Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Matt90 wrote:

Darn...it was a hoax. Google it, and the first site that comes up proves it.

The hoax part comes up if you google with two r's in Sherrill, on the Flying Tiger website, no less.  It's an interesting read as well.  Was a good question, nonetheless....

This is probably an easy one..... 

What is the only American military aircraft that was named after an individual? 

Would that be the Cleveland Browns?

No wait, that's the only NFL team named after an individual...

P-38 Lightning was named after "Lightning" Joe Collins, right?  And the P-51 Mustang after Mustang Sally, of song lore...  P-47 Thunderbolt, after Zeus?  

(Just funnin' ya.  We all know it's the B-25 Mitchell, after the aviation visionary, General Billy B-25.)

And don't forget that the B-52 was named after an Italian immigrant "Strato Fortrezzi". 

Isn't it ironic that the B-25 Mitchell is the only one?  That really surprises me for some reason. 

You're up! 

This is only peripherally aircraft related, but I think it's an easy one for WWII geeks like me:

What is the aircraft-related significance of the date April 18 during the Second World War?  

That would be the day of the Doolittle Raid in 1942.  It was also the day Yamammoto was killed in 1943.

 April 18 is also the day before Eric Hartmann's birthday and two days before Hitler's.

 Bill

You are correct, sir. 

Your turn! 

This wanders a little off the aircraft subject too, but it applies to aircraft carriers.

 The first US fleet carrier lost in World War II and the last fleet carrier lost were under the command of the same person.  He had a different rank and different position the last time, but he was still in the direct chain of command.

 Who was this?

Bill 

Capt. Frederick C. Sherman (Lexington Battle of the Coral Sea)

Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman (Battle of Leyte Gulf)

 That  bit of trivia struck me when I read Sherman's book many years ago.

You got it.  Over to you.

 Bill

One note here, the USS Langley (originally the collier Jupiter) had the honor of being designated the first US Navy aircraft carrier (CV-1), but during the 1930's she was reconverted to a seaplane tender (AV-3 in 1937). She was lost on 27 February 1942 while ferrying fighters to Java. Although she was our first aircraft carrier, her re-designation made her not the first of our carriers sank in WWII, if anyone thought of her.

Mike T.

telsono wrote:

One note here, the USS Langley (originally the collier Jupiter) had the honor of being designated the first US Navy aircraft carrier (CV-1), but during the 1930's she was reconverted to a seaplane tender (AV-3 in 1937). She was lost on 27 February 1942 while ferrying fighters to Java. Although she was our first aircraft carrier, her re-designation made her not the first of our carriers sank in WWII, if anyone thought of her.

I thought of the Langley when I wrote the question, which is why I said "fleet carrier".  The US also lost some escort carriers after the Princeton, but the Princeton was the last fleet carrier (ie high speed and designed to go in harm's way against enemy combat ships) lost. 

 The Princeton was also the only fleet carrier completed during the war that was lost.  All the others were pre-war carriers.

I didn't think about it at the time I wrote the question, but today is the 65th anniversary of the battle that changed the war in the Pacific: Midway.

 Bill

This aircraft's claim to fame is that it accidentally dropped a Mk.17 Hydrogen bomb.... 

What is this aircraft?

Is that the B-52 that accidentally dropped an unarmed nuke off the coast of Spain in 1966?

 Bill

wdolson2 wrote:

Is that the B-52 that accidentally dropped an unarmed nuke off the coast of Spain in 1966?  Bill

I forgot about that one.  I should have been more specific.  The one I'm looking for happened on the US mainland in the 1950s

How about in 1957 on May 22 of that year a wing B-36 inadvertently dropped a Mk 17 "Thermonuclear" (hydrogen) bomb 4 miles SE of Kirtland AFB, NM?

Would that do it?

Tom

T_Terrific wrote:

How about in 1957 on May 22 of that year a wing B-36 inadvertently dropped a Mk 17 "Thermonuclear" (hydrogen) bomb 4 miles SE of Kirtland AFB, NM? Would that do it? Tom

Correct, that was the one I was looking for.  I apologize for not being specific enough with the initial question. 

B-36s were involved in two "Broken Arrow" incidents.

On 13 February 1950, a B-36, serial number 44-92075, crashed in an unpopulated region of British Coumbia, resulting in the first loss of an American nuclear weapon.

