[Bombardier]

The fighter immortals:
P-51 "Mustang" (Best ever, in my opinion)
F-86 "Sabre"
Supermarine "Spitfire"
Hawker "Hurricane"
Focke-Wulf 190
F4U "Corsair"
F-4 "Phantom"
F-14 "Tomcat"

You'll note, I gave props to more US Navy than US Air Force aircraft (the F-4 was originally a Navy aircraft), which is saying something coming from an Air Force type. The F-14 can still outfly, outshoot and outfight any other aircraft in the world. I hope those dickheads at the Pentagon give this a looooooooooooooooooooooong second thought. There may come a point when they need the Tomcat back to claw an enemy.

[Snardius]

The best jet fighter known to man.

[ArmyBratproud]

I was at an air show at in Fort Worth (old Carswel) and saw a thing of beauty.

They did a fly by with 2 P-51s and a Hornet.

Two P-51s just off the wing of the Hornet as they went by.

I tried to take a picture....BUT HAD RUN OUT OF FILM.

So I'll just have to keep that image in my mind.

[PAR35]

The fighter immortals:

The Bf-109 belongs on the list. It survived from the mid-30s to the mid-60s. A Czech built version provided the basis for the Israeli air force. The Spainish were apparently the last to use them operationally (with British engines).

[MarkL]

The fighter immortals:

P-51 "Mustang" (Best ever, in my opinion)

IMHO, the most beautiful airplane ever designed, escpecially the P-51D.

Mark

[uglybiker]

You forgot one:

Shame on you.

[ProudVet77]

I'd have to add the Me-262. While primative, it was a long way ahead of any other plane of it's time. We're lucky Hitler prefered bombers and not fighters otherwise it would have been in production and combat worthy a year sooner.
It would be like a mach 3+ fighter suddenly appearing now.

[Oztrich Boy]

The great Jets

English Electric Canberra
Hawker Hunter
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
MiG-21
Dassault Mirage
MacDonnell F-4 Phantom II

Nothing else yet meets the Criteria:
Seleted by a least a dozen airforces, still in frontline use in most of them 20 years after first flight, considered worthy of major modernization by at least one "advance technology" air force at 25, still front line somewhere at 30, still in use somewhere at 40.

One final characteristic: 5 of the 6 survived their parent manufacturer by decades.

[bunkerhill7]

The Prettiest: Don't forget the Stearman- first to see combat against Japanese Zeros by the Philippine Army Air force 1941- fitted with a 50 cal under the right wing and a rear cockpit swivel 50 -exported as 76D3 with pontoons - also shipped to China 1940's

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I'm kind of partial to "Warthog". It has a certain charm.

Plus the fact that the aircraft IS a hairy beast.