The Top FIVE Jets I WISH I Could've FLOWN

I was fortunate to be able to fly the F-16 and F/A-18 in my career, but many viewers have asked what aircraft I wish I could have flown. Here's my top 5. B-Roll footage from DVIDS Public Domain.
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The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
Views presented are my own and do not represent the views of DoD or its Components.

[@fredsalfa]

You were dating an F16 pilot and they didn’t like it so you couldn’t fly the F22? How does that work?

[@jovana-che]

I second that question. My wild guess is, that since he dated squadron mate, that he possibly would do the same in F-22 squad, and since they took themselves too seriously (F-22 squadron leader), it was a no-no. edit: Mover, please explain it better - am I right or wrong?

[@CWLemoine]

I’ve already explained a few times in the comments actually. It was a different era. She took an assignment there because of me, becoming the first female in an era when no one wanted that. They blamed me. And then they blamed me again when she wound up actually causing drama.

[@CWLemoine]

For all the great parts of the reserve, it still can be incredibly cliquish and sorority-esque.

[@CWLemoine]

The Raptor squadron wanted to hire me. It was my own wing commander that told them to rethink it.

[@jovana-che]

@@CWLemoine Thank you so much for your reply. Always a pleasure listening and reading about your storytelling. Even when it wasn't quite happy ending in this case. I totally misconstrued that it was F-22 wing commander blocking you... No wonder you wrote books... you had a such an eventful life (and I guess you still do, for me, you, as a tube broadcaster, are true rock-star, never quite got closer to real fighter pilot in my life than to you, thanks to your channel). Thanks again for taking time to clarify (again) (I just missed your other explanation in comments) this situation to us.

[@dblankenship88]

“The EX still has a back seat for someone to film the merge”. 😂😂 Well played Mover.

[@LVVideoGuy]

THAT would be my role.. thank you very much!!!

[@heikojakob6491]

Does that mean his EX transitioned from him and the F-16 to the F-15 and another guy and she's still in active service?

[@Wuestenkarsten]

2nd Place for the future: Project Loyal Wingman,,,,that´s all I say.

[@davidakes8892]

This is awesome!!!!

[@patchesthepilot1730]

Hawg driver here, I appreciate your words about the A-10. Out of all the negative words out there about it, the hawg is still a beast. The gun is amazing to shoot and our CSAR capability is unmatched. The Sandy mission is by far my favorite along with the FAC ability. Cool to know that you wanted to fly it too. Attack! Pilsung! Thunder!

[@fightingfalconfan]

Us civilians need to rally and tell the idiot's in the USAF to never kill this bird. It's the only one that can do what it can do. Stupid General thinks the F35 can do what the 10 can...pff maybe in his dreams. I have seen the hawg fly at the Hillsboro airshow; such a beautiful aircraft and put's a big smile on my face.

[@FS2K4Pilot]

Even a Viper would be jealous of the Hawg’s ability to change directions.

[@dblankenship88]

I worked on 15’s most of my career and being honest I rarely heard a bad word about the HAWG except from ammo troops.

[@FS2K4Pilot]

@@dblankenship88 Went through it too fast, huh?😉

[@dblankenship88]

@@FS2K4Pilot what?

[@MichaelTaylor-yz1ss]

I was the flight science lead engineer for F-15SA testing, which is the predecessor of the EX. The resemblance between F-15 D/E and EX is only skin deep. The airframes are the same. Nearly everything inside the SA and EX is new and the best we can make it. If you are wondering why the EX has a passenger seat, it is because all of the tooling still in existence for F-15 is for export versions. Apparently all the customers wanted E like airplanes. We would have to build new tooling to make a single seat F-15. Part of the goals of the SA program was to activate and certify the outboard air to air stations, which every F-15 has, but until then laid dormant. This unlocks the possibility of a 12 AMRAAM loadout. I asked one of my test pilots what he would do with that. He just smiled broadly and replied "Anything I want.".

[@counterair173]

So, activation of outboard stations are product of new digital FBW which, in turn, has new control laws preventing onset of different types of departures ? I guess GE129 helps there too, at least contributing to the flight envelope expansion.

[@jamesnichols7507]

Someplace I saw recently during the Cold War some of the back seaters in the F4 Phantom would put their helmets on backwards and then lean forward when intercepting Russian bombers. So the Russians would return with photos of the F4 with the all new rear facing RIO. With the “passenger seat” on the F15EX all kinds of fun stuff could be installed to throw off our adversaries. With the flip of a switch an inflatable R2-D2 droid would be first on my list.

