What's the Air Equivalent of a Corvette?

[Andy Neill]

For those of you who remember the TV series "Route 66" where Martin Milner and George Maharis plied that venerable route in the current year model Corvette and encountered heartland America, what would the guys be flying if they were to be bumming around in a twin engine recip? Single engine? Light jet?
Single/twin turbo-prop? Would it be important to make it a two-seater to keep the parallelism?

In other words, "The Ford Taurus is to the C-172 as a Corvette is to _____________."

 

[chawbein]

Homebuilt?? Lancair, Glassair, RV??

 

[chawbein]

Oh yeah, probably Grummans too.

 

[ShawnC]

A Turbine Glassair or Lancair. Possibly a fighter jet.

 

[BradG]

Lancair IV-P turbine, or maybe an l-39 or this new "Javalin" coming out.

 

[ExAF]

Viper (Not Dodge)

That's an easy one....F-16 is the vette of the sky! Sexy
OK...Flame away!

 

[Andy Neill]

I agree with all the answers except for the F-16. Remember, these are CIVILIANS motoring around the country together. I don't want to throw a wet blanket on creativity, but I want to keep a degree of realism/feasibility here.

 

[FlyboyPhil]

My vote.. the ViperJet

I hang out in Pasco, WA for a few hours on one of my companies cargo runs... have been let into the viper hangar to drool on a couple different occasions by the developers... Have seen the plane fly a few times as well... hummina hummina!


http://www.viper-aircraft.com/

"the new aircraft delivers a estimated rate of climb of well over 12,000 ft/min and speeds at altitude closing in on 500mph. And with all of this performance the ViperJet™ MKII has a range of 800/1000nm range."


P.S. Andy.. you still have that extraneous 'I' in your last name.... gotta get that fixed... Philip Nell

 

[hyper]

Grumman T-Cat/Yankee w/ 150hp conversion and taildrag conversion. There's a reason why it's dubbed the "poor man's fighter".

I owned a 1978 T-Cat with the 150 STC dubbed "Hyper T-Cat". (hence my name).....man I miss that plane.

 

[Tri-holer]

When I first saw the "Corvette of the sky" question, I figured something hot and sexy. But when you put it in the context of "Route 66" and seeing the country close up with the top down - I immediately thought of the book "The Cannibal Queen" by Stephen Coonts. I think the plane that fits the equation is a classic Stearman.

 

[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

 

[tcoll777]

p51 hotrod, i mean mustang

 

[bobbysamd]

Cars v. airplanes

How about a Piper Aerostar? Hot airplane that, I understand, has to be flown with care. Something like flying a B-26.

P-51 is good, too.

I didn't realize that 'vettes handle so poorly. I always thought that Dodge Stealths (Mitsubishi 3000GT) were cool cars, especially the more expensive ones with the all-wheel drive and the stick shift with I don't remember how many speeds.

Dodge Viper, too, with the V10 engine. Somehow, I get the impression that Vipers spend a lot of time in the shop.

 

[ShawnC]

Tcoll, how about a Turbine P-51?

A pitts is a fine aircraft but she ain't a vette, shes more manueverable than fast.

Now that someone brought up the L-39 I think that would be my vote now. Those things kick butt, but the upkeep on them is huge.

 

[aero99]

You guys comparing a Corvette to a p-51, F-16 or turbo Lancair have got to be kidding.

Corvettes handle like crap. I have lost at least three fillings riding in vettes. If you need to go fast in a straight line then fine, they are a great car.

IF you really want to ride in a car that has it all, try a porche 959 or 911 twin turbo GT2 or even a 928 s4.

If I were to compare a P-51 or F-16 to a car it would have to be an F-40 Ferrari.

Corvettes are for girls, old men taking viagra, and daddy's rich boy who thinks he has a real car.

Apples to oranges.

 

[KlingonLRDRVR]

My Corvette, is a beatup old Learjet haulin frieght. She still looks sexy under all that dirt and grime and dives just like one. Best of all when it breaks down I don't have to go down to the Chevy dealership and give them my first born. Yes I'm biased - so sue me.

KlingonLRDRVR

 

[TurboS7]

No doupt an old beat up Lear freighthauling 23. Got the class and has the name but it is 60's stuff.

 

[crash-proof]

Why hasen't anyone mentioned the Legend, turboprop 2-seater? That thing is crazy. Or a turbo prop Lancair IV.

Also, Rare Bear, the Reno racer Bearcat (does it still fly?)

And...the winner is....Gee Bee R-2!!!!

 

[Andy Neill]

Thanks for all the good responses. Back in the early 80's, I wrote three episode summaries for a new TV show called "Victor-6" and sent it absolutely nowhere. I believe at the time, I had the guys in a twin Bonanza. I liked V-6 because it had about the span of US-66 and sounded enough like it to evoke the nostalgia.

 

[TrumanSparks]

vette of the sky

My vote would go to the Lear 31a. Both are small, uncomfortable, a little rough around the edges, but go like hell.

The 31a is an unbelievably fun airplane to fly.

PS, if you don’t think Corvettes are real cars, you haven’t been in one of the new models; very fast, and handle extremely well.

The 63' is still my favorite, handles like crap, but is fast and very sexy.

 

[tcoll777]

Shawn C-----never even seen a turbine P51..........it's gotta go like hell, but can't have the sound of the radial!!!