Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Jgonzalez wrote:

Jgonzalez nailed that one! Ain't Wikipedia somethin'? " border="0" width="19" height="15" />  It's just like golf... It's not the wood what's important but knowing how to use it... Ok.  This jetliner flew way before the Comet and is considered to be the first true jetliner.  She never made it production (and was never intended to do so).  Her design was simply an adaptation of a not very famous piston engine airliner.  She had a peculiar engine nacelle geometry and the configuration was typical of first generation multi engined jet aircrafts.  One of the late prototypes was used as a pseudo-futuristic jetliner in a 1960's film. Which aircraft fits this description?

I am guessing the Avro Tudor, it had a jet powerd variant (tudor 8).

Jgonzalez nailed that one! Ain't Wikipedia somethin'? " border="0" width="19" height="15" />

It's just like golf... It's not the wood what's important but knowing how to use it...

Ok.  This jetliner flew way before the Comet and is considered to be the first true jetliner.  She never made it production (and was never intended to do so).  Her design was simply an adaptation of a not very famous piston engine airliner.  She had a peculiar engine nacelle geometry and the configuration was typical of first generation multi engined jet aircrafts.  One of the late prototypes was used as a pseudo-futuristic jetliner in a 1960's film. Which aircraft fits this description?

Jgonzalez wrote:

Vector thrusted aircafts like the X-31 can do it easily.

I have seen both the thrust vectored Flanker variants and the X-31 fly demo's at the Paris airshow and the "WOW" factor was definitely there!

Jgonzalez nailed that one! Ain't Wikipedia somethin'?

During the Paris Airshow, in 1989, the Cobra maneuver was first performed in a SU-27, without the use of canards or thrust vectoring. Also called Dynamic Deceleration, the maneuver allows the aircraft to briefly obtain a 120 degree angle of attack, while maintaining level flight.

Jgonzalez, yer up!

Easy, The manouver is the "Cobra" or better known as "Pugachev's Cobra".  The pilot: Viktor Pugachev, and the aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-27, the year, 1989.  Although concidered an ACM it has no real tactical use, is more of a "Wow" manouver used widely by russians to demonstrate their airspace manouverablity technology.

Almost all new generation russian fighters can perform the "cobra", specially the Su-27(30),35,37 and the Berkut, along with the Mig-29.  Other western fighter capable of this manouver are the Rafale, Grippen and the EF-2000 (Typhoon).  It seems that canard elevators make the manouver more easy.  Vector thrusted aircafts like the X-31 can do it easily.

Well... alright! Let's keep the ball rollin'...

In the late 80's, at the Paris Airshow, this pilot performed a radical air combat maneuver, or ACM, that made everyone stand up and take notice!

Name the pilot, the maneuver, and the aircraft he used.

Thought it might last a bit longer than that lol. I had the pleasure of flying in a V35 a couple times and it is just a wonderful airplane. The one I flew in had a fuel-injected flat six and it would scoot along quite nicely.

Matt you have the podium!!!!!!

That would be the Beechcraft Bonanza.

First produced in 1947, still produced today...over 17,000 built.

Ok here we go, prolly an easy one but here goes:

What aircraft has the distinction of having the longest production run of any aircraft military or civil?

simpilot34,

Not much more to add to that answer, which is 100% correct (and then some).

The Pacific Clipper was one of 12 Boeing 314's built.  It was the first commercial plane to circumnavigate the globe.  I always thought the Boeing XB-15 was a waste of space, however, the wing of the Boeing 314 came from the XB-15.  The Honolulu Clipper, which was the prototype, flew with one vertical tail, then two vertical tails, and they finally got it right when they made it three!

simpilot34, the next question is yours.

Tom S.

