Top Ten Fictional Aircraft Designs

[@Spacedock]

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[@willcampion8738]

Okay but where is the falcon from halo reach!?

[@MarijnRoorda]

Excellent list.

[@anamericancelt6534]

Was the theme V-tails?

[@anamericancelt6534]

@@willcampion8738 It's pretty much the same as the one from Avatar. I guess he liked Avatar's better.

[@shadowofthestars]

a top 10 drop ships would be cool

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

It always gets me when you realize the Pelican from Halo is _huge_ . Its a drop ship big enough to deploy a tank! Compared to Star Wars where they have a separate class of gunship for deploying tanks.

[@Nidhoggrr]

To be fair the Scorpion tank is TINY compared to most of the "tank" type vehicles deployed in star wars. And the troop drop ships are all sized specifically just to carry troops. That being said I adore the Pelican and it's one of my all time favorites.

[@glenn_r_frank_author]

the drop ship in Aliens deployed that huge personnel carrier / tank too... and looked awesome doing it.

[@abysswalker2594]

The clone wars drop ship was the best imo just the same thing but with the troop compartment removed for the walking tanks So you can drop tanks off at the DP RTB or RTS put on the troop compartment and drop of the troops

[@KillerOrca]

A tank, and a full Fireteam of troops to support it, plus all their gear. AND it’s SSTO capable. It’s the all in one package and the gold standard for what a drop ship can s

[@KillerOrca]

@@Nidhoggrr Hence my theories of the Scorpion being a “drop tank” for rapid mobility and airborn support rather than the MBT it’s labeled as. Especially when the Grizzley exists

[@firestorm165]

Fun fact: Once Airwolf got it's cosmetic alterations for the show her pilots reported that she actually became quicker and more nimble than she was before

[@LovacDotCH]

@@G_de_Coligny when i was younger i thought this was a modified Eurocopter Dauphin, thanks for the reminder !

[@LovacDotCH]

much younger :D

[@90lancaster]

Some later bell Helicopters pinched the nose bump from Airwolf as it worked so well for stability and pushing the airflow into the intakes. They also had wider landing gear outriggers too (Like Airwolf) You can really see it in Bell's larger single rotor Helicopters of the 1990's and early 2000's,

[@christianethic]

Okay and now I have the theme music stuck in my head.

[@AndrooUK]

Do you have a citation for that?

[@nathansmith3427]

It would appear that you really like V-tails

[@stargamerlp87]

Most likely

[@EmonWBKstudios]

With duel turbine motors.

[@thedrunknmunky6571]

Understandably

[@jrsinclair8273]

Ops 4 life life 4 compeny

[@Jackal9405]

And vtol

[@markgallagher1790]

Fun fact: The pilot flying the modified chopper for airwolf reported that it handled better than the stock heli it was derived from

[@AssistantCoreAQI]

More Reasons Why Airwolf Should've Been A Real Thing.

[@markgallagher1790]

@@AssistantCoreAQI aye. Thing was beast. Armour and firepower for days

[@chpsilva]

​@@markgallagher1790 and Mach 1 afterburner

[@AndrooUK]

Do you have a citation for that?

[@markgallagher1790]

@@AndrooUK idk, some wiki from ages ago

[@MEEEPMEEEPMEEEPMEEEP]

I just knew the Ornithopter would be on the list, I absolutely love the design

[@isaackim7675]

I definitely love how it gives off the look of a dragonfly’s wings

[@MEEEPMEEEPMEEEPMEEEP]

@@isaackim7675 Tech with bird wings or bat wings is nice and all but insect wings are where it's at

[@LarixusSnydes]

That's why the ornithopter is at my number 1 spot. The sound they make seems a perfect fit for this imaginary flyer. Dragonflies are the most agile flyers in the animal kingdom. I saw this movie with a superb sound system n the cinema. There were even whisper-silent drone-mounted speakers flying through the movie hall. It was incredibly immersive and sent a bolt of ecstasy along my spine when I first heard them 😁.

[@HikariKobayashi]

I was going to be very disappointed if the ornithopters from the new film didn't make it. Even for someone who prefers fast fixed wing to VTOL, those things were incredibly cool.

[@knghtbrd]

@@LarixusSnydes The books describe the beating of wings, but it also describes just how agile the 'thopter is. It couldn't be anything else, really.

[@AkkuSuto]

0:40 Project whisper (Wolfenstein Series) 1:20 Airwolf 1:56 Bubble ship (Oblivion) 2:34 Light ship (Tron legacy) 3:15 V-TOL (Deus Ex- HE) 3:47 The bus (Agents of shield) 5:09 Samson (Avatar) 6:00 Combine Gunship (Half-life 2) 6:53 Ornithophter (Dune) Honorable mentions 7:37 Aigiaon (Ace combat) 7:56 AAX Raven (Red faction Guerrilla) 8:06 HK Aerial (Terminator) Number one 8:28 Zion Hovercraft (The Matrix)

[@lyman6]

Seems like the theme is VTOL. Also, The Bus! Would love to see a breakdown of the Bus or Zephyr 1 at some point. Such cool pieces.

