Two of the most popular questions, at least for pilots and other students of aviation history, are: What are the top 10 planes of all time, and which one’s the greatest of them all?
At first glance, it seems a silly idea that you could even come up with an answer. After all, planes come in so many different shapes and sizes, with an equal number of mission types to match. How could you possibly choose just one?
This is how.
We started with a group of really great airplanes, or at least we tried to. We started with 10 of them before deciding, as they did in Spinal Tap, to make this one go all the way up to 11. We thought of consciously working to make it a cross-section of aircraft types, but that happened automatically.
But looking at the different kinds of mission types, i.e., training, personal transportation, commercial transportation, fighters, bombers, reconnaissance and more, we decided to narrow things down even more by asking ourselves if there were a top dog among those planes. Surprisingly, the answer to that question was often an unequivocal, “Yes!” Who knew?
Before you begin, consider these bizarre facts about the most outrageous top 10 list of planes you’ll ever see. For starters, there are only two non-American planes on the list. There are five planes that are advertised as supersonic, one other that might have gotten there, four with propellers, three with rocket motors, eight that are no longer being produced, and one that was first built in 1956 and is still in production today.
Finally, after our Greatest Airplanes Of All Time, we present 25 others that a lot of you will argue belong on the main list. In many cases, you’d have a strong argument. Enjoy!
1. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
So, our choice as the greatest airplane of all time is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Developed in a secret government program by the great Kelly Johnson of Lockheed Skunk Works fame, the SR-71 is the fastest air-breathing airplane ever. With a top speed of better than Mach 3, it is also the fastest piloted airplane ever of any kind that could take off on its own. The idea behind the SR-71 is incredibly ambitious, to build the worldâs fastest, highest-flying operational aircraft ever, and all in the Cold War pursuit of keeping an eye on the Soviets. The SR-71 made its first flight in 1964, and over time Lockheed built 32 of them. Despite the improvement in Soviet missile defenses, the Blackbird kept on earning its keep, flying for more than 30 years before being retired for good in 1998, its jobs having been taken over by a combination of drones and satellites. But what an amazing plane it was!
Margin of error: For top 10, zero. For top spot, 50%. Contenders for its mission: Lockheed U-2. Contenders for No. 1 spot: Piper Cub; Douglas DC-3; Boeing 747; Lockheed Martin F-22.