[@Wuestenkarsten]

the 2nd Seat is a very good Sales Argument for Project loyal Wingman.

[@pike100]

​@@jamesnichols7507Very childish thing to do in a very expensive jet. 😢

[@Hurricane2k8]

Maybe the extra seat will come in handy again in the future. The jet may not require a WSO to operate the radar as older platforms did, which is why single-seat fighters are a thing in the first place. But unmanned buddy aircraft that accompany a manned fighter jet are the future. While these unmanned aircraft will be semi-autonomous, it might still be worthwhile to have somebody in the back seat to monitor and coordinate them.

[@shelbyxyz]

My late Father was in the F-14 Flight Test Program thru 1972 at Grumman. He loved that plane and the test pilots that flew it.

[@wmffmw1854]

Who was your father? My father Walt Foster, ran Grummans Flight Test from 1940-1964. He was the Project Manager responsible for getting the F-14, into production.

[@vectors2final36]

I'd like to hear Mover breathily say "Would you intercept me? I'd intercept me"

[@CWLemoine]

Because I’m Batman

[@mrgreenjeens]

Put the lotion in the basket!

[@FAAAARK]

C'mon, do you two NOT watch Habitual Linecrosser's shorts??

[@alhubb66]

😂

[@marks93cobra]

We should start a go-fund-me

[@2Phast4Rocket]

I was in the Navy while the F14 was still flying and the Top Gun school was still at Mirramar. I took my brother on the the base and showed him the F14 up close. He was so stoked about that. He was also stoked about the big hangar that was painted Figher Town just like in the movie

[@tu6202]

I was stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, 96-99, we had F-14s, they are amazing. Captain Robert "Rat" Willard was the CO of the Lincoln at the time. He was a Tomcat Pilot but made it onto the credits of the Top Gun Movie as a MIG Pilot. He also was the XO at Top Gun when they filmed it. Its crazy how the F-14 is so iconic and connects so many people in one way or another. Thanks for your story.

[@TheFirefox516]

Panther punk here, the F-35 is an absolute blast to fly. The SA it gives you almost feels like you’re playing a video game and cheating while doing so.

[@justalpha9138]

I really really want to fly the F-35 someday, so thank you for reaffirming my adoration for it! 🥰

[@Stinger522]

Why do you call yourself Panther punk? Just wondering.

[@scoutworks]

"feels like you’re playing a video game and cheating while doing so" A wise man once told me: "If you fight a fair fight, your tactics suck."

[@Mav09]

F-35A pilot is my dream! Truly the best of the best!

[@landonluebke7627]

If I finish flight school at a high enough class rank, and have the option, do you think I should take F-22 or F-35? Also because of when I’ll finish flight school, maybe NGAD?

[@andrewdavies3584]

Great format Mover. Unbelievable misfortune with your desired airframe transfers but still... you have excelled in the fighter pilot role, especially with being an aggressor. 👌

[@CWLemoine]

Thank you!

[@davidsmith8997]

@@CWLemoine Fun video, thanks for making it. And I agree that you've shown a lot of resilience in your career. It would be easy to get really discouraged after those misses.Two quick questions. One, without going into details, can your romantic life really be used against you in the military or was this more about some kind of office politics? Two, why no SR-71? Going to the edge of space seems like it'd be cool.

[@hoghogwild]

@@davidsmith8997 No Sr-71, no YF-12, no M-21-why?-They all have back seaters. Maybe ask him about the single seat A-12?

[@marcjohnson4884]

@@hoghogwild Is M-21 the Mig 21? Anyone who can fly a Mig is superlative.

[@JebHoge]

​@@hoghogwild I don't think I'd want those either. For all the speed and altitude superlatives, they were basically flying pizza ovens with as dynamic a mission profile as an airliner.

[@ronhudson3730]

Re your comment about being denied the F-35 opportunity. At some point I hope you will feel free to tell your whole story. Not to slag the armed forces but to bring to public attention the roadblocks, both institutional and personal that keep the right people out of the right jobs.

[@FusionMonkey847]

I fell in love with the Tomcat in 1978 as a teenager at an airshow. The weather was garbage but the Tomcat went up anyway and blew me away. So I was in love with it before the Final Countdown and Top Gun. What a beast.

