Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Ooops. sorry, didn't see that you said Super 7 Borg, yes, that's it!  The MiG-21 was sold to the Chinese, but parts weren't sent, and then came the Russian/Chinese war, so, that all came to a stop.  China had enough to carry on, but the Cultural Revolution resulted in most people able to develop it being killed, or living in fear.  Either way, nothing happened, then, in the 1980's Grumman was allowed to work with China to develop the F-7, using bits from the F-20 Tigershark, such as the nose, avionics, and side intakes.  Then the Chinese ran tanks over protesting students, the Americans refused to work with the Chinese, and the whole thing came to a halt.  Is the FC-1 a re-jigged Super 7?  Well, it has some similarities, but they deny it has a heritage there.

Anyway, over to you Borg, but, great answer Phil!

Sorry guys, was out of it for a few days.  So....

Borg, you're the closest, just need to move further along.  Phil, you are spot on with one family, that is, the F-20, and F/A-18.  One of those two, combined with something further along from Borg, and we will have a winner.  Good luck!

Phil_H

Centhot:

Here is where the other aircraft comes in.  It was supposed to be a fighter, but became a trainer in the 1950's, then again a fighter, and split into two 'families' one was a radical change, whilst the other was an evolution, culminating in a design, which was lost in the 1980's partially due to politics.

This part sounds like the F-5 family

N-156 ---> F5A/B---> F-5E/F ----> F-20
           |                          |
            \--- T-38              (indirectly)
                                      |
                                       \--- YF-17 ----> F/A18

True, and the F-5 family has even more branches with the Iran development (the shafque or something like that)

Centhot

Here is where the other aircraft comes in.  It was supposed to be a fighter, but became a trainer in the 1950's, then again a fighter, and split into two 'families' one was a radical change, whilst the other was an evolution, culminating in a design, which was lost in the 1980's partially due to politics.

This part sounds like the F-5 family

N-156 ---> F5A/B---> F-5E/F ----> F-20
           |                          |
            \--- T-38              (indirectly)
                                      |
                                       \--- YF-17 ----> F/A18

i was thinking the F-86 Sabre, but not sure. i mean it did get a redesigned nose in the form of the Sabre Dog. and i remember reading somewhere that a country used Sabres into the 1990s.

The Chengdu Super 7? It lineage starts at the Mig 21 (fighter), then the F-7 ...  

OK, it's been a few weeks, so, here goes.  Back in the 1950's two rival nations developed two aircraft.  One was an advanced fighter, the other a trainer.  Over the years the fighter was sold to another nation, which it then had a war with, after selling part of the production line, and then an internal revolution in the buying country, leaving this 1950's design as it's most advanced until recently.

Here is where the other aircraft comes in.  It was supposed to be a fighter, but became a trainer in the 1950's, then again a fighter, and split into two 'families' one was a radical change, whilst the other was an evolution, culminating in a design, which was lost in the 1980's partially due to politics.

Enter in a commercial deal...  This 1950's fighter that had not changed much now had a radically re-designed nose and avionics taken from the cancelled project, and then, due to another attempted revolution, was again cancelled.  What was the name of the this last cancelled aircraft?

Actually the F-4 Phantom predated the Tomcat in Naval Service. Not many people know though, that the Tomcat did get to see service in Vietnam!! Althougth it was just to fly Combat Air Patrol over Saigon while the last evacuations from the U.S. Embassy were taking place.

She was an amazing bird and beautiful to look at it. Surely was the end of an era...

F-8 already got it mate ;)

747 SCA?

No, not as a research aircraft, but some lessons learned did help with the Buran space shuttle :) Over to you F-8

MilitaryAircraft101

Developed to explore low speed handling which has helped to contribute to space shuttle design. First flight 1976.

I do believe you are referring to the MiG-105 "Lapot" lifting-body test aircraft.  Made a total of 8 flights, the first of which was in 1976.  The plane is in a museum in Monino, Russia.  This was not actually used for space shuttle research--it was more accurately a program that ended up being canceled in favor of the Buran shuttle program.  The original intent with the MiG-105 was to research for a passenger-carrying space plane.  It was designed to be launched in mid-air from a carrier aircraft, but on its first flight it did take off from the ground under its own power.

