cessna 140/150
piper cub
curtiss JN4
dc3(c47)
beech bonanza

B2? Doesn't get more distinctive then that design.

Yes the Warthog - ugly but extremely functional - and agree with you on the others.

A380, the shape of an aviation era.

The same is true for the A320 family - ubiquitous, always one flying somewhere. The 737 doesn't really stand out here...

Reaching back a bit farther, the Lockheed Constellation has one of the most distinctive shapes.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the "flying boat" era. The China Clipper, Hawaii Clipper. I attended a lecture by a former pilot and stewardess who told stories of their month long journey from SF to Asia with these elite passengers.

beech stagger wing.....i had an invite for a ride on one in ca about 25 years ago....unfortunately, work didn't take me that way & the friend sold it....

Without looking at you list, I thought CONCORDE...
Was it easy / possible to score an award on Concorde ?

The 727, 747, P-38, Concorde, and A-10 are among my favorites as well. While the B-29 was perfectly fine airplane in its own right, I'm still partial to the B-17. I have to throw in the P-51D as well.

Now I missed out on some of the gorgeous airliners back in 50s/60s/70s, but as far active civilian aircraft go, I'm quite partial to the 757-200, especially with winglets. Perfectly proportioned, long legs... And after the retirement of the Concorde, it's the best performing airliner out there.

The Connie. Without question. Three tails, four engines, and streamlined fuselage. It defined the era.

flew on it in 1959 lga-dca a number of times.....

the fokker tri motor w/corrugated roofing like exterior was a work horse for a long time & easy to recognize....

Adding the Hindenburg as the best known/most famous example of the zeppelin. Though most people couldn't tell one zeppelin from another or the difference between a zeppelin and a blimp, it did define a class of airship - even if only to kill it.

Best and most recognizable (limited to airliners only to avoid going to far afield)....

Both qualities have much to do with overall service life and the number built and operated (built more, flown more, seen more often).

The DC-3/C-47 series ranks high in both categories.
The various Constellations rank higher for recognition than for "best", but still make both lists.
The 727 certainly is more recognizable than a/c which had the same configuration (Trident, TU-154?), and likely did as much to advance domestic air travel as any other a/c.
The humpback B747, still flying in its 6th decade (well, 7th counting R&D), has a place on both lists.

Having seen them both on the ground and in the air, perhaps lower on the "best" list, but few a/c could be as recognizable as the Ford Trimotor and the JU52.

I'll reserve a place for a series of a/c short on best and even recognition, but us older FTers will remember our first Saturday boarding of a "Stretch 8", in which it was already Sunday before you got to your seat in the back.

Flying on and on under many flags, liveries, guises and disguises, the original Twin Beech/B18/C-45 series, pretty damn good and recognizable to old folks.

Definitely not the most recognizable. If presented with an A320 or a 737, I doubt many people could tell you which was which.

I think most people could pick out a DC-10 (although likely calling MD-11s DC-10s).