[@CrowT]

I build the F-15EXs for Boeing right now. Aft fuselage. Pretty cool. Worked on C, D and E models while in the USAF. Will always have a spot for them. Love the F-14s as well. So awesome🤘

[@randymichel459]

The Tomcat community really made that plane great. The pilots, maintainers, factory people, it’s a tight community still to this day. There was an effort to bring an F-14D back to flying status for heritage flights an adversarial training like they used the last F-4’s for. The Tomcat in question is AJ-213 out at AMARC. It’s a complete airplane so theoretically it just needs serviced and some people to support it. Last I heard it was going to NAVAIR for approval and haven’t heard anything new yet.

[@mattmchales1941]

I hope that’s true and i hope it gets approved. The dumbest thing the DOD did was to slaughter all those planes. I get not wanting Iran to get parts, but really? They couldn’t leave 3 or 4 together to do demos?

[@Akm72]

Mistakes were made with the F-14 but still a great plane!

[@kugelblitzkrieg]

Would’ve loved to see that honestly, it stopped flying when I was still a preschooler.

[@stevenjones6490]

My dad was an Air Force fighter pilot who flew the F-84E, F-84F, O-1E (FAC), AT-33 (FAC Instructor), F-100, and F-105 during his career, with 3 combat tours in Vietnam. I asked what his favorite plane to fly had been and he said it was the F-84F. I asked him why and he said it was because it was his first fighter assignment, and you never forget your first love. I was a career Army helicopter pilot and flew the AH-1F, OH-58A/C, and the AH-64A/D. Yet, the helicopters I most wanted to fly were the OH-6A and AH-1G. Unfortunately, I was a little too late. My younger brother was a Navy pilot, and, of course, wanted F-14s. His entire class ended up in helicopters. Still, he had several good tours, including Desert Storm, flying Sea Kings with HC-2, the Desert Ducks. Please continue the series. It's great to see others talk about aircraft they would have liked to have flown.

[@Harpoon2theRescue]

I always wanted to fly Airwolf.

[@manfromks]

What does Gonky think of your #1? Tomcat over Eagle EX... I hear the AF boys crying!

[@troyallen2574]

Hardest part of being a Tomcat driver would be getting good at beach volleyball haha. Love the list and this series of videos. I always tell people “IF, you even make it to the merge with an F35, be prepared for its F22 or F16 pal doing OCA to reward your persistence with a forever nap.”

[@RT42069]

If you make it to the merge with Fat Amy, that means either her pilot or whoever did the mission planning is a mouth breather who royally 💩 the bed already. Same goes for the Raptor (except the Raptor has much better maneuverability and carries AIM-9X internally, so you're still likely boned)

[@Wuestenkarsten]

@@RT42069 Well, Mr Eurofighter and Mr Rafale would kick Fat Amy as well.....but as you said: If Fat Amy is there, something before went very, very wrong....

[@RedFail1-1]

I love when Pilots admit they want to fly an Eagle.

[@muhammadsaleh7229]

Eagle is a charm

[@ItsMeMikey998]

Right now I’m trying to make the dream happen of me becoming a fighter pilot. My top five: 1. F-18 (Blue Angels inspired) 2. F-16 (Thunderbirds and Iron Eagle inspired) 3. A-6 Intruder, I wish I had the opportunity 4. F-22 5. AV-8 Harrier

[@dogsbd]

You need to write a non fiction book at some point.... naming names. ;)

[@canadianmoose2006]

Absolutely!

[@singhson1061]

Great video, Mover! Sucks that you never got to fly the F-22 or the A-10 but you wouldn’t be the person you are today if those things had happened. You’re a great content creator and a great human being!

[@vanislandrider7982]

I'm always amazed when I hear you talk about the politics of the Military. It's like the brass never evolved past High school, crazy.

[@mmeeddddddozzzzzzz3421]

Reminds me of the Lindsey Lohan version of the Mean Girls movie (the jungle fight scene where she says "If we were in the jungle, I know how this would work!!)

[@Conman1181]

I was able to see a, Tomcat, at an airshow around the mid 90's. Went to quite a few airshows, saw countless planes, from WWII, up to the F-117, and B-2, but the Tomcat, made the biggest impression.

[@dmack1827]

CF 104, F-4, CF 101, CF 105, CF 5. All before my time but they inspired me as a kid at airshows. (Except the CF 105.) I never saw one fly.

