Aircraft Trivia Quiz

That would be the DC-4E, I think.

John

osher wrote:

Would it be the DC-3, which was bought (and built under licence) in Japan?

 It was built in Japan.  However, the version Japan copied was a fairly standard DC-3 with nothing particulary special, and Japan did not use them as bombers.

 The Allied aircraft bought by the Axis power did go into production in the west, but dramatically modified from the one off sold to the Axis.

 Bill

I just lucked out on the timing.

 How about this question:

 Before World War II an Axis country bought an airliner from  what would one day be an enemy.  This was the only airliner of that particular model ever built, but it was considerably ahead of its time.  This Axis country designed a bomber based on that airliner.

 What is the airliner and what Axis bomber was developed from it?

 Bill

wdolson2 wrote:

Spitfire; Beaufighter; Mosquito

Well, we seem to have a rash of quick answers, that one took 10 minutes!  Yes, the Spitfire, Beaufighter and Mosquito is correct.  The USAAF wanted actually the Mosquito in large numbers, but there wasn't the excess production available.  Also, interestingly, the Americans had problems with the bomber version (or at least, never learnt how to use it), but made great use of the PR version.

osher wrote:

Three main British aicraft were used by the Americans during WWII in offensive missions (that is, aside from trainers, tugs, squadron hacks, transports, etc).  What were they? (sorry for getting the Miles questions so quickly, but I remembered reading about the Miles supersonic test aircraft a while back, and had a hunch that that was the one)

Spitfire

Beaufighter

Mosquito 

Three main British aicraft were used by the Americans during WWII in offensive missions (that is, aside from trainers, tugs, squadron hacks, transports, etc).  What were they?

(sorry for getting the Miles questions so quickly, but I remembered reading about the Miles supersonic test aircraft a while back, and had a hunch that that was the one)

Might have been easy for you Brits, but it had me scratching my head over here (and I wish over sexed and whatever the rest of it was...)

John (across the pond)

Drat! Did I make it too easy? Yes; that is what I wanted. (says Davros)

Drat! Did I make it too easy? Yes; that is what I wanted. I once saw, in a documentary, Chuck Yeager claim that the all-moving tailplane was an American invention but we Brits know better. The Miles company tested an all-moving tailplane on a Gillette Falcon in 1943.

Over to you now.

Is it the Miles M.52, the top secret supersonic research aircraft?

 Edit to add:

Just read up that the M.52 had movable all-flying tailplanes, which enabled Bell to build their X-1.  Is this what you're after?

jeaton01 wrote:

Nope.  USAAF not USAF.John

Okay, my turn then. The answer to my question comes in three parts.

It concerns a British aviation invention during WW2. It was test flown during the design work on an aircraft the never flew but went on to enable an American aircraft to achieve a milestone in aviation history.

Can you name the British plane that never flew, the American plane did and, finally, the British invention?

David, you have given the correct answer and also got the extra credit part right.  The prize is that you have to come up with the next question.

As an aside, Planet has a 1/72 resin kit of the XFL-1 which I have just gotten and though I haven't built it yet it looks very nice in the box.

John

Is it the Bell XFL-1 Airabonita, a tail dragging version of the Airacobra? If so; it ended its days at NAS Patuxent River.

Matt90 wrote:

Wetstang? Hookstang? Navstang? Bob?

No-stang! Not any kind of -Stang!  But in a way something was bobbed.

Keep trying!

John

Wetstang?

Hookstang?

Navstang?

Bob? 

Senior moment, Matt

I sympathise...

John

Nope.  USAAF not USAF.

John

The USAAF used this aircraft, and Britain ordered a version of it, and the US Navy even ordered one for evaluation with modifications, but never accepted it for service.  What did the Navy call their version?

There is extra credit if you can answer where this aircraft spent its last days.

And never fear, I can document the correct answer!

John

For a while I thought it might be the "Raymor" Handasyde, but since there was an engine failure it must be Harry Hawker's Sopwith Atlantic.  But then it never was a bomber.

So, I return to the V/1500, as it did end a war when it bombed Kabul and scattered the harem into the streets, whereupon the progenitors of the modern Afghanis sued for peace.  However, it never started for England from Newfoundland, but went to Canada instead according to what I have found, which could be wrong.... 

John

Alas, it was not the Handley Page V/1500, it was shipped to Newfoundland but Alcock and Brown made it across the pond before it made an attempt.

T_Terrific wrote:

My guess is the Airco DH-10.

My guess is the Airco DH-10.

Verifying information for a specific "almost was first" is near impossible, unless you are privy to a very specific source.

I noticed a peculiar thing about verifying the specifics regarding the history of an aircraft such as this, that is, each source has a slightly different slant, or even biase, on a same basic story, depending on the author's perspective.

For instance, in the old profile publication, printed in the UK, in their record of the German fighter ace, Werner Voss, in his final combat with British SE5's, they wrote off the German fighter ace's ability to make flat turns and quickly face an opponent as "sloppy half-spins", whereas Arch Whitehouse in his book Fighting Wings recorded that Voss' ability to make a 180 deg turn without aelorons was an amazing feat that enabled him to in fact put holes in each and every plane in the British squadron before they finally got him.

Tom

Matt90 wrote:

Vickers Vimy? Only non-combat bomber I can think of.

Again, close, this aircraft lost out to the Vickers Vimy, in that it was supposed to be the first aircraft to cross tha Atlantic, but due to engine failure, lost out.

Vickers Vimy?

Only non-combat bomber I can think of.

espins1 wrote:

Is it the Handley Page 0/400?