Aircraft Trivia Quiz

telsono wrote:

It took me some time to think up this question, but here it goes. During WWII this nation produced 3 naval attack aircraft by the same manufacturer. The first was near obsolence at the start of the war but soldiered on to the end. Its second aircraft entered service in 1940 but wasn't successful in filling the needs of the service and fell into second line service by 1943. The third aircraft, whose design was contemporary with the second entered service in 1943 and served into the 1950's. Ironically it was replaced by an aircraft that was produced by another country and that had preceeded it into service by almost 2 years. Name the four aircraft   Mike T.

The Swordfish was a biplane, obsolesent in 1939, but carried on to the end of the war.  The second aircraft was the Albacore, which entered service in 1940 to replace the Swordfish, but was instead killed off before it!  In 1943 the Barracuda entered service, until 1950.

The other aircraft was the F4U Corsair, which entered service in 1942 (almost 2 years?), and was in service until 1952

eaglecentral wrote:

If we discard the urban legend part of your answer and look at the basics, you are correct.

It took me some time to think up this question, but here it goes.

During WWII this nation produced 3 naval attack aircraft by the same manufacturer. The first was near obsolence at the start of the war but soldiered on to the end. Its second aircraft entered service in 1940 but wasn't successful in filling the needs of the service and fell into second line service by 1943. The third aircraft, whose design was contemporary with the second entered service in 1943 and served into the 1950's. Ironically it was replaced by an aircraft that was produced by another country and that had preceeded it into service by almost 2 years.

Name the four aircraft  

Mike T. 

eaglecentral wrote:

Dear telsono, If we discard the urban legend part of your answer and look at the basics, you are correct. In 1946, the British Labor government, the governnment that replaced Churchill at the close of WWII, did indeed provide 25 examples of the Rolls Royce Nene engine to the Soviets, who reverse engineered it to produce the Klimov RD-45, which, after improvements, became the Klimov VK-1, the engine that powered the Mig 15. Soviet jet engine designers asked Stalin to ask the British to let them buy the engines.  Stalin replied , "What fool will sell us his secrets?" The answer was Stafford Cripps, who was the British Minister of Trade. Good grief!  Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot. I'll accept your answer as Correct.  You get to ask the next question. Tom S.

Oh come now. Us Yankees needed something worthy to smack outta the sky for the Korean conflict!

Dear telsono,

If we discard the urban legend part of your answer and look at the basics, you are correct.

In 1946, the British Labor government, the governnment that replaced Churchill at the close of WWII, did indeed provide 25 examples of the Rolls Royce Nene engine to the Soviets, who reverse engineered it to produce the Klimov RD-45, which, after improvements, became the Klimov VK-1, the engine that powered the Mig 15.

Soviet jet engine designers asked Stalin to ask the British to let them buy the engines.  Stalin replied , "What fool will sell us his secrets?" The answer was Stafford Cripps, who was the British Minister of Trade.

Good grief!  Talk about shooting ourselves in the foot.

I'll accept your answer as Correct.  You get to ask the next question.

Tom S.

In 1946 there was wager between a representative of Rolls Royce and a Russian buying agent over I believe a pool game. The lost wager allowed the Russian to buy Rolls Royce Nene engines which in their Russian version powered the MiG-15. The Rolls Royce version powered such aircraft as the Gloster Meteor and DeHaviland Vampire.

Mike T.

Brumbles wrote:

No offense to our Flemish friends ... but I didn't even know there was a Belgian aircraft industry!

By looking at that thing, I'd say it was born from discarded chocolate production equipment.

Ugh-Ah-Leee!

Ahoy RemcoGrob,

Thank you, here's another picture of the Renard R.35:

Enjoy your vacation!

OK, here is my QUESTION:

In 1946, something happened in England that made the Mig-15 a success.  What was that event?

Tom S.

eaglecentral wrote:

This airplane is a Renard R.35. Very tricky!!!!   Tom S.

We have a winner! (just as well, because I'm going on a vacation this next week)

Tom, the floor is yours.

This airplane is a Renard R.35.

Very tricky!!!!

Tom S.

Brumbles wrote:

Is it a member of the Savoia-Marchetti family?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.82

No, this plane is from........belgium.

Is it a member of the Savoia-Marchetti family? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_SM.82

Since this is proving to be a though one I have uploaded a pic:

And here are the hints I gave until now:

- first flight 1st april 1938

- designed as a pasenger aircraft with a presurized cabine

- crashed at first flight, no further development

- not from US or UK but continental europe

trexx wrote:

Is it not a Vickers airplane? I think it's a pressurized version of the Wellington as a passenger airplane...

It's not a Vicker aircraft. Vickers did indeed make several pressurized versions of the wellington, but these where research aircraft and not designed as passenger aicraft.

Time for another hint....it's from continental europe (so no US or UK)

Is it not a Vickers airplane?

I think it's a pressurized version of the Wellington as a passenger airplane...

osher wrote:

I just checked, and yes, the DC-4E, with pressurised cabin, first flew June 7th 1938, or 2 months later than the aircraft in question (hey, I was close though!) :)

Yes, you where close with your anwser. But you should look outside the US for the correct anwser.....

simpilot34 wrote:

That would be the Boeing 307 Stratoliner.

That would be what most history books say but it is wrong. I am looking for an  passenger aircraft that was designed from the outset with a presurized cabine and made it's first flight on in april 1938 and  crashed at it's first flight. Further development was halted after that.

And it's not the DC-4 either.

Lucien Harpress wrote:

....AAAAAAND the Mojo Doctor got it!  Quite the interesting bird, that K-7.  It was actually that one pusher which brought the thing down (wasn't designed for it).  Sadly a victim of harmonic resonance.  It literally shook itself to pieces....  Then there's the later designs by Kalinin, namely the tailless K-12 which looked like some mutant stumpy Lancaster with no tail...... but sadly no follow-up projects due to that minor annoyance of being arrested and shot....   But I digress.   As per the doctor's orders, RemcoGrob has the floor.  Take it away!

Thanks Mojo Doctor! That was the aircraft I meant. I really should work on these 1930's russian aircraft designations, K-5 instead of K-7, what was I thinking...

 Okay, here's the question: what was the first passenger aircraft to have a pressurized cabine?

....AAAAAAND the Mojo Doctor got it!  Quite the interesting bird, that K-7.  It was actually that one pusher which brought the thing down (wasn't designed for it).  Sadly a victim of harmonic resonance.  It literally shook itself to pieces.... 

Then there's the later designs by Kalinin, namely the tailless K-12 which looked like some mutant stumpy Lancaster with no tail...... but sadly no follow-up projects due to that minor annoyance of being arrested and shot....

But I digress.

As per the doctor's orders, RemcoGrob has the floor.  Take it away!

Then it's got to be the Kalinin K-7!

Even my 'wonderfully accurate' Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft has this one. But of course that's what RemcoGrob meant to  say because the K-5 is a much different airplane.

I'm going to work, so you can take it RG!

Lucien Harpress wrote:

Alrighty, hopefully another interesting one. The aircraft I'm thinking of had propulsion provided by six tractor props and one pusher.  Due to it's rather novel (if not unique) landing gear arrangement, I've heard it called the "airplane on roller blades". What is it?

It's on the tip of my tongue......

I have not had time to look this one up, but from the top of my head I would say the Kalin K-5

Alrighty, hopefully another interesting one.

The aircraft I'm thinking of had propulsion provided by six tractor props and one pusher.  Due to it's rather novel (if not unique) landing gear arrangement, I've heard it called the "airplane on roller blades".

What is it?

Lucien,

Yes. That is the correct answer, it was the nose gear up-down indicator.  The next question belongs to you.

Tom S.

The answer would be to check the position of the nosewheel to see if it had retracted.

Someone on another forum was related to a guy in the Lockheed plant who sat in the cockpit and told another guy where to polish (a mirror was moved around until the nosewheel could be seen).  Pretty cool, actually.

jeaton01, bondoman, and RemcoGrob 

I am honored and humbled by your generosity and thank you very much for the privilege you have awarded me.  I hope this question isn't too easy.

Question:  The P-38 Lightning, one of my all time favorites, had a highly polished aluminum oval on the inboard side of each engine nacelle.  What was the purpose of this oval?

Tom S.

and for bondoman, I don't think you'll ever see a kit of the Fokker H.51.  Only one was ever made and it didn't last very long.