[@manfredos8316]

Good idea, your "I wish I could`ve flown" series, Mover! Well, as non US, non military pilot and ten years older than you, I would choose following US-Jets: 5 A10, 4 F18, 3 F16, 2 F22, 1 F15C... yes, I would choose the old Eagle, flying high, fast and with a lot of power without fly by wire... just pure feeling of riding an Eagle.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Mover dated Penny Benjamin after Maverick? 😂

[@crystalrock18]

I’m surprised you haven’t had award Carroll on your channel yet. He’s got some great stories to tell as a F14 RIO. And since you asked about top five jets from us the viewer here’s mine: 5) F4 phantom 2 4) F15 3) A10 2) F16 1) F14

[@ypw510]

Not a chance Ward Carroll would ever be on.

[@Kingsoupturbo]

They have an F4 at the Evergreen museum, I was amazed how big that plane is, such a cool looking machine.

[@crystalrock18]

@@ypw510 why, because he’s a RIO?

[@ypw510]

@@crystalrock18 Not sure if they’ve ever met or corresponded in any way, but they certainly have a history of ridiculing Ward Carroll. It’s possible that he stopped using the term “deep intel” for a while because of such ridicule. Ward Carroll has been a guest on other channels. I don’t recall him being on The Pilot Fighter Podcast, but Ward Carroll has had Jell-O on before. I thought Mover said that he’d been asked to be on The Fighter Pilot Podcast but couldn’t make it to San Diego.

[@crystalrock18]

@@Abledoggie42 that makes sense. I myself never flew. I ground transport in the USAF active duty, enlisted too. I never had issues with guard or reserve guys that came and trained with us. But in the fighter world I can see the divide, kind of a shame if you ask me. Went we all on the same team?

[@AlphaGatorDCS]

Love this series...looking forward to the other lists.

[@gordo1701e]

This was a cool show. And don't worry, we won't tell Gonky about Fat Amy ;) My List, hmmm, Personally I would have been happy just to be able to fly fighters at all. Unfortunately when I was of age to apply, the RCAF had the 20/20 uncorrected rule and my eyes are crap. But were I to have gotten the chance, 1) TOMCATS! 2)F16 3)F22 4)F15(E or EX) 5)f18. Would be curious for sure as to what other TOP 5s you have. Keep up the good work man and best of luck with the training!

[@justalpha9138]

I love the F-35 and would love to fly it. I don't care what anyone says. 😅

[@hoghogwild]

@@daviddovnino7585 There's a max age because they are pouring millions of dollars into you for training and they want a decent return on investment. Plus, as we age, it becomes more and more difficult to pass physicals. There's astronauts that were flying space shuttle Orbiter Vehicles wearing glasses.

[@gordo1701e]

When I was old enough to join is what I was referring to. Also I'm 48 now so there is an upper age limit as well. ​@@daviddovnino7585

[@oldkayakdude]

So accurate on the F14 noise. Was helping close/flip a base that did repairs and my desk had a view of the end of the runway. Heard an F14 one day and thought "what on earth is that", plane came by and quickly recognized. Had a SR71 circling my house as a kid at relative low alt, part of some local air show, and the F14 seemed louder.

[@gregorymaupin6388]

Love this series keep it coming!

[@valkoharja]

This was a great set of anecdotes

[@jinzhang8241]

Thanks Mover. Love this series and looking forward to hearing more about your favorite aircraft and helicopters.

[@johnbecker1996]

GREAT episode! And thank you for the usual candid commentary on each of the planes.

[@SCVIndy]

Like this series .. especially your comments about each jet

[@nathanwheeler2047]

Alec here my top five is 1. TOMCATS! 2. HORNETS 3. INTRUDERS 4. WARTHOGS 5. VIPERS also RAPTOR and FAT AMYS

[@icaleinns6233]

Hell yeah I love this series! Keep 'em coming!

[@RCUKScaleModels]

great video as always mover keep it up and thank you for your service

[@superkjell]

As someone who's never flown anything faster than single engine propeller planes, my top 5 list of jets would be: F-16XL, Harrier, SR-71, Vampire, F-22, Saab Draken, F-104, and Hawker Hunter.

[@Tracomaster]

Those are 8 tho

[@marcjohnson4884]

Thats a good list but surprised you didnt include the Folland Gnat in that group

[@superkjell]

@@marcjohnson4884 I need something French on the list, I think. Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard, maybe?

