Ask anyone who has actually worked an open-cockpit airplane for a living and most will tell you the same thing: Open-cockpit airplanes can be a pain in the butt. Yes, you can hear and feel exactly what the airplane is doing, but you’re freezing part of the time, sweating part of the time and getting your brains beat out all of the time. In the old days, open cockpits were simply drafty, not romantic. Why, then, are more open-cockpit sportplanes flying today than at any time in the last 50 years?

The answer is a complex amalgam of emotions that have absolutely nothing to do with rational thinking or logic. Certainly, even though not all open-cockpit airplanes are old, an appreciation for history is a factor. Going topless also offers a feeling of abandon that only motorcyclists and open-cockpit pilots share, plus you feel a connection with a simpler time. A ton of personal, mechanical and historical factors intersect, but when it’s all said and done, it always comes down to one word—fun.

Flying an open-cockpit airplane is so much fun that even when you’re cold, wet or hot, you wouldn’t trade it for anything. Anyone who has a soul instantly realizes that as they drop down into that open hole, they’re about to have an experience that exists nowhere else on the planet.

Plus, it’s attainable at so many different financial levels. You can spend as much or as little as you want. They aren’t just for the wealthy. They’re also for those who are seeking something a little different than the run-of-the-mill airplane.

Incidentally, there’s often an assumption that open cockpits only come sandwiched between two wings, but that isn’t always the case. There are monoplanes that let the occupants enjoy wind-tanned cheeks, tears streaming back from the eyes and the feeling that you may never be warm again.

Today, there’s a wide variety of open-cockpit airplanes. Some are as old as dirt, some are merely old and a surprising number are brand-new. Some are homebuilts and come in a box labeled “Water me and I grow into a biplane.” Others roll out of factories as FAA-certified airplanes, and still others come out of much smaller “factories” as custom-built aircraft that look old but, in truth, are as new as today. We’ve picked a few of our favorites in each category so you can see how wide and wonderful the world of open cockpits can be.