fast)

or..........

A Curtiss P12 Hawk (for a more casual tour)

 

[rumpletumbler]

You have to remember here that a Corvette is maybe a good looking car but has the handling characteristics of a lumber truck. You might impress the women sitting at the red light but if you try to impress anyone on the road it's likely to be an ambulance driver. I've always thought of the Corvette as the sports car for people who didn't know anything about sports cars. No offense intended just my opinion.

RT

 

[SaabStory]

Corvette?...A plastic Chevy with a very insecure driver.

 

[wingnutt]

you last two posters must not have heard of/rode in the new Z06...i agree with you if referring to a 1974 vette, but the Z06 is a world away...

 

[av8raaron]

Depends on what class of aircraft - I'd say:

Single - Lancair IVP
Twin turboprop - Piaggio
Bizjet - Citation X (big but FAST)

...but the ultimate Sky 'Vette (which hopefully I'll my name on the canopy rail in a couple years here) is the F-16 Viper. Pulls way more Gs than people can (hence the limiter kicking in at +9), accelerates like mad (better than an Eagle in some conditions) and the Block 52 aircraft have the F100-PW-229 churning out 29,100 lbs! Awwwwww yeah!

Until then I'll continue to putter around at 110 KIAS in the aeronautical equivalent of an '84 Aries "K" car.

 

[Smoking Man]

Tempco/Globe Swift, with a 210hp engine mod, and the full glass canopy.

 

[starchkr]

That's a hard one... first off you can rule out anything over $200K, because as we all know, every one and their grandmother owns a corvette. How many people on here can truly spend any where near $200K for a plane right now... ok then. But then we also must remember that the vette is a GM product and will only last a year or two after you buy it, so then we have to think about planes that really never made it very far in aviation. I know many of you say well then why do we have classic vettes still on the road, well that's easy... GM still produces them to make you think that they will really last for awhile. Man and you guys fell for it... chumps.

Anyway, back to the vette of all planes... Well my vote would have to go to the L-39. Only two seats like a vette, failry new to the US market (lets see how they do in a couple years), a head turner, and you can get a good one for well under the $200K limit.

Ok, so all you GM fans can now have at me...

 

[TDTURBO]

Hands down, for manuverability, speed or just ruling the sky, its the Pitts S2b! A red one of'course