[@normtrooper4392]

Look on the Hoojiwana channel for a breakdown of the bus

[@CaptainPilipinas]

spacedock some average Last City Age Hawk type ships, or what about 2390s ISA heavy type VTOLs, or some Guardian Jumpship designs that I know. mostly one coming of GA designs, on some of those said-Jumpships'. etc.

[@dio3693]

I absolutely LOVED the 'thopters in the new Dune movie. They looked a lot like how I imagined them when I read the book, with a sleek, dragonfly-like appearance.

[@griffinfaulkner3514]

They look like the unholy offspring of a dragonfly and the RAH-66 Comanche, they are by definition the coolest possible version of an ornithopter.

[@AndrooUK]

I assume they are made from ridiculously light materials, and super strong engines, to try to overcome reality...

[@FirestormX9]

Um... I maybe in a huge minority for this but they're kinda lame, rather uncool, ngl... 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@shinyagumon7015]

I guess the theming is VTOL crafts? Good choice. Idk if I have a favourite fictional aircraft, but I was always fascinated by the concept of flying cars and it's many *many* incarnations across multiple stories.

[@hoojiwana]

That may be the theme yes. And flying cars are cool too! Always loved the Spinner from Blade Runner. - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@edwardsabean-untermann7225]

Beat me to it! VTOL craft, especially ones that can pull off cool turn-in-place maneuvers, definitely jumped out as a consistent trend.

[@Gstrangeman96]

I like the implications of flying cars more than the cars themselves. The idea of living in a truly 3-dimensional city, with roads on different levels, where travel between the upper spires is only really practical with personal aircraft, is inherently fascinating. But maybe I only think that because I was one of the lost generation that grew up with the Star Wars prequels.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Even better when it's a VTOL with a V-tail!

[@JTMC93]

@@hoojiwana Was the Light Jet from Tron a VTOL?

[@SlavGod47]

The Scorpion and Samson from Avatar are absolutely incredible

[@patsfreak]

Glad to see Zephyr 1 mentioned. I always thought it was worthy of a break down. I’ve been in love with that thing since it’s reveal in the first minutes of season 3

[@KingreX32]

We haven't had a Spacedock Verses, Spacedock Planetside or Spacedock Sci-Tech in a long long while. Bring these back dudes.

[@alagietorres8556]

Love the zephyr 1 💪💥☠

[@RidgeR5]

I was not a fan of the Zephyr. Huge, clumsy and more unrealistic than The Bus. But that knife edge takeoff escape was pretty damn sweet and had my jaw hanging.

[@johanvanderwalt2772]

I’m surprised the Orca VTOL craft from C&C didn’t make it on this list. They were always such a iconic symbol of the series along with the Mammoth tank and Obelisk.

[@LordInsane100]

One reason I like the Orca is how the TD one ends up as the start of an entire design lineage in-universe, with not just direct successors but also expanding into a family of related craft.

[@fisk0]

Yeah, I almost expected Orca to be first place, surprised it didn't even pop up in the honorable mentions. We see such a fascinating evolution of it throughout the series, and the version in the first game feels very grounded in what was feasible in the 90s.

[@iliketrains0pwned]

I know it's not exactly a sci-fi aircraft, but I've always been a huge fan of the vehicles from the Thunderbirds series; especially the Thunderbird 2 and the Fireflash. They all had really unique designs that you just can't find anywhere else in aircraft design. And even though some of their aspects were a little weird (like forward swept wings, nuclear jet engines, and double decks on a hypersonic aircraft), a lot of the design features made a lot of sense for what they were built to do. Also I can't wait to see your episode on fictional SSTO/Spaceplanes, there's a ton of designs out there that would be awesome for you to talk about!

[@Bearmauls]

Has Spacedock done a breakdown of the Thunderbirds craft? Cause that'd be awesome!

[@Taisto-Perkele]

@@Bearmauls They have actually. A full breakdown of TB 1 while TB 2 and the Zero-X were featured in earlier lists.

[@lewismassie]

@@Taisto-Perkele Where can I find the one with the Zero-X?

[@minicle426]

The Angel Interceptor from Captain Scarlet. A favourite of mine.

[@richardbell7678]

Part of the beauty of the aircraft in Thunderbirds was the lack of compromise between style and physics, so long as it would look cool when suspended by wires, no thoughts were given to whether it could plausibly fly. Fireflash is the worst example of this: the wings are at the rear of the fuselage and swept back! How is the weight distributed that would even allow Fireflash to get off of the runway, let alone fly? An amusing artifact of the writing for Fireflash is that getting it back on the ground needed to be a race against the clock, so it was given radiation shielding that degraded over time. As a child, this did not register as problematic. As an adult, degradable radiation shielding seemed absurd, but now I know about xenon poisoning of reactors. Fireflash's reactor shielding is a light weight isotope with a huge neutron absorption cross section that either remains stable or only decays by beta minus decay (which can be shielded effectively with multiple layers of aluminum foil). Being supersonic, Fireflash could fly huge distances before the shielding would all be consumed and needing replenishment. The last unsettled question related to Fireflash is why didn't the elevator cars have ABS? The simple answer is that it would be uninteresting, especially when compared to the wheel lockup and tire blowouts.

