Do you guys in the antiques department do quizzes? Perhaps between the two o’clock pill and the five o’clock supper instead of the usual Bingo? But only if your nursey allows the excitement such a quiz brings. Anyway I’ll try it, I’ll take the risk, ambulance is on standby and that extra dose of oxygen is ready, so nothing much can happen. Perhaps you even like it?
Ready? Start your wheelchairs! Go!
Correct answers so far.
Answers filled in.
1. What was the first British aircraft (heavier than air) to be flown on the British Isles by a British Pilot and when and where did that take place?
Horatio Frederick Phillips, in 1907 at Streatham, about 500ft with a “multiplane” designed and built by himself.
2. Polar flying:
2.1. Who did the first transpolar flight? Which airplane and when and where?
2.2. Who did the first transartic flight? Which airplane and when and where?
# First *transpolar* Herbert Hollick-Kenyon & Lincoln Ellsworth in a Northrop Gamma 2B on 23Nov to 05Dec1935, Dundee Island to Little America.
The first flight *to* the South Pole 28Nov1929, the FLOYD BENNETT took off from Little America and also landed there.
# The first *transarctic* flight: Roald Amundsen & Italian General Umberto Nobile & Lincoln Ellsworth from Spitsbergen to Teller, AK, Italian airship Norge, from 11May1926 (Developed into a bit of a nationalistic scandal then).
3. Who did the first transcontinental flight? Which airplane and when and where?
27Apr1913, Robert G. Fowler flies across the Panama Canal Zone, in what is technically the first nonstop transcontinental flight (in a Fowler-Gage Tractor). He even had a cameraman on board.
4. What was the first U.S. twin-engine aircraft with a retractable landing gear?
Burnelli CB-16
5. What was the world’s first aircraft built out of magnesium?
Northrop XP-56 — Moggy C
6. What was the first helicopter in service with the USAAF?
A bit of a discussion here about who did what first.
# The George de Bothezat quad-rotor was the first to be tested by the U.S. armed forces.
# The Platt LePage XR-1 was the first to be given a service number and the first to display the USAAF roundel.
# The Sikorsky R-4 was the first used operationally by the U.S. armed forces.
7. PanAm flying boats in the Pacific:
7.1. date of first flight from San Francisco to Hawaii with a Sikorsky 42
16Apr1935
7.2. date of first flight from San Francisco to Hawaii with a Glenn-Martin 130
21Oct1936
7.3. date of first airmail from San Francisco to Hawaii
22Nov1935
7.4. date of first passengers from San Francisco to Manila
29Nov1935
7.5. how much did it cost in ther late ’30s to fly from San Francisco to Manila and back?
USD 1400.-, which was about an average yearly wage of a skilled worker. To Hawaii and back it costed USD 800.-
7.6. what type were they and what was the fate of those PanAm “Clippers” boats in the Pacific?
American Clipper (S40) scrapped (date n/a)
Hong Kong Clipper II (S42) was sunk in the Japanese raid off Kowloon
Hong Kong Clipper I (S42) sank in Antilla, Cuba 07Sep1944
Samoan Clipper (S42) exploded 11Jan1938 at Pago-Pago
China Clipper (M130) sank in Port of Spain, Trinidad 08Jan1945
Hawaiian Clipper (M130) crashed somewhere east of Manila 29Jul1938
Philippine Clipper (M130) was damaged in the Japanese attack on Wake Island, was repaired and crashed at Boomtown, CA in 1943
Honolulu Clipper (B314) sunk after collision 14Nov1945
Pacific Clipper (B314) salvaged in 1946
Anzac Clipper (B314) salvaged in 1951
Pan American Clipper II = Samoan Clipper
California Clipper = Pacific Clipper
8. Name the date of the first regular airmail from Britain to Australia
08Dec to 21Dec1934. An interesting story if anybody is interested in early commercial air services.
9. When did the first air-to-air combat take place?
Let’s see.
# Some souces say it was on 30Nov1913 Dean I. Lamb vs. Phil Rader near Naco in Mexico. Both were U.S. mercinaries/adventurers. And some people say it is all made up.
# 05Oct1914 the combat over Reims, which is firm knowledge — as Flood wrote.
Btw the first A/G mission flown by manned aerial vehicles was 1911 by Italians in Libyia. The first aerial attack in the West (don’t know about China) took place in March 1849, when Austrian unmanned balloons (tried) to bomb Venice.
