The Mustang remained in front line service with the Dominican Republic until 1983. Spain flew the Bf-109 until 1958. Don't know when the last operational Spitfire flew. Of course, the B-52's are still circling North Korea, flown by the grandsons of the men who first piloted them.

When referring to the longevity of the Stang vs the Spit and Bf 109, I was referring to its role up to the end of WW2 only. The P-51 was active for 3 years vs 10 for both the Spit and Bf 109. And though the Bf 109 saw service with Czechoslovakia, Spain, and France postwar, it was an enemy aircraft confined largely to Europe with exception of those sold to Israel in 1948. The Mustang and Twin-Mustang continued on in war and was exported to places as far as Africa which has always had old, outdated piston aircraft flying. You could add a few Ju-52s that were operating in Africa in the '80s as well or DC-3s!!! The Bf 109, however, still is factual best fighter of all time having shot down over 15,000 enemy aircraft and made the most aces in history- hundreds! German Experten (starting at 10 kills each up to 352) preferred the Bf 109 to other types, including the Fw-190 and Me-262. As Hartmann said when he encountered the P-51, "It was nothing special". He downed 7 of them with no problem. As for the Reds, well they had the Yak-9 which served through WW2 with 17,000 ultimately produced. That cannot be judged with Western fighters due to different conditions on the Ostfront. The Yak-9 did not need huge range and ceiling due to fighting over their own land and German bomber low altitudes. It reached 420 mph and had a 20mm cannon plus MGs which matched it decently with the Bf 109s and it had good climb. But it was very rugged to withstand the Soviet winter weather and used wood as well as metal. Soviets used their fighters most of the time to protect ground troops and armor vs aerial armadas for the Spit and Stang, that only got to go ground marauding AFTER escorting the bombers. A few went after V-1s and V-2 launch sites as well as "opportunity" targets like trains and road convoys... but that was seconday to escort from France to Germany and back.

Rob -- I agree: the Mustang was the best. But how about sub-categories? Sexiest: P-38. Kids like me built more models of it than any other plane. Actually, with two fuselages, more of that sweet-smelling glue was required, so there were a lot of high 9 year-olds in the hood. Cutest: The Mosquito, made mostly of wood. Most maneuverable death trap: The Zero, made mostly of aluminum alloys and very short on armor. The next thing I know, the glue fumes wear off, it's 25 years later, and I'm designing electronics countermeasures for the F-15. So here's the paradox, which could also be a parody. A SAM tracking radar locks on to me. So I analyze its pulse modulation and institute appropriate jamming. And I must continue smart jamming even though I've made myself blind to the radar. So I turn off the jamming briefly to have an update on the radar properties. I find that the pulse rep rate has changed and that the foe has begun frequency-hopping. So I make the appropriate changes to the jamming regime and turn it on again. Meanwhile, a few other SAM sites have lit up, and their pulse patterns are interleaving with the initial radar. On top of it all, I'm underpaid and my wife is holding two babies outside the lab, in a snowstorm. And a 40 year-old Air Force captain on the verge of retirement is bugging me about getting a job with my company. Plus, my counterpart in a Moscow lab is inventing new ways to foil my spot jamming and shoot down my Eagle. That's the backstory of war, Hot or Cold. Talk about economic stimulus, this was a Keynesian dream -- a return to the days of the W.P.A. I look forward to the human story from you. I have heard cockpit recordings of U.S. pilots over Viet Nam when a SAM is launched at them. They hyperventilate and their voices shake and rise an octave. But they keep their heads. The machines are gorgeous; their environment is Hell.

Manliest: P-47 Thunderbolt. I loved this one: Mustang has always been like a magnet on airshows for me. How about next re-make of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning" about P-38?