The four most beautiful airliners ever

I'm sticking my neck out here, but most modern jetliners lack sex appeal. Case in point: the ponderous, bloated Airbus A380. Simply put, not a lovely commercial airliner.

So here's my list, although honestly the first two could tie depending on the day you ask me.

The Lockheed Constellation (especially the longer-fuselage Super Connie)

Although it had a short life, killed by the jet age, I give it top marks. Its curved fuselage provided an engineering solution not an aesthetic one. In order to fulfill its mission of carrying a specified number of passengers a specified distance at a specified speed (all imposed by Howard Hughes) Lockheed's designers needed to increase the size of the engines, which required the fuselage to sit higher off the ground and curve up over the wings, which explains its almost stork-like front landing gear and the upward curve of the fuselage at its midsection. And why the triple tail? A single taller tail, given the height of the rest of the plane, wouldn't fit into the existing hangers of the age, so three smaller ones were added to the plane's distinctive look. Airline geek that I was and am, I had a chance to fly Connies when I worked for the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle back in the 1980's. The only one remaining in the Eastern fleet served as the third section backup, when needed, of the 7 a.m. Boston to LaGuardia shuttle service. I'd sometimes stick around hoping that the first two 727s would fill up so I could fly my favorite ride. (I also flew one within California in 1964; during the flight an engine caught fire--the engines were always the plane's weak point--but was quickly extinguished and we landed safely, although my sister, who was in the window seat, was a fearful flier for evermore).

The Concorde.

A tough call. So different from the Connie, but I'm sure many would name it as the most gorgeous aircraft ever and I wouldn't argue strongly either way. I got to ride it twice, mostly by chance. One time I was scheduled on a subsonic flight from Heathrow to New York JFK but an air traffic strike grounded all flights except BA's fights 1, 2, 3, and 4 (today given over to the JFK-London City route). I was traveling on an employee pass and as I've related elsewhere when I got authorization to fly Concorde the ticket agent told me I couldn't fly because I wasn't wearing a tie (de rigeur for pass holders back then). Luckily I had one in my carry-on bag, crouched down, and slipped it on. The second time was also a strike of sorts: it was an unusually fine April 1st and my subsonic crew called in sick. As passengers entered the lounge the chirpy attendant announced to everyone on my flight, "You're flying Concorde today!" And as I sat near the entrance I heard each jaded business traveler, displaying typical British humor, reply, "April Fool's Day to you too!" The Sultan of Brunei and his entourage, my cabin attendant informed me in flight, was sitting in back of me. Apparently he didn't have his own Concorde and was in a hurry. The plane had those old fashioned plastic tube headphones and as we final-approached JFK they piped in Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" which was sort of ironic on the Concorde.

The Super VC-10

I also had the pleasure of flying this gorgeous craft when I was a student in the U.K. in the 1970s, on BOAC, which received 17 of this type along with 12 of the shorter version. With its uncluttered, swept-back wings and sleek fuselage it looks especially beautiful in the longer "Super" version, and especially when seen in flight. It even has its own preservation society.

The Boeing 787

Although not nearly as lovely as the top three, I do like the curvaceous wings. It's far and away the best looking commercial jet in current production. As with other planes, the longer 787-10 looks even better than the shorter versions. Agree?

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