…………….>>> The March QUIZ <<<……………..

I tell you! It is hard to do a meaningful dozen each and every month. Since this is “Modern Aviation”, all the answers are post 1945.

I have the distinct feeling that was too easy …

Correct answers
Something wrong or missing
I filled in the missing answers.

1. Name all tandem-twinrotor helicopters types flown by the U.S. armed forces.
frankvw — CH-46, CH-47, HUP-2 (aka H-25A/B/C); plus XCH-62, McCulloch YH-30
Arthur — H-21 (various versions), YH-16, HRP-1, HRP-2
Bell 61/XHSL-1; Piasecki HUP-1, HUP-3,

2. Name the first turbine powered helicopter.
Kaman K225 Mixmaster — Arthur

3. The first carrier landing by a jet aircraft. Type, ship, date.
deHavilland Sea Vampire, HMS Ocean, December 3rd 1945 — Flood

4. Name the first jet aircraft furnished a thrust reverser.
Operationally it was the Viggen. But the first installation was way earlier!
A F-94C flown by NACA.

5. Name all strategic bombers with six and more engines.
The graveyard of forgotten bombers …
frankvw — B-52, B-47, YB-60, B-36, (late) B-50, B-70
Arthur — Tu-95/1 (the pusher/tracker – tricky!), XB-48, XB/YB/YRB-49

6. The biggest loss to the SAC bomber fleet on a single day. Date, location, aircraft, cause.
There is no enemy like nature.
September 1st, 1952 at Ft.Worth/Carswell AFB, hit by a tornado. 89 damaged (Operation Fixit), one FUBAR, another one so badly damaged they rebuilt it into the NB-36H – see question #8. frank & fantasma

7. I had a similar question in a quiz before. Name four USAF aircraft flown with tracked undercarriage.
XB-36, EB-50B, EC-82A — Arthur. Plus a lone C-47. Before 1945 there was – as Arthur wrote – a P-40, but also a A-20, a Lysander and I think a Burnelli. No C-119 afaik.

8.1. What was the “Convair Crusader”?
8.2. What is the special history of that aircraft?
8.3. When was its first mission and when the last?
X/NB-36H with ASTR reactor (that name “Convair Crusader was not official and painted on the fuselage only for a few weeks);
the “special history” is that it was rebuilt from one of the tornado victims of 1952;
first flight of the NB-36H was 20Jul1955 (not September 17th – that was was the first “critical” flight), last flight 28Mar1957;
X-6 should have been the follow-on project with real nuclear propulsion, never materialized;
that Marines story – quite hairraising for them in case, if you think about it.

9. RAF operated a handful of English Electric Canberras for SIGINT.
9.1. What made WT305 and WJ775 easily distinguishable?
9.2. When did RAF end its Canberra operations?
Hm, ja. That dome. But those two aircraft had far more easily distinguishable features.
Yup, still flying, although not for SIGINT. That ended on November 15th, 1976.
WT305 had a blunt nose, WJ775 had a pointed nose.

10. Canberras in the SEA theatre = Vietnam war
10.1 name all the services that flew them
10.2. name the bases they flew from
10.3. date of arriving in that theatre
10.4. date of departing that theatre
Services: USAF, RAF, VNAF
Bases: Ben Hoa, Phan Rang, Da Nang — plus Tan Son Nhut, Ubon, Clark
Dates: in 01Aug1964 (VNAF), out 12Apr1972 (USAF)

Those VNAF Canberras … secretly flown with Philippine markings with Philippine RSOs at Clark, later transfered to South Vietnam, but those VNAF guys didn’t do too well. Was a desaster.
And the B-57 were hit twice at Ben Hoa AB, the first time 01Nov1964 was one of the reasons to escalate the war, the second time that base was attacked it was damaged beyond repair.
Another interesting fact: Those late B-57G from the 13th BS were the first USAF all-weather/night precision bombers (with LGBs). After pulling out of SEA they came to Kansas and disbanded on Christmas the same year.

Is it commonly known that the RAAF (and RNZAF) were involved in combat in SEA? Besides Canberra they had Hercules and Iroquis. Another ANZAC force were the Kiwis. Both the Australian and Kiwi special forces had a legendary reputation and an outstanding kill ratio. The Kiwi “combat trackers” are absolute experts today, even though New Zealand has axed the armed forces. All special forces are trained by Kiwis in tracking. And the various Israeli special forces also received their initial training from them. Quite interesting story.

11. multi engine VTOL jets actually flown
11.1. one with three engines in the fuselage, six nozzles and four landing gears
11.2. one with nine engines in the fuselage, otherwise conventionally looking but deadly
11.3. like the one above, but much faster, Mach 2 in fact, also quite dangerous
11.4. one with six engines and four afterburners – sometimes also speedier than its own noise
VAK 191B (was also tested by the USMC during the mid ’70s), Dassault Balzac (killed two pilots), Dassault Mirage III V (killed one pilot), VJ-101C (right ’bout the gator).

12. What is THAAAT? (picture inserted)
THAAAT is the “Crew Escape Module” of the XB-70.