[edit] Diverted flight of Pacific Clipper

Pacific Clipper was a Boeing 314 famous for having completed Pan American World Airways' first flight between California and New York the long way by traveling West. The flight began 2 December 1941 at the Pan Am base on Treasure Island, California for its scheduled passenger service to Auckland, New Zealand.^[6][7]

Pacific Clipper made scheduled stops in San Pedro, California, Honolulu, Hawaii, Canton Island, Suva, Fiji and Nouméa, New Caledonia. The aircraft was en route to Auckland when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Cut off from the United States and commanding a valuable military asset, Captain Robert Ford was directed to strip company markings, registration and insignia from the aircraft and proceed in secret to the Marine Terminal, LaGuardia Field, New York.

Ford and his crew successfully flew over 31,500 miles to home via

• Gladstone, Australia
• Darwin, Australia
• Surabaya, Java
• Trincomalee, Ceylon
• Karachi, British India
• Bahrain
• Khartoum, Sudan
• Leopoldville, Belgian Congo
• Natal, Brazil
• Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
• New York, New York, Arriving 6 January 1942.

At Surabaya, Captain Ford had to refuel with automobile grade gasoline. "We took off from Surabaya on the 100 octane, climbed a couple of thousand feet, and pulled back the power to cool off the engines," said Ford. "Then we switched to the automobile gas and held our breaths. The engines almost jumped out of their mounts, but they ran. We figured it was either that or leave the airplane to the Japs."

On the way to Trincomalee, they were confronted by a Japanese submarine and Ford had to jam the throttle to climb out of range of the submarine's guns. On Christmas Eve, when they took off, black oil began gushing out of the number three engine and pouring back over the wing. Ford shut down the engine and returned to Trincomalee. He discovered one of the engine's cylinders had failed.

When Captain Ford was planning his flight from Bahrain, he was warned by the British authorities not to fly across Arabia. Ford said, "The Saudis had apparently already caught some British fliers who had been forced down there. The natives had dug a hole, buried them in it up to their necks, and just left them." Ford flew right over Mecca because the Saudis did not have anti-aircraft guns.

A Pan American Airport Manager and a Radio Officer had been dispatched to meet the Clipper at Leopoldville. When Ford landed they handed him a cold beer. Ford said, "That was one of the high points of the whole trip."

So, the answer to the second part is above, the first part is a Boeing 314 Clipper, and the third part is Longest distance flown of 31,500 miles?

New Question:

This commercial airplane took off on a scheduled passenger flight from California on December 2, 1941 and, due to a diversion, reached New York 36 days later, setting a historic record.  What was the airplane, the circumstances of the flight and the historic record?

The Republic XF-12 Ranibow was the SR-71 of it's day.  Altitude of 40K ft.  It was fast! It holds the unofficial four engine piston speed record of 460 mph.  Only two were built.  One is at the bottom of the sea and the other finished it's life as a target at Aberdeen Proving grounds.  Good grief.  This airplane was a champion.

 Tom S.

Both Jgonzalez and swingr1121 have the first part of the question right. Was a big plane. Each one of the engine nacelles was the size of a P-47. First one to tell me the second part wins.

Hint: Think performance specs.

Afraid I can't find it, I have looked through as many of my A/C books as I have had time to do, but cant find it.

Wikipedia sums up both A/C pretty well.

Not the XF/XR-12 Rainbow, is it?  I mean, it did take a roll of pictures along it's whole flight path, from California to New York which could be it's claim to fame..  The famous competition was Howard Hughes.

Beaten by a minute.  Nice job.

Ok. Sorry. Let me try to clarify.

This plane was designed to meet a specific need to replace the planes already performing this task. The existing planes were just converted fighters. Its design allowed a finished product to be available upon landing. The finished product was what the plane was designed to do and saved valuable time. It was a big plane but not huge like a B-36. There was a competition between two planes, this being one of them. Neither plane entered active duty. Only prototypes. The competing plane was designed by a very famous man who somebody not knowing anything about planes might know. What is the mystery plane and what was its claim to fame.

Hope this makes it easier to understand.

P.S.- Milairjunkie has been the closest to guessing it right so far.

Mr Hammer,

I may be dense, but I don't understand the question??????

Tom S.

Some more clues:

This airplane wasn't huge but large. Never say active duty, only a prototype. Its competitor was designed by a very famous man.

Without further snippets, I'm done.