[@lockheedx33]

I’m surprised that Darkstar from Top Gun: Maverick didn’t at least get an honorable mention, but at least it was cool to see Airwolf in here Also, the Bubbleship from Oblivion is featured at the McClellan Air and Space Museum And I just realized this was a VTOL-themed video, so I guess it would have been cool to see EDI or the F/A-37 Talons, as Darkstar isn’t a VTOL

[@TheChaosCorvid]

The Darkstar was just an SR-72, which is a real world work in progress aircraft. They even got the real company making it to build the prop to make it as accurate as possible.

[@paulsd9255]

I guess it’s not fictional enough for sci-fi.

[@thermusaquaticusPCR]

@@TheChaosCorvid Lol no

[@chrisbelkosky5466]

The darkstar was very cool but also suffered a massive RUD during shakedown so I don't thing it lived long enough to qualify.

[@fakjbf3129]

I’ve always liked the A-61 Mantis Gunship from Mass Effect. It’s basically a helicopter that flies using the same aerospike style thrusters as the Normandy and other ships, making it feel far more grounded in the setting than would have been possible with rotating propeller blades.

[@valashar5313]

The only thing I don't like about the atmospheric craft in Mass Effect is that they are entirely dependent on the mass effect itself for flight. They lack any form of backup flight systems or even basic aeroforms for emergencies. They just have the two modes of 'completely functional' and 'tomb'.

[@whyjnot420]

@@valashar5313 Only some are, they refer to them as true contragravity machines in the codex entries, most are not. The Mantis makes use of its mass effect field to do some amazing things, but as far as I can tell, they are not a necessity for flight itself.

[@joesheridan95]

@@whyjnot420 Exactly, they would work without their mass effect fields mostly, it´s "just" a supporting element for most craft. One of the examples where that doesn´t works out for most planets is the Kodiak-Shuttle, they are in a high need of their mass effect core, it´s not only for FTL but for their landing capabilities too.

[@whyjnot420]

@@joesheridan95 In the end, it is a clever way of allowing for the designs to not be 100% dependent on real world physics.

[@joesheridan95]

@@whyjnot420 exactly. But still: i like that there are vehicles that would remain in somekind of a working condition if the field fails, while others just crash to their doom.

[@TheArtilleryman]

For me, one of my favourite Sci-Fi aircraft is the VF-1 Valykrie from the Macross/Robotech franchise- both air and space capable, with that amazing ability to either become a full on combat mech or half mech half fighter- it's just amazing!

[@TheLiamster]

I love the Samson from Avatar. It’s one of the reasons why the RDA is my favourite faction

[@TheOneWayDown]

From here on out I'm calling it the Avatar effect. Making the bad guys so badass in comparison to the good guys that it doesn't matter if they're borderline mustache twirling unlikeable assholes

[@jfangm]

@@TheOneWayDown Avatar: The Na'vi Get Nuked From Orbit

[@lordfrostwind3151]

Samson is good, but damn do I love the Dragon, like the drunken offspring of a Pave Low and an Ac-130 roided up.

[@ohhai1486]

The only major flaw is that they're not arrow/bulletproof.

[@TheOneWayDown]

@@ohhai1486 They actually are though, only way the arrows could get through is when loosed from a steep dive

[@fuzzyaziraphale4228]

Great list I like how you trolled us with Blue Thunder and then revealing Airwolf.

[@Gabriel87100]

I feel like Spacedock would love the R-352 Sepia space fighter in Ace Combat 3, or The Arkbird in Ace Combat 5. The franchise is so full of original airplane and spaceship designs it was a big influence for me getting into science fiction vehicles.

[@hoojiwana]

The Arkbird is pretty great yes! - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@Rogan_Dorn]

I'm still all about the CFA-44 Nosferatu from Ace Combat 6

[@RealGracefulGoose]

@@Rogan_Dorn The Nosferatu is a beauty and 6 will forever be my favorite AC game.

[@RealGracefulGoose]

@@hoojiwana Omg you're an AC fan?

[@aarondevaldez9134]

YES!

[@Vantud391]

So happy that you include the Agents of SHIELD.🎉

[@Blechfuchs]

Special credits to the Goliath from Ghibli’s ‘Castle in the Sky’ And in my opinion the most beautiful one being the sadly only shortly seen police hovers from the Total Recall remake, looking like a mechanical Angel Shark floating in the sky. And did anyone ever notice that the Orca from Command & Conquer obviously originated from the Terminator franchise? So cool to find out when I re-watched The Terminator after weeks of playing C&C back then, and during the opening scene said to myself: Hey! Skynet got Orcas!