Then on 22 May 1957, a B-36 accidentally dropped a Mark-17 hydrogen bomb on a deserted area while landing at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque NM. Only the conventional trigger detonated, the bomb being unarmed. These incidents were classified for decades. 

That's some scary stuff!!!! 

You're up Tom!

Thank you Mr. E. Spins

OK,

Now the trick is to word this easy question so I don't get an answer before I finished posting it:

Which US aircraft name and type designation (meaning the same letter prefix denoting the role the aircraft was meant for, but three different numbered suffixes) was actually repeated for three different aircraft which flew in a time period spanning two different decades ?

Tom

Post edit hint:

There are nice scale models of the first two, but for the third one, you would have to do some minor modifications of a kit by a different name, mainly the service markings.

I'm sure this isn't what you're looking for, but there were three Corsairs.

 The O2U Corsair biplane was used in Nicaragua by the Marines in the early 30s as well as by the Chinese Air Force.

The F4U Corsair is well known.

So is the A-7 Corsair II (which was actually Corsair III) 

From the question, it sounds like you were looking for a USAAF/USAF name, and these aircraft first flew in three different decades.

 Bill

Good guess, Bill.

Actually, when I wrote the question, I realized that there are three aircraft types, including the Corsair that can meet the "same name, over two decades" stipulation, and since no one else even tried to get it any closer, your answer is good enough for me.

Interestingly enough, the one I prefered involved three aircraft all made by the same manufacturer, which were USAAF aircraft, which also made the other one of the three that come to mind as well, essentially making two of the three choices being manufactured by the same firm. Ironically, the USAAF chose not to utilize this aircraft type as extensively as did a foreign power's air force, their varient becoming the most successful in it's role in WWII!

If you-all like, I can share my preferred choice,  or leave this one a question I can still re-ask under different wording in the future.

Now be warned, if I tell ya, you you feel like doing a *DOOOOOOOOOHHHHH*

In any case, you go next  Wild Bill

Tom

Now the tough part, coming up with the next question...

This aircraft company produced such terrible aircraft that it actually went out of business in the middle of World War II.  What's the company?

 I'll throw out some hints if nobody gets it quickly.

Bill 

Is it Brewster, builder of the F2A Buffalo? 

I just checked on Wikipedia and the company dissolved April 5, 1946, just months after the war ended.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_Aeronautical_Corporation

Brumbles - because of governmental contracts, and the war situation Brewster was taken over by the US Navy in 1942. From that point to 1946 it was an asset of the US Gov't and only remained open because of the war situation. Here's another part of that Wikpedia article.

During WWII it became apparent that Brewster was mismanaged. The company had grown from a relatively minor aircraft parts supplier to a fully-fledged defence giant in only a few years. Jimmy Work had hired Alfred and Ignacio Miranda as the company salesmen. They had been involved on frauds, spending two years in prison for selling illict arms to Bolivia, and had over-promised Brewster production capabilities to customers. As WWII had swelled the defense industries, the quality of the newly hired work force was inferior in skills and often motivation, and the work was plagued by illicit strikes and even outright sabotage was suspected. The Navy installed a George Chapline as president of the company, easing out Jimmy Work, in the hopes of speeding up production, but then in early 1942 Jimmy Work regained control of the company, just in time to be sued for US$10 million for financial misdeeds. In May 1942 the Navy simply seized Brewster and put the head of the Naval Aircraft Factory in charge.

Mike T.

Brumbles got the answer I was looking for.  Though I misremembered the date when they folded.  Brewster ceased to be a significant factor in building aircraft though I forgot they hung on as an entity until 1946.

 Over to you Brumbles.

Bill 

Well, per "official" forum rules, since Brumbles has not came back with a question in over a week, it is open to anyone who feels he/she has a good one.

Tom

 I can always re-ask this question, changing a couple of phrases in order to seek another answer:

Which US Army aircraft name and type designation (meaning the same letter prefix denoting the role the aircraft was meant for, but three different numbered suffixes) was actually repeated for three different aircraft which flew in a time period spanning two different decades ?

Hints:

1. The final one was a WWII model, but did not actually fly in combat for the Army, but as a U.S. Navy model (their most successful, by the way).

2. They were all made by the same manufacturer.

3. Interestingly enough, the Army abandoned this type, whereas the U.S. Navy and the WWII Luftwaffe made "the most" of this type.

Could it be the Curtiss Hawk? P-6 Hawk, P-36 Hawk and P-40 (War)Hawk? I don't know enough about the services who operated it, but it almost fits the question.....

Al