Aircraft Trivia Quiz

No, this entire aircraft type had a active career of less than 10 years & it was somewhat more costly & advanced than the 707.

OK, let's try the Convair B-58 Hustler

Yes, the short lived B-58.

The actor was James Stewart, who featured in a USAF film about the Hustler.

The singer was John Denver, his father was a B-58 pilot & claimed a few records in it.

Both John Denver & the Hustler had a number of records under their belts

shmexeh airoplane. Love the hustler.

This type was built, tapping into another company's design, by the main user over a 12 year period at an average rate of 3 per year.  The company built a number of variations using the basic airframe the same engine and some passed to the military.  

Perusing the information on this type it seems some people list the type with the name of the manufacturer preceded by the name of the company from whom the design was copied..  A preserved example survived years of outside display by the civilian operator, masquerading as another of its type which performed an important first, before being handed to the military for indoor preservation.

Considering the small number of aircraft built this type managed to appear in landplane, floatplane, passenger, cargo and communications variants.

Is no one brave enough to have a go?  This type has a number, the omission of which from the inventory of another country's military, has been the cause of much speculation.

Aichi M6A?

Right period, wrong continent and this type was definitely a non combatant

Barkley-Grow T8P-1?

No.  Far fewer built over a much shorter period and used by far more operators than the type I'm looking for though there is a very, very tenuous link between one T8P-1 and the type.

The exact type number of my subject is the exact type number not used by the military in the country of manufacture of the type copied to produce the aircraft I'm seeking.

You warned us that it would be more obscure.  But I am following.

That last clue made my head spin lol. Hmmm, have to keep thinking.

My clairvoyance is merely modest.

The success of the original type, of which our target type was a copy, enabled its manufacturing company to incorporate as a corporation whilst the company that copied the type was formed two years later.

OK, this seems to have stumped everyone so, unless someone gets the answer in the meantime, I'll give the answer at 21.00 UTC on Wednesday.

There are a couple of devious word clues to the company that built the type I'm looking for and its country in the first two clues.  The type was originally exclusively for the manufacturer's own use.

Im drawing a blank sorry dude. Im out.

OK, lets get this one sorted.  The type I was looking for as the Faucett F-19, sometimes known as the Stinson-Faucett F-19.  Built by Faucett Airlines of Peru over the period 1934-1946, there were a total of 36 which were pretty much copies of the Stinson SM-1 Detroiter - the type which was so successful that it enabled Stinson to raise the capital to become a public corporation.

Faucett modified the design in a number of ways, including upping the passenger capacity from 6 to 8, building all cargo versions and amphibians.  Some of the aircraft eventually passed from Faucett to the Peruvian Air Force in whose museum the sole survivor  - a cargo aircraft preserved by Faucett on a plinth outside their HQ at Lima, until their demise in 1997 - now resides.  This aircraft msn 29 is painted to represent msn 8 which performed the first nonstop Lima o Buenos Aires flight.

The clues relating to the type number referto the ommission of type number F-19 from the USAF inventory - something which has led to much speculation regarding an unannounced "black" programme.

Finally the very tenuous link between the Barkley-Grow T8P-1 guess and the F-19 is that a T8P-1 made a record breaking flight from Washington DC to Lima.

Back shortly with another teaser - easier this time I promise.

OK, this should go quickly.   This type was operated by just 4 Squadrons of one country's air arm.  Built in that country it was based on another manufacturer's design.  There were two major changes from that design which looked to be retrograde steps but were essential to allow the type to carry out its role.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112

Major change was the engine as germany couldnt deliver on junker jumos after the was to spain substituted its own engine.

No.  I did say two major changes.

I'm guessing, but the Israeli Kfir, based on the Mirage 3?  

No.  This type was built in two versions over a three year period for a very specific role which it carried out over a 25 years.

A-4SU Super Skyhawk.

2 Major changes, larger engine resulting in larger intakes and auxilliary intakes. And the T-bird (TA-4SU) instead of the streamlined 2 seat canopy had 2 single seat canopies.

Flew with 142, 143, 145 and 150 squadrons of the singapore airforce, also flew with the RSAF Black Knights.

Its roles were fighter bomber, and advanced jet trainer.

No.  This type had a very specific role.  Whilst it was being manufactured its manufacturer revisited the original design it had used and, changed the same two components, this time upgrading them. , and produced 12 examples for the same air arm for a very different role.  A civilian variant of this second type was also produced  

The RB-57D comes to mind, but some of the numbers don't match?

No, but the source type for the B-57 was built not a million miles geographically from the source type for the aircraft I'm looking for.

The major component which made this aircraft effective in its role differed between the first and second variants - the first component coming from the USA, the later one from the UK

Really surprised this hasn't been got yet.  The type flew for a nation which was a component of a large alliance, often visiting other member nations.