10. What was the last “pusher” biplane flown with the RFC/RAF roundel?
Supermarine Walrus — Flood
11. Name three multi-engine triplane aircraft.
Caproni Triplane Flying Boat
Caproni CA.4
Caproni CA.42
Bristol 24/25/26
Barling Bomber
Bruning Forssman triplane
Trebor Trabant (never heared of it, but …!) — Tarrant Tabor, that one is well known!
12. Name a multi-engine aircraft with foldable/stowable wings (for shipbased service).
Good! The Airspeed AS39 — VoyTech. What a strange concept that was.
And then on the other side of the world the a version of the P1Y Ginga, it had stowable wings, but never flew from a carrier (Japanese had no more).
The first Sea Mosquito flew on 10Nov1945, so doesn’t fit the “Historic Aviation” Dept. Same with the Short Sturgeon, that flew in 1946; detto Sea Hornet and Tigercat.
By: Distiller - 2nd March 2004 at 12:39
Ok, let me solve that particular mystery:
It was the Platt LePage XR-1. And it was an interpretation of the Focke-Achgelis Fw61.
Fw/Fa: The company’s full name was “Focke, Achgelis & Co. GmbH”, part of the “Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG”. So you can call it both Fa61 and Fw61.
PS: Wulf’s first name was Georg.
By: Eric Mc - 2nd March 2004 at 12:35
I knew Sikorsky’s trials began in 1940.
However, Focke-Wulf DID fly a helicopter. In 1938, Hannah Reitsch demonstrated the Focke Wulf Fw61 in the Berlin Sportshalle to an amazed public. She rose vertically, flew forwards, backways and sideways under full control.
The background to how Focke Wulf became Focke Achgelis is interesting. It appears G (Guenther?) Wulf was not a great fan of the Nazi Party. He was therefore “encouraged” to leave his position as a director in the company which was subsequently taken over by the giant AEG concern. Focke then established a new company with Gerd Achgelis to continue research into helicopter designs. Hence all future designs from Focke were from his new company, Focke-Achgelis.
Kurt Tank took over as chief designer of the old Focke-Wulf company after the AEG takeover.
Sorry about the mix up over the years.
By: VoyTech - 2nd March 2004 at 12:16
Originally posted by Eric Mc
Pre-1914 there was no USAAF OR USAAC. The first miltary air arm in the US was the US Army Aero Service, and I don’t know what year it was formed – 1908?Since the first recognised helicopters (fully controllable in forward, sideways and backways flight) did not fly until the late 30s (Focke Wulf and Sikorsky) would the vehicle you are referring to be considered a true helicopter – as opposed to something that tried to lift itself vertically off the ground?
Eric,
I think we have a misunderstanding here:
My reference to 1914 (and Distiller’s reply to it) referred to the first air-to-air combat, not to the USAAC helicopter.
Also, I do not think Sikorsky’s helicopter mady and fully controllable flights in 1930s, because it did not make any free flights before 1940 (all before that was tethered).
Focke-Wulf never built helicopters either – they were Focke-Achgelis.
As for ‘first recognised helicopters’, the funny thing is that as far as I know, there is no such thing. Unlike the balloons or aeroplanes there is no such things in the annals of aviation as ‘the first recognised helicopter’. And most certainly there were fully controllable helicopters long before WWII (‘fully controllable’ in the same meaning as the Wrights’ aeroplane can be considered a fully controllable one).
V.
By: Eric Mc - 2nd March 2004 at 11:57
Pre-1914 there was no USAAF OR USAAC. The first miltary air arm in the US was the US Army Aero Service, and I don’t know what year it was formed – 1908?
Since the first recognised helicopters (fully controllable in forward, sideways and backways flight) did not fly until the late 30s (Focke Wulf and Sikorsky) would the vehicle you are referring to be considered a true helicopter – as opposed to something that tried to lift itself vertically off the ground?
I know Breguet built a contraption that looked like it was being lifted by four bicycle wheels at each corner with paddles attached – a sort of very early “flying bedstead” – about 1912. It wasn’t that by any chance?