[@connorhalleck2895]

Yeah there are so many aircraft in Miyazaki movies, those would be in my top 10

[@earthknight60]

The glider from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a nice design as well, although a little impractical.

[@kleuafflatus]

@@earthknight60 they actually made it like 10 years ago, it managed to take off, though only barely

I would personally go with Porco Rosso's red Savoia S. 21 out of Ghibli fictional aircraft.

[@patrickhaller669]

The Samson helicopter is definitely my favourite sci-fi aircraft of all time. So utilitarian and realistic, yet such an amazing design. Would love to see a video on orbital dropships

[@TheShreddedSnorlax]

I'd say the two that are my old favourites are the UH144 Falcon from Halo Reach and the DC77 Pelican Dropship, also from Halo (ok, the second also breaks the space flight rule). they both just felt grounded in reality and like something that could either be built today or in the near future. I always loved the UNSC aesthetic and those two birds were old favourites.

[@bradthebreadstick]

I always loved the falcons rear facing jet engines. Made flying around forge world and new Alexandria feel way cooler.

[@gavrawlinson3099]

Nah the raven from geares if war awesome helicopter

[@Seriona1]

@@gavrawlinson3099 The King Raven is basically a Huey but scaled up, not the exactly same design but they look like a generational version.

[@hf117j]

D77 series pelicans are my favorites. The 79 series can bite it. The Hornet is cool but off balance, still gotta check with the Falcon, the wasp has 4 sources of downwards thrust so more manageable, though the rear set is barely noticeable visually

[@nicholasfornelli3477]

The MIG 31 from the movie Firefox. Showing my age but fantastic design and underrated spy movie from early 80s starring Clint Eastwood.

[@Ricky-CC]

My favourite would have to be the JSSDF Heavy VTOL from Evangelion. It’s such a unique design, I love the twin cockpit and the missile hard-points. It’s a great design.

[@eugenemoyers8631]

I was always fond of the Helicopter/ Jets from Arnold's movie The 6th Day. They were civilian but those folding rotors and its ability to be flown by remote was pretty cool.

[@kennethcollins7665]

That’s my favorite!

[@Majere613]

For me, Thunderbird 2, the original version. OK, it probably wouldn't ever fly unless IR had some pretty incredible engine tech, but that launch sequence and the various numbered mission-specific modules (including the one that had Thunderbird 4 in it!) were fantastic. The modularity of the design was very forward-looking for its time.

[@darthquigley]

Agreed, 2 has to be the best Thunderbird. The modular cargo plane concept has been tried in real life (see the XC-120 from 1950). It never caught on, but it's perfect if you need to deploy a container load of specialized rescue equipment on short notice.

[@Tekdruid]

Despite its bulky looks, it was based on the real life concept of "lifting body" aircraft.

[@verfugbarkite]

Yup. Goddam yoof.

[@augustjsb]

Is that the giant green one?

[@Majere613]

@@augustjsb Er, yes.

[@gphoenix51]

Great list, lots of good choices. One aircraft I always liked was the switchblade jet copters from The 6th Day. I thought it was really cool that not only could they switch from a precise helicopter mode for landings and city flying, but they could switch to a jet mode for speed and maneuverability. They were also able to be remotely piloted.

[@daverage4729]

Just made me smile to see Airwolf in this. Even the helmets and grey flightsuits were cool. I can already hear the music. :)

[@walkingcarpet420]

The Talon from Stealth, and the Turbokat from SWAT Kats are 2 of my favorites

[@Neawoulf]

Even though i never played the games i love those huge airplanes from the Ace Combat series. Two planes i'd personally add to that list: - The Blohm & Voss BV-38 from Raiders Of The Lost Ark - The flying wing from the Captain America movie Yep, i like flying wings.

[@PrototypeSpaceMonkey]

Nice. 30's dieselpunk flying wings FTW. The Hughes Firebrand from Crimson Skies was one of the first things I thought of when I was making my own mental list.

[@eugenemoyers8631]

Yep, both are pretty cool and very pulpy retro.

[@katrinasparks899]

My absolute favourite fictional aircraft has always been the EASA X-02 Wyvern and it's variants, from Ace Combat. I really love the take on the 'near future' technology in it, and the styling really reflects the 6th generation style of fighter aircraft.

[@vipvip-tf9rw]

falken looks cooler

[@IcedCat559]

I must say my favourite is probably Thunderbird 2, it's just so epic seeing it in ring of fire emerging out of the clouds next to the tiny hot air balloon

[@Maktumekal_Ilzrei]

My favorite goes to the F/A-37 Talon from the movie Stealth. But the Samson and Scorpion from Avatar are absolutely top notch as well!

[@FekLeyrTarg]

Cool list. Another aircraft worth mentioning in my opinion is the Orca in its many variants/incarnations from the "Command & Conquer" games.

[@Wingnut00-zero]

ABSOLUTELY. You even get a whole family of them to play with in Tiberian Sun.

