A-10 Thunderbolt/Warthog is just awesome. I can’t understand where people are coming from when they describe it as ‘ugly’, it’s got this muscular predator thing going for it that just looks wicked.
Ugly planes ARE possible, don’t get me wrong, but the A-10 is not one of them to my tastes.
Some odd looking planes for comparison:
My top 6 scifi/fantasy aircraft:
It is so difficult to come up with pure aircraft in scifi/fantasy. Most crafts in scifi/fantasy are also space capable and according to the definition stated in the podcast by the crew that then takes out of the running such great crafts like Robotech Veritechs, Halo Pelicans, Stargate F-302s and Star Wars X-Wings. So I’ve come up with my favorite 6 aircraft in scifi/fantasy. Why only 6? Because that is the total number of pictures I am allowed to include in a GWC forum post. So without further adieu, here are my top 6 aircraft in scifi/fantasy.
Tron Recognizer:
I’m a big fan of the recognizer from both the 1982 and 2010 versions of Tron. I especially love the way Flynn literally holds one together by sheer will in the 1982 Tron. Perhaps the reason the Recognizer track in the 2010 Tron: Legacy soundtrack is my favorite is partly because of the awesome Recognizer (and also because Daft Punk’s genius). This is simply my favorite aircraft in scifi/fantasy. It’s menacing, it suspends in mid air and has an incredible amount of firepower. What is not to like about the recognizer?
Star Wars Snowspeeder:
I could be wrong, but I’ve never heard of a Snowspeeder operating in space. I love the Snowspeeder. It’s massive, has a rear gunner, has two powerful forward cannons, is fast, it is incredibly maneuverable and looks like a flying fort.
Firefox:
The crew mentioned it during the podcast but I had to mention Firefox again. Why? 1) I like it. 2) IT LANDS ON ICE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!!! Sure, Eastwood had a little submarine help to make it happen but most modern fighter aircraft have a very large force per area of the landing gear that would punch right through most floating ice caps. What an awesome scene before the days of Red October.
Avatar’s AT-99 Scorpions:
Normally I’m not a fan of helicopters or VTOL aircraft. Helicopters shake too much for me and VTOL craft take too much weight for propulsion that could be used for fuel or weapons. But the AT-99 is so cool it busts through those dislike shields of mine. It’s a combination of an Apache helicopter, a Soviet Hind-24 helicopter, an OV-22 and a Terminator Hunter-Killer. So cool. In fact as soon as I’m done with this post I’m going to watch Avatar again just to see those birds in action.
Terminator Hunter-Killer:
I love the A-10. I prefer the F-15E but I love the A-10 too. That said, the Terminator Hunter Killers are no match for an A-10. The HK’s are flying, floating tanks and look like they are just meant to come in and punch you in the face. Yes, I know HK’s are bad guys. And I don’t even know if they have a cockpit. But these guys take a place in my top 6.
Eureka’s Martha:
Martha is Eureka’s R2D2. Who cannot love this adorable little aircraft? She loves to help out, is fiercely loyal, is comparable to any fighter produced today and is capable of mass destruction. I hope Eureka brings her back but I’m not sure with the season 4 reboot if that possible. Still, Martha is cool enough to round out my top 6 scifi/fantasy aircraft.
What do you guys think?
~Shooter Out
If the dragons from Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series count, then they would be my favorite fantasy aircraft.
And for SciFi it would have to be a Valkyrie-
It is a fighter, a battle-robot, a hybrid and it can even leave the atmosphere making it a spacecraft. A little bit of everything… 
They may count as spacecraft… well, briefly at least.
Agreed, and they need booster packs to even do that well…
God I love Michael Whelan’s art! I’ve bought more bad sci-fi than I can recall just because he did the cover lol! My favorite series that he did the covers to is Probably Foundation followed closely by Barsoom
Who could hate ‘Blue Thunder’ with Dana Carvey, Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus?