Aircraft Trivia Quiz

This plane was built from a modified version of a successful small fighter.  This plane also played a supporting role in the old Wingman Book Series.

prop powered or jet?

Northrop F-20 Tigershark?

Milairjunkie you got it.  It was built off of a highly modified F-5 changing from 2 engines to a single that produced more thrust.  It was close in performance to the F-16 but only three were ever built.  Many countries expressed interest and even placed orders but Ronald Reagan made F-16's available and many believe that because the F-16 was the perceived favorite the F-20 was relegated to the ugly step sister role and cancelled.

gameused01

Milairjunkie you got it.  It was built off of a highly modified F-5 changing from 2 engines to a single that produced more thrust.  It was close in performance to the F-16 but only three were ever built.  Many countries expressed interest and even placed orders but Ronald Reagan made F-16's available and many believe that because the F-16 was the perceived favorite the F-20 was relegated to the ugly step sister role and cancelled.

Some strong proponents of the F-20 included Chuck Yeager. The F-20 was a true "nuts and bolts" fighter, far cheaper with much less computerization than the F-16.

The whole F-20 story is pretty interesting, an impressive aircraft based on the successful F-5 that ultimately failed to go anywhere thanks to the F-16. The successful F-16 was also developed into the impressive F-16XL & this also failed to go anywhere thanks to the F-15. Two excellent aircraft that both failed to find a home!

The Question - This civilian aircraft was initially powered by a variant of a well known military engine, on later models the number 1 engine of this aircraft is generally of a different configuration to the others?

Sorry, I forgot to add - This aircraft is well known for two rolls?

Two rolls?  Or two roles?  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Tango Juliet

Two rolls?  Or two roles?  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Two rolls & I'm not talking Royce either.

You are talking about the 707.

The initial aircraft's engines were P&W JT3C's, the civilian version of the J-57 engine that powered such aircraft as the F-8 Crusader, F-100 Super Sabre, and B-52, among others.  The #1 engine is different on many examples because the #1 engine does not have a turbocompressor mounted, while the other three engines do.  The turbocompressor is what provides pressurization for the cabin.  The aircraft is known for two "rolls"....one being the "gold cup roll"--in 1955, Alvin "Tex" Johnston performed the famous barrel roll in the Dash 80 prototype.  The second is the infamous "dutch roll", a problem inherent to large swept-wing aircraft.  Boeing installed a yaw damper in the plane to counter this.  Back in 1959, a brand new 707 was being flown on an acceptance/training flight.  It was supposed to be delivered to Braniff Airways, and Braniff pilots were on board along with the Boeing instructor pilot.  The Braniff captain was being shown the dutch roll tendencies, and he did not properly recover.  The plane went out of control, and in the process of regaining control, engines 1, 2, and 4 were ripped completely off the wings.  The plane crashed and 4 of the 8 on board were killed.  In fact, original Dash 80 test pilot Tex Johnston wrote in his book about a time when he was a passenger on a 707 that experienced the dutch roll.  He wrote that he went to the cockpit, tried to explain to the flight crew that the autopilot's yaw damper was malfunctioning, and actually relieved the captain and fixed the problem.  

My dad spent many of his years at P&W working on those JT3's....in fact, he got his start on jet engines on the J57 with a Navy F-8 squadron.

Spot on with the 707 F-8, famous for both the Gold & Dutch rolls.

OK, lets try this one out.

This aircraft is a biplane, designed to replace another biplane in the same role.  The aircraft I am looking for was designed for the intended role, but the plane it replaced was a jack-of-all-trades.  This plane is quite a mix of old and new technology, so much so that its performance resembles that of a WWI plane.  It was designed in one country specifically to meet a requirement set forth by another country.  This aircraft uses an engine that it shares with one of the most well-known trainer/light attack aircraft that still is flown in military service, as well as being used for air racing.

The aircraft design did enter service, and it is the one and only example of it's configuration anywhere in the world.

Boeing model 40?

No, not the model 40, that's quite a bit older than the plane I am referring to.

Only other one i can think of is the fairy swordfish

Think laterally Mike, it's the only one of it's particular configuration ever built.

Let me also add, this is not a military aircraft.  It was designed for one specific purpose, and less than 200 were made.

If it's what I think it is, it also has a feature which, while not unique, is very unusual for it's particular configuration.

Fairey TS-1?

It was intended for the Greek air Force.  Powered by a Panther and later Pegasus engine. 

Lead to the Swordfish.

It was built at the same time as the similar Fairey S.9/30, which would have replaced the Seal. It had stainless steel strip and tube. Engine was the Kestrel.

Only one built of each.

Doesn't fit the engine used for post-war trainers, though.

Best wishes,

Grant

No, it isnt the TS. 1.  Between 150 and 200 of this plane were made. 

I`ll take a wild guess, but could it be the PZL M-15 Belphegor?

It is a biplane, designed by the polish PZL to replace the famous AN-2 in the USSR as an agricultural plane.  172 of those strange birds were build. The AN-2 definitely fits the "jack-of-all-trades" part .  It is powered by the AI-25 engine used in the L-39/59/159 family, definitely one of the most well-known trainer/light attack aircraft and has an own class in air races. And of course the WWI performance - how about a jet with top speed of only 200 kilometers per hour /around 125 mph/?

Yes, congo has it.  This is definitely one wierd bird--the only aircraft in the world as far as I know that was designed from the outset as a jet powered biplane.  It was designed by PZL in Poland for Russia's agricultural industry as a sprayer.  Top speed was about 124 mph...and it was built in the early 70s.  One strange looking airplane, thats for sure.  Over to you congo...

what the hell is that? it looks like it was made of left over parts and Tupperware.

OK, i think this will be an easy one.

This plane was specially designed and constructed in the end of WWII. The interresting part is that it was supposed to use any engine with more than 800 hp! It also had been designed to have a few parts detached after takeoff.

F-8fanatic

This is definitely one wierd bird--the only aircraft in the world as far as I know that was designed from the outset as a jet powered biplane. ........ One strange looking airplane, thats for sure.

Just before we leave this one, the unusual feature that I mentioned above is that it has a nosewheel undercarriage - something rarely seen in biplanes...

Are you talking about the M6A1 Seiran? I'm pretty sure that had over 1,000 horses (DB engines FTW) and after launch, it could detach the floats for performance.

No, it`s not the Seiran but you got the leads right. As of the engines, all the books that i`ve read about the plane in question state that it was supposed to be able to use virtually any available engine over 800 hp, but i think it`s more precise to say any radial engine over 800 hp.

The KI-115 Tsurugi, designed at the end of WWII to use any available large engine, and it's undercarriage fell off to save weight and resources (it was designed for Kamikaze missions only, so, no need to land!).

Yes, Centhot got it. Besides the undercariage, the flaps were also supposed to fell off after take off.

Over to you!

This pilot died flying an advanced new jet design.  This was a prototype from this famous manufacturer of many different aircraft types (who carried on for many years afterwards, before merger).  What's interesting is that the pilot was the son of the founder (and had the same name), and hence, died in an aircraft bearing his family name.

It is assumed he died (or was badly injured) before the aircraft crashed, due to something to do with his body - which is why the earlier pilot was slightly hurt, but not killed/badly injured.  What was it about him, that, it is assumed, caused the crash?