[@darkbrightnorth]

The orcas are amazing

[@TheLastSterling1304]

I'll throw in the NOD Venom as well being implied to be reversed engineered Orca mk1 design.

[@lordfrostwind3151]

*Laughs from my Nod Banshee* Peace Through Power brothers.

[@Ulfur8574]

Orca on standby

[@thefallofhousedenari]

Fair play for bringing in Airwolf. There's a great clip of someone flying and dogfighting a Valkyrie in Planetside 2 and pulling off fantastic maneuvers all set to the Airwolf theme. Also nice to see the combine shout-out. I'm curious why the dropship wasn't included among the other two; it managed to be very cohesive with the gunship while still being very different.

[@ejdLB]

The F/A-37 Talon from Stealth was fantastically designed.

[@cookiemonsterdayz]

True. Sadly the movie is really really terrible.

[@FirestormX9]

It absolutely was

[@kjpierson1152]

I loved Agents of SHIELD's Bus/Zephyr 1, as you mentioned. Something about their design just spoke to me.

[@VallornDeathblade]

I just did my ritual playthrough of Half Life 2 and I absolutely agree with the Gunship and Hunter Chopper. The Gunship especially manages to be a threat even into the late game when you know how they work and are given the tools to deal with them. I love how they move and dart about, and how they actively shoot down your rockets instead of just dodging them.

[@zarecht2968]

The Cybertronian gunships from the Transformers movies(Bayformers) looked petty sick. Those also worked in both Space and Atmosphere settings so that's a plus.

[@khandimahn9687]

Sticking with atmospheric only, a particular favorite of mine is the VF-0 Phoenix from Macross Zero - the predecessor to the famous VF-1 Valkyrie.

[@koungendo6371]

Meanwhile it is a predecessor, the frame of 2 Valkyries are not like each other just the basic concept is similar. VF-1 Valkyrie is a standalone-start from scratch development project, VF-0 Phoenix start from the need for a test bed variable fighter so they choose the frame of famous F-14 Tomcat and heavily modified it into VF-0. So in the scene of the last battle you can see the limit of F-14 frame despite having SWAG energy conversion armor coating on, it cant even pass the Mach 1.8 and Shin have to slowed down

[@commandermaverick1487]

Now I’m wondering why isn’t that in this video

[@khandimahn9687]

@@commandermaverick1487 Maybe they just prefer more plausible designs? I love things like Macross, but even I will admit that realistically a transforming robot would be a horribly complicated thing that will probably never happen. Even non-transforming robots like in Votoms I have doubts will ever come to be. But they're still f-ing cool on screen.

[@loverofjesusMKII]

The clip of the Gundam carrier doing a flip and squashing the pursuing fighter slayed me. I'm glad to see the love for the Matrix Hovercraft. I always loved their design in spite of not being so fond of the sequels.

[@corporategunner5972]

Out of all the in-atmosphere aircraft in sci-fi, I've always loved the FFR-41MR Mave from Yukikaze. It's a sleek and futuristic fighter jet that looks and performs amazingly. Another mention would be the RX-160S Byarlant Custom from the Gundam franchise, when you see that thing launch into the sky and proceed to wipe the floor against the enemy, you know you got an impressive flying machine.

[@davidtran588]

Can't help but love the Banshee too.

[@warmachine5835]

If we're going to dip into Gundam, I'm going to loosely apply Spacedock's rule and name the humble Base Jabber. The UC setting has been pretty good overall up until Hathaway's Flash and transitioning into the late-UC about keeping the mechs "grounded" in the gravity well. Your standard non-transformable mobile suit can't fly in atmosphere, and the answer to that until the development of the Xi and Penelope is "have the mobile suit ride a slaved transport platform." Hence the Base Jabber and Dodai. While the Base Jabber is technically spaceworthy, it's only practical purpose in space is to be a taxi to get a mobile suit to the front without expending the suit's limited reactant mass. In atmosphere, it's required for sustained flight or any operation beyond the range of the mobile suit's own jump altitude.

[@AcZe1188]

Coolest grounded to reality aircraft to me is easily the Attack Helicopters from the Patlabor series. Quite realistic cool looking helicopter and packs quite the heavy ordnance considering the damage they were able to inflict on Patlabor the Movie 2. And Patlabor was set in the 90s! Imagine what they would be if they rebooted the series with the same seriousness and quality

[@Sangth123]

I always liked that Half-Life 2 had both the Hunter Chopper and the Gunship. The Gunship would have been used during the 7 Hour War since it's an otherworldly creature that's been bio-mechanized, whereas the the Hunter Chopper was taking human helicopter design to its apex.

[@CMDRScotty]

The next one you need to do is your top ten sci-fi jet fighters.

[@pux0rb]

The SA-2 Samson is my favorite aircraft design, and maybe even my favorite scifi design in general. It looks so real like you can just rip it out of the screen and jump into it in real life, exploring the new frontiers of whatever planet you've landed on. I especially love the attention to detail in how avatar was shot, showing how tactile it is and how each of its moving parts interact with people/the air/the environment. Such an iconic silhouette too, easily recognizable for what it is and what role it fills at a glance. I'm a bit disappointed with what the sequel avatar VTOL looks like, but maybe seeing the new movie will change my opinion on that. Cameron has always had an eye for detail and makes sure to hire likeminded people.

