Aircraft Trivia Quiz

Nope sorry guys. Hint: They were not fighters

Cheers, Richie

About the fastest piston aircraft.  I've read that it was, in fact, a Spitfire.

Apparently, on the 5th February 1952, a Mk.19 of 81 Squadron, Hong Kong, flown by Fl.Lt. Ted Powles, went for a routine meteorological survey, but rather than stopping at 50,000 feet, went to a true 51,500.  Cabin pressure fell, and, whilst diving down, entered an uncontrollable dive, before getting control back at 3,000 feet, before landing safely.  During this dive he hit a speed of 690mph or mach .94, which makes him the fastest ever pistorn aircraft.

Of course, it wasn't planned, and wasn't in level flight, which I believe is the usual criteria for measuring speed records.  Still, this is still a record, in it's own right!

(I was looking up something on the Spitfore on Wiki months ago, when I came across this)

Lots of 'fast flights' were made especially diving away from the enemy with stories of bent upper wing skin and spar while pulling out. I think I read where Gabreski even had an encounter with speed once. Those flights were guessed using the time it took to descend a certain distance in altitude, so there's probably a lot of fish story telling.

Most people agree that someone probably did go very fast before being able to officially document it, but Rare Bear did the 528mph flat and true.

Go Bear!

simpilot34 wrote:

Identify the two aircraft involved in the last dogfight in the European theatre in WWII.

When I was a kid, my dad got me in to reading books by Cornelius Ryan (Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, The Last Battle), and in one of them he said something about two observation planes getting together with the pilots (or observers) shooting at each other with pistols.

But I don't remember what aircraft, probably a Taylorcraft and Fieseler

StickyFingrz wrote:

simpilot34 wrote: Identify the two aircraft involved in the last dogfight in the European theatre in WWII. When I was a kid, my dad got me in to reading books by Cornelius Ryan (Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, The Last Battle), and in one of them he said something about two observation planes getting together with the pilots (or observers) shooting at each other with pistols.   But I don't remember what aircraft, probably a Taylorcraft and Fieseler

Yes, the Feisler Storch was one. The other not a T-craft though. Almost there Sticky!!

Yes it was raider83!

A Piper Cub unarmed spotting plane named Miss Me of the U.S. 5th Armored and a German Feisler Storch, also a spotting plane, met in the sky over Germany in April 1945. Lt. Duane Francies, pilot, and his observer, Lt. William Martin, dove on the Storch and fired their .45 Colts, bringing the German plane down. They landed and captured the pilot and German observer. It was the only German plane shot down with a handgun.

ref. "The WWII quiz and fact book"-Timothy B. Benford

Ok, Sticky and raider83 here's a face off question. First to respond with the correct answer has the floor.

What was the name of the scottish terrier mascot of the 'Memphis Belle' crew?

Cheers, Richie

Someone named a dog "Stuka" ?? That's hilarious!

How about this easy one?

Name the first pilot to fly across the U.S and in what kind of plane?

Calbraith Perry Rodgers, Wright EX biplane "Vin Fiz".

It took him 49 days, so he missed out on a prize that he would have won if he'd done it in 30, and crashed 19 times. 4000 miles in 82 flying hours. A nice 7 week break off work, I'd say :)

What an adventure, eh?

For a little fun Brews, how 'bout the first person to do that cross-country flight in under 24 hours? (Which is actually what I meant to ask the first time!)

Well done Sticky!

Cheers

T'was Jimmy Doolittle and he did it in 21 hours and 19 minutes flying in his De Havilland DH-4 plane from Pablo Beach, Florida, to San Diego, California, with only one refueling stop!

Those guys had lots of backbone in those days, eh?

StickyFingrz wrote:

T'was Jimmy Doolittle and he did it in 21 hours and 19 minutes flying in his De Havilland DH-4 plane from Pablo Beach, Florida, to San Diego, California, with only one refueling stop!   Those guys had lots of backbone in those days, eh?

Well, they didn't have to worry about terrorists back then. Have a go, Matt. 

hmmm...feeling a bit of the dirty old man coming on...

 This man was the first person to join most famous club in aviation, and it is no suprise once you find out what he invented.

Brews wrote:

The inventor of the auto-pilot, Lawrence Sperry?

"Billie Barker"?

EDIT: oops, my bad I was thinking of you-know-who with the same initials.

With apologies all  around, wiki suggests he's interrred in his wife's families crypt, so I suppose it is her family name: Smith.

Whaaa??? was it something I said?

Question coming this evening.

Matt90 wrote:

You nailed it Brews!

No, Mr. Sperry was the one who 'nailed it', eh?

I actually found a photo of Lt. Colonel William Barker's gravesite at http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/pimg.htm

The stone reads:

Leut. Colonel William George Barker, VC - DSO

Beloved Husband of Jean Kilbourn Smith

November 3 1894 - March 12 1930

In Memorium

This jet airliner was "beaten " into the air by the first, in a little less than two weeks.