Developed to explore low speed handling which has helped to contribute to space shuttle design. First flight 1976.

Yes MilitaryAircraft101, the "Tin Triangle". Avro Vulcan VX770 was used as a testbed for the R.R. Conway.

VX770 test flying on 20/09/58 for R.R. which happened to coincide with the RAF Syerston "Battle of Britain at home display" & it was decided that if timing went to plan that VX770 would do 3 flypast's at the show. On VX770's first pass, as it started to pull up, the starboard wing started to kink, delaminate & ultimately fail - all four on board & three on the ground were killed. The following possibilities have been blamed for the accident;

Pilot error - it was estimated from footage of the accident & witness statements that VX770 was flying at 80 feet / 350 knots as opposed to the authorised 200>300 feet & 250>300 knots, but the early Vulcan's were known to have difficulty with accurate altitude reading at these heights.....

A know combination of overly powerful engines & a weak pre-production wing.

In the run up to the accident, VX770 had carried out several high G maneuvers, including rolls & loops, it has been suggested that the appropriate checks on the known to be weak wing were not carried out & that VX770 was more or less doomed before it left the ground.

I've got it! (I hope) You said we were close with the Victor and Valiant, so the remaining one would theoretically be the Vulcan, and sure enough, it flew with Conways for the beginning of the prototype stage, after replacing Sapphire turbojets. The aircraft's serial was VX770.

I'll have a guess, the Meteor?

MilitaryAircraft101

VC-10 had Conways from the outset, 1962 I think...

No, before the VC-10 & also before the Victor B.2.

This aircraft normally uses turbojet power, not turbofan & the particular aircraft (serial) met with an unfortunate end, in part due to it's turbofan engine fitment......................... 

VC-10 had Conways from the outset, 1962 I think...

Anonymous

Bondo - Sorry not the Nimrod.

F-8 - Getting closer, the Valiant B.2 "Black Bomber" was originally to be fitted with the R.R. Conway / RB.80, but ended up with uprated R.R. Avon's.

Strange that, how did I manage to past as "anonymous"

Bondo - Sorry not the Nimrod.

F-8 - Getting closer, the Valiant B.2 "Black Bomber" was originally to be fitted with the R.R. Conway / RB.80, but ended up with uprated R.R. Avon's.

OK, I think I got it....

The sole example of the Vickers Valiant B.2 first flew in September 1953.  Rolls Royce developed the RB.80, later called the RCo.2 turbofan for this aircraft.  Only one B.2 was ever built and it flew until 1958.  I have not found much about this alrcraft, but I did find that the turbofan operated flawlessly for 133 hours during testing.

Nimrod MR.1

I'm afraid it's not the Victor, although were now getting pretty close.

Handley Page Victor? Rolls Royce Conway engine.

Scorpiomikey

Last guess then im going to give up.

B-52

No, it wasnt the B-52.  B-52s all flew with J-57 turbojets until the advent of the B-52H model, and the H model was on the drawing board when the Handley Page Victor B. 2 made its first flight--on 20 February, 1959--with Rolls Royce Conway turbofans.  The B-52H prototype first few with the TF33 turbofan in March 1961.

From what I can recall, the TF33/JT3D turbofan was flight tested mounted under a B-45 Tornado later in 1959.  This brings me to my answer that the first aircraft to fly solely under turbofan power would be the Handley Page Victor B.2.  Others operated a turbofan engine on test stands before that, but no aircraft flew solely with turbofans until the Victor.  Even the *** had a turbofan project--the  Daimler-Benz DB 670--that was successfully operated on a test stand in 1943...but with the war on, they abandoned the project.

Last guess then im going to give up.

B-52

The Spey S.2 Buccaneer is slightly late in the game.

Blackburn Buckaneer with 2 RR Speys? (I feel like this is too late in the game though.)

The HS.178 would be the first with turbojet power, not turbofan though..............

HS.178