[@KristianBennett]

Come to Newport News Flight Training school for the hawker hunter

[@bekeneel]

F16Xl being the 2seater? Yea I'd like to fly with that too :) Harrier I think remember as a kid saw at an airshow, the one who can stall in the air right, was very loud. My friends dad was a Seaking operator (helicopter) so we took a little tour in that flying. Someone in my family apparently flew the french Mirage. But had to quit after injured his back after an ejection.

[@angelacret]

Yes, the F14 was the master of the skies back then ! So loud and impressive ! Still miss it !

[@haleycbrrr]

TOMCATS! I agree with your list...I got to fly my boss's TF-51 and had lots of rides in his P-51 and flying a mustang is AWESOME. I think you're in FL, if you are you should go to Stallion51 in Kissimmee and go up in one of their TF-51s, I flew CrazyHorse2 with "Hobo". Coolest flying experience of my life. Getting intercepted by Blackhawks in a Tigermoth is a close second haha. It wasn't my fault, the rudder was having issues and we drifted a little to close to uber protected airspace. We were so slow, it had to be helos to come check us out.

[@kooldawg6]

Awesome video! I was so caught up in your #5-2, that I wasn't even thinking F-14 when it came time for #1🤣I sadly didn't start going to airshows until 2006/2007, so I've never gotten to see an F-14 fly🥺

[@brianharris706]

Love the show and topic Mover. Look forward to the next planes on ya list.

[@viperkeeper]

Good topics for episodes.

[@lynnecheermom]

Great list Mover! Fun episode.

[@BoulevardRecording]

Man I love to see the drivers chiming in. So fun! Great content Mover !

[@Jason608]

Good video series idea. Looking forward to the next few!

[@montrose699]

Great video. As a DCS F16 pilot I chuckled every time you mentioned the backseat LOL.

[@larsdraper6231]

Love the series! Can't wait for the next series!

[@jeffreysmith9369]

Great series ! The fill material is enlightening.

[@HalfUnder]

I knew I'd see the hog on your list. My old man was Shanghai's squadron commander at the 511th. I miss the sound of it to this day. When we were at Osan I got to go out to Koon-ni and watch the hogs from the 25th roll in on the range. Was a hell of a time. I dated a girl who was a flight scheduler at Langley and I got a chance to go up in the backseat of the T-38 squadron playing red air for the Raptors.....it was a time and seeing the Raptor from that perspective was insane.

[@frankfeeney2291]

Just found your channel. Absolutely love your commentary. You and Gonky are a riot together. Love your channel! Glad I found it.

[@schumy1975]

great episode and series, keep them coming !

[@jb6027]

This is an AWESOME idea for a video series. PLEASE keep them coming!

[@P_Mann]

Concur #1. It’s hard to name a more iconic fighter and I was glad to have the opportunity to work on and around them.

[@Graham6410]

I've always enjoyed watching the Hawk T2, Avro Vulcan, The Spitfire, Hurricane, The Seafury and the Seafire and the Panavia Tornado.

[@Pouncer9000]

Are you by any chance British?

[@Graham6410]

@@Pouncer9000 yep

[@Marty-dm3kc]

I like this series! I'm keen to see more like this!

[@sebastien3351]

Thank you, this was a very informative video!

[@vanillaandy8814]

Totally agree with the A-10 and F-14. From there I hook right to the SR-71 at M3+ on the edge of space, A-6 Intruder in Vietnam, B-1B on a low-level NOE bomb run, P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, PBY Catalina island hopping the south Pacific... Just my dream list. Great channel!!

[@nullterm]

This was an excellent video. Almost first hand knowledge of what the planes are like. And a deeper understanding of how “the system” works… or doesn’t.

[@Wyomingchief]

MOVER, I have to 100% agree with your list . I've at least got to fly all of them in dcs, and I can't imagine what they would be like in real life either way it's nice to know that my list directly lined up with yours before I even saw what your list was

[@EvolvedTactical]

Great format, Mover, and I'm looking forward to the next installment. As always, I love seeing the TOMCAT! get some love. As an Army guy, it kind of blows my mind when you talk about interviewing to fly at different units. I was a Ranger, and an interview is absolutely part of the process at higher end SOF units, but the idea of a regular infantryman (or medic in my case) interviewing to go to a line unit, or even an airborne unit, still hits me weird.

