Definitely 747 and Concorde, as far as commercial airliners go. The 737, while ubiquitous, is not particularly distinctive. And the A380, while unique, is not yet widely recognizable. I had a friend who travels quite a bit look at it and say, "What is that thing?"

As for military aircraft, you have to go with the Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird. I think most would still recognize the F-14 Tomcat. Anyone who has been to an airshow would probably recognize the F/A-18 Hornet (Blue Angels) and F-16 Fighting Falcon (Thurnderbirds). The A-10 Warthog is certainly distinctive. The F-15 Eagle is probably the most well-known fighter plane of the last generation. Anyone familiar with the Vietnam era will certainly recognize the F-4 Phantom, and anyone who has taken an American history class should recognize the B-52 Stratofortress. And I think there is also a place for the F-117 Nighthawk on this list.

Uh, couldn't you say that about all of the major commercial aircraft types being flown today around the world? :)

i see a large number of planes going overhead from about 5 miles out(dca). i cannot tell one 2 engine on the wing jet from another.

As this thread has taken liberties with "best" and "most recognizable" (Ford Tri-Motor, A-10, Space Shuttle, etc.), might I humbly submit the North American XB-70 Valkyrie as simply the most "bad-@ssed" looking aircraft...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Un7BTy5c9E...s/s1600/00.jpg

Love the Valkyrie, but I'll always be a Blackbird guy.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Blackbird.jpg

Not in any particular order.

1. Constellation (Walk up hill then down hill)
2. C46/C47 (Different nose on each makes it easier)
3. B707/DC-8 (Nostrals on the DC-8)
4. L1011/DC-10, MD-11 (Look at the center engine! Winglets on the MD-11)
5. P51 Mustang
6. P38 Lightning
7. B727 (How is it different from a Trident?)
8. B17 Flying Fortress
9. B29 Super Fortress
10. VC10 (Not a TU-154!)
11. F86 Sabre (Distinctive jet intake) and Super Sabre (Horizontal stabilizer higher)
12. B747 (A Beauty.. all models)
13. B757 (Distinctive stance on the ground, takes off like a bat outta h...!)

bj-21.

As a non-geek when it comes to airframes, the B747 is single handedly the most recognized aircraft by Kettles.

<--Total and unapologetic wingnut.

Super Connie, 747 and Concord....the clear choices for civilian birds based on non-wingnuts being able to pick them out of a crowd. Each pushed aviation into unchartered territory and then stuck around long enough to become an icon.
The 727 deserves a lot of credit too.

SR71, Spitfire and (controversially) F16 for many of the same reasons. The Viper gets very little credit for all the new ground it broke, while doing so on the cheap. We could put the MiG 15, 17 and 21 in the same bucket.

Not-as-easily-recognized by non-wingnuts, but equally important:
Harrier, Tu95 "Bear", B90/200/350 King Air, Lear 23, X1.

I would say Concorde.

Hard to believe its 10 years since it retired.

http://www.britishairways.com/cms/gl...geconcorde.jpg

Your post caused me to Google up this impressive-looking bird. When I was a kid (I'm 46) this is what I assumed 'spaceships' would eventually look like.

Was surprised to read that one was lost from, of all things, a mid-air collision. Ouch.

Yes, they built two aircraft & one had a midair with the chase plane which was photographing it. Amazing that this Mach 3 bird had its maiden flight back in 1964.

If you want to see an XB70...it's in Dayton, Ohio at the US Air Force Museum.

Admission is free and it's open every day except Christmas. (and tours are often given by retired pilots who flew a lot of the aircraft on display)

It is the single greatest place on earth for anyone who loves flight.

I was there this past Saturday thinking the same thing; however, I couldn't find the Valkyrie, and I'm pretty sure I gave the place a fine going over:D

Other than that, I was in absolute geek heaven. It was absolutely amazing.

It's in the R&D hangar which is separate from the main building:
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/que...pic.asp?id=180

747, SR-71, F-14 and F-117 would be my choice.
Younger generation would not know the Sabres and Phantom IIs, and as someone said, there would be very few people who can distinguish 737/A320 and Concorde/Tu-144.