Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Retro Rockets??

No seriously, I think it used a parachute like a lot of military jets of the era.

-Bret 

bondoman wrote:

You are correct! There was a tail mouted drag chute in previous models.

Why do I answer? You guys are much better at coming up with questions than I am.

Okay, here goes. It seems like of all the various types of aircraft out there, cargo planes are the most utiltarian and, well, ugly. Witness the Budd Conastoga and the C-119. Well, in my opinion, this plane is about the ugliest. It's a 4 engine, twin boom design and was operated pretty widely by civilian cargo operators, although designed for the military. Pretty sure in the military arena only had one operator. I recently ran across a picture of one of these beasts that was involved in a fuel starvation accident which led to its being landed in the middle of an interstate, in Indiana (I believe). The crew was very lucky when the hit an over pass and barely avoided having themselves decapitated.

Also, it was the last aircraft produced by its manufacturer. Is that enough clues?

Bondoman, the Porterfield was a high-wing design that, other than using a 5 cylinder engine bore no resemblance to either the Yak or the Kinner Sportster. Also, I did say before your answer that it wasn't powered by a Warner or a Ken Royce (LeBlond). Not arguing – just want to make clear my answer to the question.

-b 

The only one I know of is the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy C1.

The fuselage seems loosely patterned after the WWII Me-323 giant.

Tom

Sir, you are correct. I have to find the link to the pictures of the crashed one on the highway - unbelievable.

-Bret 

found it: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14584&start=30

Just to follow along, and more heavy lifters: the Blackburn Beverly.

Not the right answer, but interesting. This is an facinating aircraft, as the scale of it appears to give it narrow turboprops, but in fact these are Centaurus 18 cylinder radials.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I spent most of my younger years in Bristol every summer while pop worked on US purchases of British a/c technology.

skybolt2003 wrote:

Sir, you are correct. I have to find the link to the pictures of the crashed one on the highway - unbelievable. -Bret

Funny, I kind of remembered that incident as well.

OK

For a next question:

This incident was the last historically accounted war-time action when U. S. Navy aircraft successfully torpedoed a target, a group of these WWII designed  completing their mission.

Hints:

1. Although this versatile single-engined aircraft was designed for torpedo use as well, it is not usually associated with this type of mission, and was as successful in the USAF as it was in the Navy in other uses.
2. The target was not the typical target for U.S. Naval torpedo aircraft use.
3. In the attack group, there was an actual mixture of two distinct aitrcraft develpment types.

Define the specific mission as well as the aircraft.

Good Luck

Tom

AD-4 Skyraiders of VA-195 from the USS Princeton attacked and disabled the Hwachon Dam in North Korea on May 1, 1951, releasing the water in the reservoir and removing control of the river flow below it from Communist forces. The cover was flown by Corsairs.

I did not know this story.

So here's one. This aircraft was popular in the early 60's as a commercial airliner in the US. It could best 300 mph and seemed to solve the long range jet/ short range piston engine problem.

It had four main power plants. These were built in England.

United Airlines was a major operator.

Would it be the Vickers 745D Viscount?

Mike T.

Is that the answer Tom was looking for?

Shouldn't you wait for confirmation before asking another question? I'm not trying to be pedantic but before you thought you had my question right. 

bondoman wrote:

AD-4 Skyraiders of VA-195 from the USS Princeton attacked and disabled the Hwachon Dam in North Korea on May 1, 1951, releasing the water in the reservoir and removing control of the river flow below it from Communist forces. The cover was flown by Corsairs. I did not know this story.

Bolt- I hope so but I don't know. What a great story though, Spads flying up into the mountains with underslung torpedoes.

Apologies to Tom T I'm overly excitable but I loved that question.

Telsono correct- I thought there'd be a couple of Electras in there. You'll need to wait for Tom to clean up my latest mess, sorry again but this is fun!

Bill

oy, there I go opening my mouth and shutting you down, and now no confirmation from Tom.

Sorry about that chief. . .

-bret 

I'd agree with the Skyraider and Viscount on these two questions.  The down side of the Skyraider/Torpedo history thing is that though the Japanese had a torpedo developed enough to work in the shallow water of Pearl Harbor in 1941, we had to wait until the Korean War for a notable success.

This is not a question, just a musing until Tom recommences, but was there any use of the US torpedo in WW II that had a significant outcome?

jeaton01 wrote:

I'd agree with the Skyraider and Viscount on these two questions.  The down side of the Skyraider/Torpedo history thing is that though the Japanese had a torpedo developed enough to work in the shallow water of Pearl Harbor in 1941, we had to wait until the Korean War for a notable success. This is not a question, just a musing until Tom recommences, but was there any use of the US torpedo in WW II that had a significant outcome?

Late war the US had a lot of success.  Starting in 1943, the submarine torpedoes began to get the bugs fixed and started using torpex, which mixed aluminum powder in with the normal explosive.  It gave a 50% boost in yield and allowed the subs to sink a merchant ship with one hit.  Submarines also sank a number of warships including the Kongo (I believe it was the Kongo, may have been one of her sisters) and the Shinano.

 Aerial torpedoes got much better too.  The TBF was an excellent topedo platform, though the opportunity to use them usually wasn't there.  Aerial torpedoes did play a role in most late war warship sinkings by carrier aircraft.  The Musashi succumbed due to taking something like 20 torpedo hits.  When the US went after the Yamato in 1945, the TBM crews were instructed to put all their torpedoes in one side of the ship, which they did.  It resulted in the Yamato going down faster than her sister.

 The Yamato and Musashi were able to absorb as many torpedoes as they did because they had huge torpedo bulges on the hull.  Lighter warships were much more vulnerable to TBMs and their torpedoes.

Even early war the US aerial torpedo had some success.  The Shoho was hit by several exploding torpedo hits at Coral Sea.

Bill 

So I guess I have the go ahead on the next questions:

We usually talk about American born pilots who flew in Spain for the Republicans, but there was at least one that flew for the Nationalists. This pilot was born in New York City and flew in Spain for the Nationalists, in Ethiopia and the rest of WWII for the Italians as a member of the Regia Aeronautica. He survived WWII as a member of the new Italian Air Force (3 victories) and flew P-51's and Vampires during the 1950's.

I am not sure why he wasn't arrested and tried as a traitor after WWII? Maybe he gave up his US citizenship prior to the US official involvement in WWII.

Name this pilot, optionally what was his "nom de guerre" in Spain.

Mike T.

 Mike T.

I guess it is time to throw in a hint.

This American born pilot was captured by the Repbulican forces after bailing out of his Nationalist aircraft (CR 32). The Republicans were going to execute him if it wasn't for the intervening of the US Embassy (he had his pasport on him). Once back in the USA he wasted no time to get back to Spain and fight again.

Mike T.

Vincent Joseph Patriarca?

 Bill

Bill;

You got it,

As for the second part his Nomde guerre was "Vincenzo Bocolare"

 Mike T.

Maresciallo Vincenzo Joseph Patriarca. aka 'Vincenzo Bocolare'.

with thanks to Fulvio Chianese.

Here's a bit of a difference.  Many prominant American TV news people in the 50s and 60s and even in the 70s had been correspondents during World War II.  One of these correspondents became the only one to be awarded a combat medal for his reporting from flying missions with the 8th Air Force (bronze star).  He is still alive today and is well known to most Americans.

Bill 

You got it.  Most people know Andy Rooney from his short editorials on 60 Minutes, but he made a name for himself as a news correspondant.

 Bill

In the same spirit, this well know newsman who passed away within the last twenty years bailed out from a transport in CBI and spent a week walking out of the jungle.