[@sixty4pilot]

Awesome video. Can’t wait to see your rotary video!

[@johnstaniszewski5504]

1. F-14 Tomcat 2. F-15 Eagle 3. A-10 Warthog 4. F/A-18 Super Hornet 5. F-16 Viper

[@Hawaiian80882]

Here's my top five...starting with #5: Spitfire MK lX...#4: P51D Mustang...#3: P47D Thunderbolt...#2: F86 Saber....#1: A4M Skyhawk ll

[@johnscott268]

Loved it Mover - my 5 in no particular order: F-4, F-8, F-104, F-106, and SR-71.

[@greghavens7679]

Great video Mover! I worked on The Final Countdown and was made an honorary member of VF84 when I was a teenager. Fox Farrell, Shoes, and the other pilots were so much of a significant influence that all top 5 of my aircraft on the list would be Tomcats. Kinda 'ate up with the Tomcat', as my father would say. Although he was too! I am making 17in x 45in F14 wall art, engraved on T6 aluminum. I've got Fox's #202 above me on the left, a beautiful limited display piece that the wings can sweep back on. 'No touchie', sacred.

[@christianmockler5141]

F14, SR71, F16, F104, F22

[@queencinn4964]

F104 and f22 😂 love it my man!

[@kickdrop4660]

I know an F-35 pilot who closed the canopy on his helmet. Great dude.

[@Prometheus1979]

Man the whole time I’m watching this video I’m sayin to myself, if I could fly any jet it would be my all time favorite the F14. I’m 45 years old. I grew up all my life with air shows and watching them fly. Then you give me goosebumps when you say your number one is the F14!!! That came out of nowhere! Wasn’t expecting that! I am also a born and raised Cajun in marksville Louisiana.

[@stanley917]

Shortly after the Tomcat hit the fleet I had the chance to attend an airshow at Miramar. During the show, an A4 took off, then an F4, both from the far end of the runway. Next up was the F14. Big difference was that the Tomcat lined up on the runway in front of the crowd, then came up on the power and in somewhere around 1500-2000' down the runway was off the ground and cleaning up..... about 5k down the runway, the nose started coming up and didn't stop until he rolled out from inverted, several thousand feet above the runway. No one there had ever seen a jet do that..... 'the crowd went wild'. And, this was one of the early 'A' models.

[@Grabacr]

Pretty cool series, looking forward for more episodes

[@ericbonds2302]

Love the Tomcat, but I would have to say my favorite jet is the F-104. The Starfighters group out of Florida put on a good show!

[@paulybassman7311]

That was cool Mover, 👍😎Thanks

[@JeffHancock93]

Very solid list.

[@TheRockFarm]

I like this series.

[@devinhatton5438]

I like this series so far. Keep it up!

[@rehanajk1]

Yes. More videos like this.

[@obenheimer78]

I spent 20 years in the Navy as an AT. I truly wish I could have gotten to work on, or just be around the F14. Such an incredible jet. Another awesome video Sir.

[@Battlestargroup]

Definitely do this series, you have some good choices. Top 5 US for me: F-4E, F-16C, A-10B, AV-8B, F-22 T5 Euro: Tornado GR4, Typhoon, E.E. Lightning, Me-262 (going way old school), MiG-29 T5 props: P-38, B-25, P-51D, Bf-109K, P-40N T5 chops: AH-1Z, RAH-66, Mil-24, ACH-47 gunship, AH-64E

[@marcjohnson4884]

the P-40 rules!

[@darbyheavey406]

F86…….

[@brabhamfreaman166]

This comment section’s a gold mine of top faves - real interesting pov’s. Thanks bros!

[@qcan8468]

Great idea with the 4 part series.

[@kayakutah]

I went from the RF-8 and F-8 (almost all RF-8) to the F-14A and then the F-16N, A-4E/F and finally the A-4 Superfox. I wish I'd had the opportunity to fly the F-4.

[@jasonpoland5507]

My #1 was the A10 - but sadly my eyes prevented me in 1998 from even qualifying - at least I thought. Wish I listened to you on KZbin back then. This series is great!

