Fly, Baby, Fly Trivia Quiz

Answer: Top Gun

This 1986 film starred Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis. It went on to be the top grossing film of the year with the song "Take My Breath Away" winning an Oscar for Best Original Song. Tony Scott, director of the original film, was commissioned to make a sequel involving Tom Cruise. This was shelved following Tony Scott's death in 2012.

Answer: The B-52s

The B-52s (formed in 1976 and known as The B-52's prior to 2008) are said to take their name from a particular beehive-like hairstyle, which is known as a B-52 after the shape of the nose cone on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber. They are an American band known for hits like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack'.

The Vulcan name was shared between a British aircraft active from 1956 to 1984 and a British cult band from the 1980s. Vengeance is a Dutch band from the 1980s as well as being an American World War II bomber (the Vultee A-31 Vengeance). U2 is both the name of a well-known Irish band and an American spy plane (the Lockheed U-2) in service since 1957, although the band does not appear to have been named after the aircraft.

Answer: Asteroids

Released in 1979 by Atari, it was one of the more popular arcade games of the time. There are numerous facsimiles around including Stardust (1993). The screen shows a two-dimensional view of an asteroid field with wrap around edges (so rocks disappearing off one edge of the screen reappear from the opposite side with the same speed and direction).

Answer: The Dam Busters

"The Dam Busters" film is based on the books 'Enemy Coast Ahead' by Guy Gibson (published 1946) and 'The Dam Busters' by Paul Brickhill (published in 1951). Guy Gibson was Wing Commander of the Squadron and also led the raid.

It tells the tale of the efforts to cripple the German war effort by breaching several dams in the Ruhr Valley. These supplied hydro-electric power stations, water for transport canals and for the many factories in the area. Heavy torpedo nets protected the dams and so a bouncing bomb was developed to pass over the nets, strike the dam and sink down the dam wall before detonating. Two dams were successfully breached.

The 'Dambusters March' by Eric Coates was used as the main musical theme and still may be heard during RAF fly-pasts.

Answer: Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters (the band) released the first album through David Grohl's own record label Roswell Records. Roswell in New Mexico was the site of a weather balloon crash or a UFO crash in 1947, depending on what you wish to believe.

Foo fighters (the aerial phenomena) were typically assumed to be secret enemy weapons during the Second World War. An alternative explanation is that some of them were a form of electrical discharge caused by the aircraft's wings.

U.F.O. are a British heavy metal band formed in 1969. Alien is a Swedish rock band started in 1986. Flying Saucer Attack was another British band active from 1992 to 2000.

Answer: Independence Day

The name for the film comes from a last-ditch counter-attack which takes place on the American Independence Day (or the Fourth of July holiday). "Independence Day" was the most successful film of 1996 and has spawned various books, video games and a radio play. The film also won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

The radio play in part echoed the 1938 broadcast of "The War of The Worlds" in that it started off as a 'live broadcast'. The 1938 broadcast by Orson Welles caused some panic as people believed the events described were really happening.

Answer: Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin is the current name of the band. The New Yardbirds were formed by Jimmy Page (guitarist) when the Yardbirds was dissolved; John Paul Jones and John Bonham together with Robert Plant made up the other band members.

The Zeppelin was a rigid airship designed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin and used commercially from 1910. It was also used during the First World War by the Germans for bombing and reconnaissance. Over 100 Zeppelins were made up to the end of the First World War. The 1937 Hindenburg disaster during a commercial flight to America, set back the use of airships for some time.

Peter Gabriel sang for Genesis and Roger Daltrey for The Who.

Answer: Bell 222 Helicopter

This American TV series ran for four seasons from 1984 to 1987 in a total of 79 episodes. After the third season, the helicopter was no longer used in filming and old footage was used instead. After its 'Airwolf' phase, the helicopter was used for sightseeing flights around Los Angeles before becoming an air ambulance in Germany. It was destroyed in a crash in 1992 with the loss of all three crew.

The TV series takes a bit of poetic licence over the aircraft's capabilities. Of the four listed only the Blackbird is supersonic, being able to fly speeds in excess of Mach 3.

Answer: Leaving on a Jet Plane

The song was actually written by John Denver in 1966 and originally recorded by him with the title "Babe, I Hate to Go". He was persuaded to change the title by a record producer.

Continuing the flying theme, John Denver tragically died in 1997 whilst flying an aircraft of recently acquired by him. His father was also an Air Force pilot.

"Puff, the Magic Dragon" was a 1963 hit for Peter, Paul and Mary. "Next Plane to London" was sung by Rose Garden and "Wooden Planes" came from Art Garfunkel.

Answer: Elton John

Written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, the inspiration for the song was a short story by Ray Bradbury. Kate Bush's version came out in 1991 and the Portuguese singer David Fonseca did a version in 2007. David Bowie's "Space Oddity", released in 1969, has a similar theme and was even produced by the same person, Gus Dudgeon.