[@brunocardenas]

The Samsons remind me of two G.I Joe Toys: The Ghost Hawk and the Black Dragon. And Yes, great great design!

[@merafirewing6591]

@@brunocardenas but would the Samson fit in really well in G.I.Joe?

[@hatman4818]

Bell's new tiltrotor design isnt far off from the looks of the Samson, so i'd say whomever designed it had a good idea of aircraft realism. The only thing I can remotely criticize about it is that the fan ducts should probably be a bit longer to really gain any extra lift out of them. Although, those ducts may be less there for lift generation, and more there for rotor protection given the entire planet it is used on is undeveloped jungle.

[@Ph33NIXx]

The planes from Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere will always have a place in my heart... and Yukikaze

[@mattlo6657]

Loved the zephyr and the Bus. Great to see them both get some love.

[@TomRedlion]

Definitely need a dropship video. You also missed the Hornet from the Halo franchise. Cool atmospheric attack 'copter'.

[@Irondrone4]

A really nice list of VTOLs! I love just about every one of these choices, and the ones I don't are just down to not having gotten to see them in action proper. If I want to get really out there, Crimson Skies had some marvelous dieselpunk warplanes. The Brigand always stood out to me by being a fighter craft with a rear-facing turret, which helped deter pursuers during dogfights. The steampunk setting of Dystopian Wars is also ripe with utterly bonkers aircraft, from drones to bombers the size of small towns to flying robots. The HQ Gyro of the Empire of the Blazing Sun is my favorite, not just because it looks gorgeous, but also because it poops out robot squids from it's lower hangar.

[@Aodhan2717]

I’ve always liked the Arwing from StarFox, especially the more detailed version in Assault. The design is cool, but I think the main reason I still like it so much is because it’s the first sci fi craft I felt viscerally connected to. I watched the Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, etc, but I *piloted* the Arwing

[@Roycesraphim1]

I loved the hl2 organic gunships for the fact you basically had to wave the missle launcher like a magic wand to get a hit. Would make so many other missle fights in game more interesting if you had to dance as well

[@dbadaddy7386]

I saw Andy Probert at a convention in the mid 80s. Next Generation was about to enter production. He said Roddenberry wanted a badge that was also a communicator. You activated it by hitting a switch. So he drew the com badge that ultimately showed on screen, but it had a big honkin' light switch on it. He said Roddenberry fell out of his chair laughing.

[@brains4845]

My personal favourite is the ASF-X Shinden 2 from Ace Combat. It's a really cool looking plane that doesn't look too advanced for a modern setting while also looking unlike many other fighter jets out there

I think you could consider the Valkyrie variable fighters from Macross/Robotech. Even just the non-spacegoing versions from the Macross Zero OVA. The designs stand the test of time and feel so believable yet cool that they'll always be so far above the rest for me. The enduring legacy in toys and new TV series is evidence of their value.

[@GrandSupremeDaddyo]

The race back to Zion in the final Matrix movie is an underrated masterpiece. A skilled pilot who is used to flying something far more nimble having to deal with extra mavoeuvability issues and even power distribution. It's not just a slower & heavier craft, it handles differently and she has to account for that. There are immediate consequences when she has to bark co-pilot orders at Morpheus but he struggles to keep up. That whole sequence builds up the challenges faced by every person on board working to get back to Zion with the payoff of that final catastrophic run through the gates.

[@maxbardus3019]

100%

[@bozhijak]

"Damn, this woman can drive!"

You mean the third movie? Yeah, that sequence is worth it.

[@DanteYewToob]

“Shit she’s got a fat ass!” Haha Niobe was always one of my favorites, because of those scenes! So tense and epic.

[@ranwolf7650]

"Ah shit, she's got a fat ass." ~Niobe

[@a_dey]

IM SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED TRON UPRISING, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT SHOW!

[@StabbySabby]

the AV-42 from VTOL VR is one of my favorite fictional aircrafts of all time, it's fun to fly, can fill many roles from utility transport to an attack helicopter all the way to a SEAD and light fighter aircraft. i absolutely recommend getting VTOL VR just to fly the AV-42

[@jeffbo8748]

“It’s Blue Thunder…. Nah, it’s Airwolf!” Ngl as one of like 7 people who remember the movie and the series, that one hurt.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I recall the spin off 🇨🇦 made basic cable Team Airwolf! 🐺

[@sebchambers7140]

love the small acknowledgement of the thunderbirds from 2015, whilst the series was good, the vehicle designs where superb. the modular pod vehicles especially, I loved some of the designs, the dragon fly and mountain explorer are very nicely detailed.

[@Evangelion543]

Lmfao, the Archangel from Gundam Seed doing a PSM was fking hilarious! I love mods!

