Aircraft Trivia Quiz

OMG... !

YOu're on it. I think!

The B-52 carried some kind of turbo-jet powered "stand-off" missles. Two "Hound Dog Missiles" under special pylons with fuel supplied by the B-52 itself until launching. They'd run the missile's engines for extra power for take-off and altitude climb!

Hound Dog missiles had 2 engines? ... hmmm Somebody Google it!

B-52 with Hound Dogs it is! From 1960, the SAC plumbed and wired some of their B-52s tasked to carry and launch the Hound Dog supersonic cruise missile, so that the Hound Dogs' engines could be run during take-off and climb to altitude, to assist the B-52's eight engines. The missiles' tanks could then be topped off from the bomber's tanks. The Hound Dog had one engine, there were two Hound Dogs per B-52, for a total of 10 jet engines.

However, the Hound Dog's engines were only good for a total of 6 hours' running, so I'm not sure if they were ever actually used in this configuration.

The other aircraft I was thinking of was the Dassault Balzac V. This was an experimental 'proof-of-concept' pre-prototype for the Mirage IIIV. Both had nine engines - eight for lift and one for thrust. The Balzac's thrust engine was a Bristol Orpheus, so it was realy only there for decoration.

One Balzac V was built, and it crashed twice, killing the pilot on both occasions.

The Mirage IIIV was, in theory, capable of Mach 2. Problem was, because the engines were so thirsty, it could either take off conventionally, and achieve Mach 2 (which it did once), or take off vertically, and not. Of course, it could have taken off vertically, done an in-flight refuelling, and then accelerated to Mach 2, but to do that it would have needed to take on fuel from a KC-135, which needs a rather long conventional runway....

There were two prototypes. When the second crashed, the programme was abandoned.

Your turn Jeaton

Cheers,

Chris.

Meh.  Jets were never my strong suit. 

(BTW, what's the difference between RATO and JATO units anyway?)

Lucien Harpress wrote:

(BTW, what's the difference between RATO and JATO units anyway?)

JATO is a misnomer. In practice, the boosters sometimes needed to get aircraft off the ground within the length of available runway are solid-fuel rocket motors, sometimes re-useable (eg those on the B-47) sometimes not (eg those on the CAM-ship Hawker Hurricanes, Bachem Natter and, sometimes, the Westland Wyvern).

I suppose that you could argue that large late-1940s and 50s aircraft which had auxiliary jet engines used primarily for take off and climb to altitude, such as some versions of the B-36, P-2V and Avro Shackleton, were examples of aircraft whcih had genuine JATO units. Maybe also the Nimrod, which shuts down two if its engines when it reaches its patrol zone, to save fuel.

Cheers,

Chris.

jeaton,

You're the correct answer---er...

...need question please.

Uhhh... BTW, was your dad ever the coach of the Del Campo Cougars high school football team?

I used to have a really friend named, John Eaton.

Troy, no.   I'm the most athletic male in my family for about three generations, and never hardly got off any bench.  But, I do volunteer at the airpark at McClellan with your dad.  Will see him tomorrow.     

Next question:

This aeronautical vehicle was used in air sea patrol, as an airliner, has a good claim to being the first Air Force One, and was also used as an executive aircraft.  The prototype was a bit different than the production aircraft and had a different name.   

jeaton01 wrote:

Troy, no.   I'm the most athletic male in my family for about three generations, and never hardly got off any bench.  But, I do volunteer at the airpark at McClellan with your dad.  Will see him tomorrow.      Next question: This aeronautical vehicle was used in air sea patrol, as an airliner, has a good claim to being the first Air Force One, and was also used as an executive aircraft.  The prototype was a bit different than the production aircraft and had a different name.

Hmmm... some B-24 variant I'm thinking...

My first guess:

Boeing 314.

My Second guess:

C-38 

Jeaton-

I'm gonna vote incorrectly as usual, for my old friend the C-54, cuz the Air Force dint exist (and yes I speak Yolo) until September 1947, upon which time Mr. Missouri Mule was the Big Guy and our beloved "Sacred Cow" was the plane in vogue. Then that other stuff.

But seriously, the C-118 Liftmaster, also the DC-6. "Independence".

Oh, and one of the top five aircraft models, alltime, is the Heller 1/72 DC-6.

Douglas C-38 - designation used for C-33 with a DC-3 rear tacked on, only one or two were built, IIRC.