By: Distiller - 2nd March 2004 at 11:19
Re: Re: ………….>>> A “Historic Aviation” QUIZ <<<……………
Originally posted by VoyTech
Define ‘in service’. The USAAC ordered their first helicopter design long before WWII (not that I remember its name, nothing to do with Sikorsky anyway) and I think it even flew
>>> You’re right “in service” needs to be clarified when talking about those early choppers. Let’s settle for “accepted for service”, regardless if that was just for tests. Ok. And you’re right, it was no Sikorsky R-4.
And I made a mistake – of course it should read USAAC, not USAAF.Is 1914 accurate enough?
>>> No, and it was earlier.V.
By: Moggy C - 2nd March 2004 at 10:22
6) R4B Hoverfly
12) Grumman Tigercat
Moggy
By: Eric Mc - 2nd March 2004 at 10:09
Tarrant Tabor – that’s the one.
Have you heard the story about the recent barn discovery of that long lost obscure bomber the Trebor – it was in “mint” condition!
Sorry – I couldn’t resist that 😀
By: VoyTech - 2nd March 2004 at 09:59
Re: ………….>>> A “Historic Aviation” QUIZ <<<……………
Originally posted by Distiller
6. What was the first helicopter in service with the USAAF?
Define ‘in service’. The USAAC ordered their first helicopter design long before WWII (not that I remember its name, nothing to do with Sikorsky anyway) and I think it even flew
9. When did the first air-to-air combat take place?.
Is 1914 accurate enough?
11. Name three multi-engine triplane aircraft.
Trebor Trabant (never heared of it, but …!)
Never heard of a Trabant?
But the triplane bomber was called Tarrant Tabor…
12. Name a multi-engine aircraft with foldable/stowable wings (for shipbased service).
Was de Havilland Sea Mosquito pre-1945? The Sea Hornet wasn’t, I think. But how about the Airspeed Fleet Shadower?
V.
By: dhfan - 2nd March 2004 at 09:46
12. Sea Mosquito TR33
By: Distiller - 2nd March 2004 at 08:44
Originally posted by Eric Mc
Is the answer to Q1 then George Cayley’s footman in the Cayley glider in 18XX ?
Ehm. That might be an answer, but I’m looking more towards a thing with an engine, I think aircraft means motorized and not a glider. But I’ll give you a hint: It looked VERY strange and took place in 1907.
By: Eric Mc - 2nd March 2004 at 08:39
Is the answer to Q1 then George Cayley’s footman in the Cayley glider in 18XX ?
By: Distiller - 2nd March 2004 at 08:31
Originally posted by Eric Mc
Let’s have a go:
1. A V Roe – Manchester-1908
>>> No. Earlier.
2. Richard Byrd is my answer to both parts – 1928
>>> That was the first flight to the southpole, not the first transpolar. And not the first to the northpole.
3.No idea
4. Boeing B9
>>> No. More obscure.
5. That big Hughes twin boom thimg (X-1?)
>>> Yes, the Northrop XP-56 “Black Bullet” — Moggy C
6. Sikorsky R-4 Hoverfly
>>> No.
7. No idea – too many details required.
>>> I can understand that.
8.1931
>>> Not the regular. That was a bit later.
9.Turkey 1912
>>> No. Later and in a different neck of the woods.
10. FE2b
>>> F.E. ist good, but not the 2b. And there is another answer possibly way later.
11. That massive Caproni Flying Boat/The Barling Bomber/Trebor Trabant
>>> Good.
12.I can think of quite a few. if you include twin engined aircraft – too many to list really. Are you asking about 3 engined and upwards?
>>> Not really. But only props and pre 1945, since this is “Historic Aviation”.
By: Eric Mc - 1st March 2004 at 17:45
Let’s have a go:
1. A V Roe – Manchester-1908
2 Richard Byrd is my answer to both parts – 1928
3.No idea
4. Boeing B9
5. That big Hughes twin boom thimg (X-1?)
6. Sikorsky R-4 Hoverfly
7. No idea – too many details required.
8.1931
9.Turkey 1912
10. FE2b
11. That massive Caproni Flying Boat/The Barling Bomber/Trebor Trabant
12.I can think of quite a few. if you include twin engined aircraft – too many to list really. Are you asking about 3 engined and upwards?
By: Moggy C - 1st March 2004 at 17:34
Lovely.
No time at present, but can I try
5) Northrop XP-56 (Late 1943 first flight) ?
Moggy
And I think 9 was a duel between two guys in balloons?
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March 1, 2004 at 5:14 pm