[@dsmiley53]

I'd love to see a video on drop ships/space-to-ground assault in general in sci-fi. That would be fun!

[@georgeduncan9443]

cheyenne cheyenne cheyenne ! number one on that list . hands down ! lol

[@westcoaststacker569]

@@georgeduncan9443 AGREED 1000%

[@georgeduncan9443]

@@westcoaststacker569 "express elevator to hell , going down !" lol

[@krisgonynor689]

I loved the "HEAV" from "Godzilla vs Kong". Small, neat compact but super powerful design. For some reason, they remind me of Space 1999's Eagles (which better be on any list of ground to orbit craft).

[@dexexmachinatu4151]

I like how you put the Samson from Avatar which is basically a Huey with tilt rotors as a thumbnail right after the US Army selected the V-280 Valor to be replace the Blackhawk which is basically a blackhawk with tilt-rotors.

[@A_J502]

This is a throwback; but I always love the Turbokat from the 90s cartoon SWAT KATS! A black and red, triple engine, stealth F-14 with more trick missiles than Green Arrow and Hawkeye combined.

[@peteradvisers2684]

The bubble ship is great. I have a soft spot for small aircraft like that, in fact I always liked the vehicles you get in G-Police (PS1 game) and the Swordfish and Red Tail from Cowboy Bebop.

[@lennoxbaumbach390]

Btw. the designer of the Bubble-ship also worked on the vehicles of Tron Legacy.

[@C4MG1RL]

My favorite fictional aircraft: Ace Combat. Just about every craft in the games which you should definitely play. My absolute favorite of the jets is the ASF-X Shinden II

[@Prich319]

I'm guessing the theme is VTOL craft. One of my favorites is the titular fighter from the OVA Yukikaze, especially it's upgraded version, which was originally an unmanned fighter. It was as much a character thanks to having a near sentient AI, and by the end of the episodes, it had become something as alien as the JAM it was fighting. It's still to this day one of the coolest aircraft in any media.

[@csongor242]

One of my favourite fictional aircraft is the Mars Gunship (or Cobra gunship) for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. It’s small and agile, with a lot of fire power and It just has such a nice silhouette no matter where you look at it from. Such an underrated aircraft.

[@pepperpeppington]

Was hoping to see the VB-02 gunship (Vertibird from Fallout 3 and NV) on this list. That thing is my favorite scifi in-atmosphere aircraft

[@ab1stemboy650]

Same

[@michaelspencer8024]

There should be more atmospheric concepts like airships such as the heliporter or air bases like laputa in the castle in the sky or the red room in black widow. Sci fi locations always tend to focus on space, ground, undergroud, sea and underwater leaving the sky out of the fun which is a shame. I'd like to see something like a stealth mobile air base using a cloud condenser to avoid direct detection, the whole thing would just appear like a big cloud from afar; even better if it would be on another planet's atmosphere like venus, neptune or jupiter like in jupiter ascending.

[@furonguy42]

A favorite of mine is the Velocipod from the first Incredibles movie. Its perhaps a tad silly, but also sits comfortably between 'cool' with the way its animated, and terrifying as a villain vehicle, as multiple of the bladed menaces pursue Dash in that big chase sequence.

[@paulsim7589]

I most remember the dropship from Aliens, looked cool then let loose the APC - it was sweet and epic.

[@kadendookie178]

I sure hope to see the RDA sea wasp added to a similar list like this in the future * I believe the theme is your obsession with v shaped tails*

[@hoojiwana]

Aha! You went for the red herring! - hoojiwana from Spacedock

[@kadendookie178]

@@hoojiwana dammit

[@SuperFailzocker]

Great video! As always! But I must say that I also find the "Hovercrafts"/"Hoverplanes" from the Hunger Games movies pretty cool. Especially the military ones used by District 13 in the last two movies.

[@GB_GeorgiaF]

I love the Aircraft from Space Battleship Yamato, with my favourites being the Seagull, Cosmo Falcon, Cosmo Tiger II, and the Cosmo Zero. I consider them to be aircraft, rather than spacecraft, due to their designs, and usage.

[@katarjin]

Love all the craft from that series

[@dangeorge809]

Agreed, especially the enhanced versions in the Yamato 2199 universe. Though for mine the Cosmo Tiger I really grew on me as the Yamato-verse equivalent of the A-10 in space, despite my personal disdain for forward-swept wings. I'm glad Yamamoto's wasn't the only example. The Cosmo Zeros in 2199 were such a well-thought out space fighter. Machine guns, a heavy gauge anti-tank cannon, and the ability to carry missiles, something its 1974 version didn't have. The nice touch was that it had the same engine-induced roll as its real-world, WW2 namesake.

[@GB_GeorgiaF]

I agree the designs from the 2199, and its subsequent series look great, and out of the four I mentioned above, my favourite is the Seagull, I love the way it looks, it's like a Star Trek shuttle, and a Blue Midget from Red Dwarf had a baby.