**EDIT: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3302  It looks like only one was built.

I think we need a few more hints, as the Connie for one definitively fits all your requirements so far.  Just my

jeaton01 wrote:

Next question: This aeronautical vehicle was used in air sea patrol, as an airliner, has a good claim to being the first Air Force One, and was also used as an executive aircraft.  The prototype was a bit different than the production aircraft and had a different name.

I wonder if the clue is in the phrase aeronautical vehicle? Thing is, LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin ticks pretty much all the boxes. It operated as a transatlantic airliner, I seem to recall it flying maritime patrol missions immediately before, and in the early days of WW2, and I'm sure that Count Zeppelin and the directors of the Zeppelin company and Lufthansa used it for the occasional joy ride. If the production machines were the Hindenberg and the Graf Zeppelin II, then they had differnt names and were of a slightly different design.

I know that the crew were invited to meet President Coolidge when they arrived from Europe in October 1928 - did the President ever actually visit the ship itself?

Cheers,

Chris.

Not a Zeppelin.  I had thought there might be a DC-3 variant that had a C-38 designation, the USAAF gave it so many, but though the aircraft you are looking for has two motors and another thing in common with the Gooney, that answer is regrettably a "foul".

I will be out until mid afternoon PDT, will check back then.

Would that be the US Navy's LTA airships? Commonly called a "Blimp".

Mike T.

congo79 wrote:

You`ve got it sir , but Trexx was first, so it`s your turn mate. Apart from that, does anyone have some info and pics about the amfibian version 2PA-A. In the article, were i first read about this bird, there`s only one pic of the 2PA-A on the take off and no additional info except that it was tested by the Russian NAVY. I`m really interested to see the undercariage.

I think I have a bit more of what you're looking for...

from the book, 

Very rough online translation...

"The two-seat fighter Of sev-2PA designed and built in 1936. in the USA Russian emigrant, aircraft designer and pilot Seversiy. Aircraft served as basis for the version of amphibian Sev-2PA- A (“amphibiit [Fayter]”). For it developed special two-planing-step floats it was build it
by in them wheel-type landing gear. Fuselage they lengthened on 38 cm due to the insert of the sub-of [polnitelnoy] section with two frames between the cab and the tail assembly. In
increased on the wing length they placed additional fuel, after increasing reserve with 767 l to 1694 l. Primary structure they carried out from the alloy “Of [alklad] steadfast to the corrosion”.

On November 26, 1936. left the decision about the acquisition of two Sev-2PA - the sou
of [khoputnogo] and amphibian. The first aircraft arrived to the USSR on the steamship of in November 1937 g., and amphibian Sev-2PA- A - only in spring 1938 g, it they delivered into the eighth division ([OELID]) of TscAgi (Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics im. N Ye Zhukovskiy). However, in the first flight the emergency occurred, after repair from it the floats removed and transmitted to studies into the hydrodynamic division of TscAgi (Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics im. N Ye Zhukovskiy)."

Hope this helps... 

Of course...

The Douglas Dolphin, originally known as the Sinbad, has two engines, and was acquired by the US Navy for Roosevelt's personal transport.  They were used as airliners, the USAAC called them the C-21, and they were used by the Coast Guard as the RD2, and William Boeing had one as a luxury transport.  Finally, since they were amphibious flying boats, one could measure their displacement.  The close connection with the Boeing 314 is that they are both flyiing boats used by Pan Am.

Am I right? 

You betcha, Cardshark.  The next question is your headache.

I didn't know that Pan Am used any Dolphins, probably as a trainer I guess.  The Boeing connection I knew was as Bill Boeing's personal airplane.  They were used as airliners by Wilmington Catalina Airlines.

I have a bunch of jpegs of SEV-2's, if there is interest pm me and I will make them available.

Yeah, and what a headache...sometimes I think its easier to guess 'em than it is to come up with new ones...

Okay,

Two prototypes of this 4-engined seaplane were built. While it never flew in anger, all sorts of daring, some might say brash, planes were made for it. These included liberating a large amount of soldiers, dropping leaflets on a far away enemy city, and a raid aganst the same city's port, using a very different type of weapon. I don't believe that either example survived.

Hmm, nothing for two days?  Does this mean y'all are just busy, or that y'all are stumped?  Let me know, one way or another.

Random Guess:

Blohm and Voss Ha 139