What's the rarest aircraft type that you've flown on?

[Sprucegoose]

TAA in 1967 on the FOKKER F27 'Friendship

My first flight was a TAA F27 from CBR-SYD with Dad, let's just say it was before Gough was in Power!

TAA Fokker F27

The ferry story is fascinating for all you vintage buffs.

 

[jgm]

Piaggio P166 twin engine pusher props. New Guinea WWK-VAI. This route was flown by a F27 some days and the P166 others. The P166 would sometimes also call into Aitape on the way, an "interesting" landing towards the ocean.

 

[Sprucegoose]

The P166 would sometimes also call into Aitape on the way, an "interesting" landing towards the ocean.

One could only imagine.

Aitape featured prominently in the battle of Western New Guinea during the war. Operation Persecution saw amphibious landings, with the Aussies later occupying the place at the tail end of the war after the Americans departed.

The landing strips are historical and would have seen a whole raft of WWII vintage aircraft.

This site had a moderator based in PNG for the RAAF (after the war!) long enough to appreciate its harshness and beauty.

Exploring those regions would be a warfare historian's dream.

 

[trooper]

Turbine DHC-2 Beaver landplane? I don't think there are/were many of those... back then anyway.

 

[clifford]

I recall flying from Blackpool (BLK) to the Isle of Man (IOM) in the late 1950's on a Bristol Freighter. Very slow and noisy, but it got us there. Fairly rare too, I think.

Not to mention some of the other Brit aircraft of that era I flew on (as a fairly young person), such as the Bristol Britannia, Handley Page Hermes and DH Dragon Rapide.

Ah, the good old days when you really knew you were flying...

 

[Sprucegoose]

I recall flying from Blackpool (BLK) to the Isle of Man (IOM) in the late 1950's on a Bristol Freighter.

It looks like it's WW2 vintage; thanks for sharing. I have never heard of the Bristol before!

EDIT The Bristol Blenheim, yes, not the freighter. I guess it was never sexy enough.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Turbine DHC-2 Beaver landplane? I don't think there are/were many of those... back then anyway.

Speaking of (the aquatic version at least)... Not exactly rare but the most unique plane I've flown on was this DHC-2 with an interesting history!

Built in 1959 and delivered to the US army, before spending time with the Oklahoma Vocational Board. In 1987 it moved over the border and has been with various seaplane operators in the Vancouver/VI region ever since!

 

[Mwenenzi]

I recall flying from Blackpool (BLK) to the Isle of Man (IOM) in the late 1950's on a Bristol Freighter. Very slow and noisy, but it got us there. Fairly rare too, I think.

Were flown in NZ as Straits Air Freight Express - Wikipedia
Remember them from when I lived in Wellington early1980's, but never flown in them. Noisy brutes. Had an unusual sleeve valve radial engine.
Also at that time many flights on F27 Wellington to Napier/Gisborne.