[@adorimirable]

Im glad the HK Aerial got in there, even if its just honorable mentions, the one from T2 will always be my favorite design of flying killer robot

[@skywarp8726]

The vf1 Valkyrie is a work of art

[@Sephiroth144]

Ah, but to keep it in-atmo only, would have to go with the VF-0...

[@VFclancy]

Would be nice if he gave the Variable Fighter series some love (The VF-1 and her Predicessor and Successors)

[@shadowshockwave]

@@rare_kumiko "Full Armor Messiah" just has a nice ring to it for a hero protector fighter. 😁

[@bravodefeated9193]

It's basically tomcat with minor edits

[@darkphoenix68]

Airwolf!!! Any time I ever fly a helicopter in a video game, I'll start humming the Airwolf theme. Can't help it; so iconic...

[@georgevelez6388]

I learned about aircraft I didn't know existed, and I would definitely like to see a drop ship/shuttle follow up video.

[@RidgeR5]

I love this list. I knew all of them except for #10. I also love the Cheyenne from Aliens, but its a dropship, so it can't be included. But I love the styling of all the aircraft here and appreciate the list and where they end up on it. I saw The Bus in the thumbnail and knew I was going to enjoy this video.

[@DanielCorpuz223]

You mentioned Airwolf You had summoned me 😈 My ultimate favorite sci-fi chopper, Andrew Probert made Airwolf inspired on real-world experimental stop-rotor helicopter that can be both a fast fixed-wing aircraft and a versatile hovering copter. Sadly technology isn't good enough to make that possible for a 80's TV show that actually uses real helicopter stunts in combat scenes. Yes... the theme is just pure goosebumps. Even though i am 17 years old right now, I am still a great fan of the Lady. My childhood (I grew up watching the DVDs of its three seasons)

[@chrisbelkosky5466]

The Airwolf themesong was just awesome. Always plays in my head when I see a similar model helicopter.

[@raptorred9186]

The Quinjet is under appreciated. Such a beautiful aircraft

[@lawrencejohnson3259]

That’s a great list, one of my favorites is the shuttle from last days on Mars. There’s not a lot of images of it, but I thought the design was very well done and practical looking. Please keep up the great work.

[@ezequielblanco8659]

The bubble ship from Oblivion was the best for me. The whole visual aspect of the movie was great, and I particularly love the probes.

[@IVIaskerade]

Thunderbird 2 will always be my favourite. It's a nostalgic childhood thing.

[@stephenw5488]

You know I love the design of the zephyr one A LOT!! But I think the criticism about the cold tactical interior is actually 100% fair, great point!

[@sprudelgolem]

Excellent picks throughout! Love most of them.

[@kaltenstein7718]

The Gunships and Transports from Nausicaä are also very cool I gotta say, because they look very futuristic and ancient at the same time.

[@shinkoutaihou]

And Flaptor from Castle in the Sky too.

[@MoonjumperReviews]

Love that you included Airwolf! I also appreciate that you were aware of the possible influence on the Agents of SHIELD “Bus” from “Team Knight Rider.” I was actually going to mention that when you said exactly what I was thinking. But I’ll go a little further in time. There was a very similar aircraft featured in the old “Plastic Man” cartoon in the late 70s and early 80s. Plastic Man’s main hero ship and base of operations was a cargo plane with VTOL wings, later mimicked (accidentally or on purpose) on “Team Knight Rider, and again on “Agents of SHIELD.” Furthermore, a version of this design was utilized in the 2008 “Knight Rider” series on NBC. The 2008 series was presented as a sequel to the original 80s series, with David Hasselhoff making a cameo appearance as the original Michael Knight and father to the new Michael Knight-but their was no direct mention of “Team Knight Rider,” except for the inclusion of a very similar VTOL cargo plane acting as KITT’s mobile command, suggesting a possible continuity with “Team Knight Rider,” as well.

[@steveandrade3477]

As an honorable mention, I'd like to add in the VTOL from the Crysis series. It was durable, versatile and badass. It was like an unarmed Pelican drop ship.

[@storyhoardgaming]

Great list! Always nice to see Agents of Shield getting some love, especially!

[@peted612]

Great list. My personal favorite is the Sikorsky UH-80S in the Luck 13 episode of Love, Death & Robots. It also had that used/lived in look, and plenty of details to make it feel like a future possibility.

[@Ivrob]

I know this is before it was released but The Creator really has one of the coolest ship designs ive ever seen. And dont even get me started on the sound design

[@N1njaSnake]

Dropships are the coolest craft! Definitely need a dedicated video!!

[@thedabblingwarlock]

Yes, I would love an episode going over shuttles and dropships. Please and thank you! :D

[@allenfogarty2384]

Mentioning a few others that I love and would make my list.... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Bat Plane, The Spinner from Blade Runner, The DeLorean from Back to the Future, Lola from Agents of Shield, George Jetson's car, and Dallas's Taxi from 5th Element. Except for the Bat Plane, I see I have a theme also.