[@justinpetty31]

I was one of those 18 year old infantry guys in the Corps. My top 5 US Jets would be: (5)- F4 (4)- F16 (3)- F22 (2)- FA18 (1)- F14

[@pilotblue6535]

F104 Starfighter. So cool

[@pollylewis9611]

My dream was to fly any of these; A10, B2 Spirit, B1 the Bone, Apache (love helicopters) but then you mention the Tomcat heck yeah, but life events changed that for me so now I love watching and hearing all your videos. Thank you and I really do mean it.

[@taproom113]

Most people have forgotten about the late 50's - early 60's 'Father of the F-16' that ruled Vietnam.The last fighter designed as a pure (not a pound for air to ground), air-superiority fighter. No, not the F-4 Phantom ... the F-8 Crusader. Most of the first instructors that formed Top Gun were Crusader jocks ... and directly responsible for increasing the Navy's kill ratio from @ 3-1 to an amazing 13-1! I got a Fam3 demo ride in the two-seater "Crew"-sader at Pax River in 1975. Trust me Mover, this one belongs on your list. F-8's Forever! ^v^

[@augmentedrealities]

F-117 and SR-71 are two iconic aircraft, not fighters, but would be cool to fly just for the experience.

[@littlerougue]

I was with you on the F-35 until the Tinker Air Show last summer the f-35 demo flight was amazing

[@JBSmoke1]

The Hog would be my first choice. Time to bring in the BFG.

[@MrGp3po]

Great list and interesting video. Of course, it would be cool to fly some vintage jets like the F-86.

[@thediscernist1606]

I grew up around countless model airplanes (mostly Cold War, my old man caught the bug hard), so here are the most aesthetic US jets that always stuck with me: A-4, F-14, F-4, SR-71... But the top cold war jet aesthetic belongs to the F-104 Starfighter.

[@albertopa58]

I am really enjoying your telecasts.

[@2ZZGE100]

F-14 Tomcat was a fighter pilot's plane. It would give you everything it had with the hydro mechanical surfaces and no limiters. They said it was an extremely easy plane to fly, but very difficult to fly well. You could pull 10-11 G in it or pull a lot of AoA standing it on its tail at only 90 - 100 knots. The pilots like Dale 'Snort' Snodgrass who knew how to push it to extreme limits were practically magicians in it, but it did not suffer for fools. If you tried to do a pirouette turn and did not know what you were doing or made a mistake, many pilots ended up ejecting because they induced a flat spin they could not recover from.

[@fredbyoutubing]

I'm glad we got justice for Fat Amy! It's close to my earth having followed the development since childhood and I was in love with the f-22

[@JosephTMyers]

#1 F117, #2 F22, #3 B2, #4 Tomcat, #5, F15EX. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do rotary and foreign aircraft asap! Love the series, maybe my favorite you have EVER put out!

[@flybeep1661]

F117 and B2 seem very nonsensical choices. B2 would likely be the very same experience as flying a 747 would. F117 is a brick to fly.

[@JosephTMyers]

@@flybeep1661 747's aren't stealth, these two options are. If doing "dogfights" is the only serious qualification for this list, then these wouldn't apply, but stealth highly weighs into my list decision, otherwise i'd just pick planes like the PAK FA or the Rafale or Su33 to compliment the F22 in a combined international effort aimed at total air dominance...but that's gonna come after CW's upcoming lists.

[@colorpraeterita3824]

As a non-pilot guy who just likes aircraft, my top 5 US jets (in no particular order) I'd like to fly are: 1) A4 Skyhawk - the ideal would be to take the big engine from an Israeli A4 and put it into a RNZAF A-4K (Kahu upgrade) and fly it at 50ft. 2) F4D Skyray - the best looking of the cold war US fighters. 3) B-58 Hustler - the best looking of the cold war US bombers. Also really fast although with a widow-maker reputation. 4) SR-71 - white hot performance, ice cool looks, insta win any bragging rights contest :D 5) TOMCATS!

[@Tigermoto]

This was great to watch, please continue this series. As a Brit, i look forward to hearing what Non-US aircraft and why.

[@normanbyrne9868]

My son, currently serving, is an Avionics tech for the F15 EX model. He enjoys his job and loves his plane.

[@benshakespeare268]

Thanks for sharing Mover 👍 This would be a good series. Would find props and helis interesting too. Maybe top 5 experimentals perhaps.

[@KristopherMarie]

I really enjoy the episodes Mover! I have hopes of becoming a fighter pilot in a few years… my top 5 would be F-22, F-35, F-15, F-16 and F-18