Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Taking a wild guess here:  Predator UAV

No, sorry.

The recent media intensive "event" mentioned, is one that had a rather large impact on the aviation industry. Also, It was far more recent than any influences caused by terrorism.

Are you referring to the B-57 Canberra, operated as WB57-F by NASA?

Wrong aircraft, but the right idea again.

Put some focus on the "recent event" & take it from there.

No takers?

The "event" referred to was the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull on Iceland & it consequential effects on air travel.

The A/C in question comes from a company who's name has remained unchanged for over 70 years.

I think that you might be referring to the Constant Phoenix WC-135W and WC-135C. The former was modified from the C-135B an airlifter and later modified to a WC-35B, which was a weather sampler and the latter from the EC-135C, an airborne command post. It started as the KC-135B. The company, Boeing Aircraft company was formed when it was split from United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1934, but started as The Pacific Aero Products Company in 1916, became the Boeing Airplane Company and later the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation.

I am not aware of any news of the Constant Phoenix aircraft doing sampling missions of the Icelandic volcano eruption, but would not be surprised. 

If I am correct, as an aside, I worked on WC-135B 667, now WC-135W,  during the brief time that it was returned from TAC, where it had been used as a bounce aircraft for the AWACs Wing at Tinker. It was later taken away by SAC, I believe. It was a non standard WC-135B at that time as it still had the empty racks for the AMQ-25 Automated Weather Sampling System in the rear cargo deck. 

Other sampling aircraft used to sample the ash from the volcano include the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Dassault Falcon 20E, D-CMET, NERC's Airborne Research & Survey Facility's  Dornier 228 and BAE 146, and the Finnish Air Force's BAE Hawk modified to carry sampling probes.

I might be wrong about the WC-135s, though.

Best wishes,

Grant

You are bang on with the mission, but not the aircraft.

Neither the aircraft or the country it was made in, or flies for are mentioned.

Lucky you that get to work on something as interesting as a WC-135!!

Dassault Falcon?

Dornier 228?

Still not on the correct country  & they are not spring chickens, being about 30 years older than the 228.

Although as you seem to suspect, this is a "Euro" question.

&

Anyone now?

I was going to post this one earlier but I couldnt find any concrete reference to it being used in this event....

The Saab 32 Lansen....

Saab Viggen?

F-8fanatic - the floor is yours.

Two Saab Lansen's (Lance) are retained in service for use with the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, for high altitude air sampling & were indeed used following the Icelandic eruption.

Here one is, next to the unmistakable Viggen in a family photo;

Alright...

I am looking for a bomber.  This aircraft was among the most advanced of its day, which is probably one of the things that hurt its chances for going into production.  It was as fast or faster than contemporary fighters and it used several innovative design features.  It never entered production, and proved to be the very last aircraft that was designed by this company.  The unique features of this aircraft included the all-flying tailplane. something quite rare having to do with the wings(if I listed it, it would be too much of a giveaway), and a patented bomb bay design that has only ever appeared on one other aircraft that I am aware of.  There was essentially nothing much about this design that could really be considered "standard" for its day.  Name the plane, and for bonus points, name the aircraft that won out over it

The Martin XB-51?

The XB-51 is one the "also rans" that has always interested me quite a bit because of it's advancement's for the time. 

I am not that familiar with the rotary bomb bay of the XB-51, but the Martin Canberra was fitted with a rotary bomb bay after Martin experience with the XB-51 - the EE Canberra is also the aircraft that the XB-51 lost out to in a fly-off, the EE Canberra becoming the Martin Canberra / B-57.   

The Buccaneer was also fitted with a rotary bomb bay.

 You're not thinking of Miles?

North American XB-70

North American XB-70

The XB-51 it is...

Talk about a world-beater....the XB-51 was originally going to be called the A-45, and in addition to 4,000 pounds in the bomb bay, it was to carry over 6,000 pounds maximum on the outside, plus have 8 20mm cannon in the nose.  It was designed in the late 1940s, and when it flew in 1949, it reached 645 mph., faster than most aircraft that were flying at that time.  The all-flying T-tail and tail placement of the third jet engine have been used in airliners.  It was the first that I know of to use a variable-incidence wing.  And the Rotary bomb bay was later used by Martin in the B-57.  There were two that flew, and the sole survivor flew until it crashed in 1956.

Cheers. A pretty remarkable aircraft really the XB-51!

The next aircraft in question is as far as I know the only one to serve in it's role being both prop & jet powered - not mixed though, it had pure prop &  pure jet versions.

The aircraft also featured a layout that was popular in WW1.

The SAAB 21

Quick off the mark today!

Yes indeed, yet another product of Saab, the 21, which first flew in the pusher prop layout as was common in WW1.

OK, here's my question: This aircraft had an official name, but, it was given a nickname, which, eventually became semi-official, and, indeed, lead to future aircraft from this company having names which took their hint from this unofficial name.  This name might also be unique, or at least, rare, in that it was a palindrome.  What was the aircraft?

The only palindrome nickname I can recall is the IL-4 "Bob". But I don't think it is what you had in mind.

The official name of this aircraft is 'Scout'

You can sure pick them!!

I had become fixated on the Boeing 7x7 series & Scout put a bit of a spanner in the works, but from the manufacturer credited with creating a "Flying Zoo";

Here is one during "regular" carrier operations;

And here is another owned by an unusually large geezer;

Well, technically, you haven't actually said the name, but, yes, the Sopwith 'Pup'!  It was said by pilots to be the off-spring of the 11/2 Strutter, hence, it's nickname.  Although officially called the Scout, since then, then Sopwith aircraft were animals, like the Camel, Salamander, et al.

Milair is that you and your Pup???? If so that is stunning work!!!!

This aircraft was an insurance policy, wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing & had an unusual engine layout?