Just Plane Talk Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bomber

The B-52 (BUFF) entered the USAF inventory in 1954, and has been flying ever since. The basic design is probably older than most of us in Fun Trivia!

***So now you know B and F. Let's add in "A" for attack/tactical support; same idea as B, but attack planes are smaller, provide air support for ground units, and destroy surface targets. Oddly enough, the Navy/Marines have had lots of As, but no Bs; the Air Force had lots of Bs, but very few As. Now one more for our alphabet soup - let's not forget "C" for cargo/transport. That one should be self explanatory.

Answer: Cargo/transport

The C-130 Hercules dates back to 1956, and has arguably the longest production run of any military aircraft. The "Herc" is used by the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, several other government branches, and innumerable foreign countries. Military cargo/transport aircraft are often "ruggedized" versions of civilian aircraft. As far back as WW2, the C-47 "Skytrain" was copied from the DC-3.

***It's all so easy, right? Now you know A,B,C, and F. Let's look at "H" H is is for helicopter, and that's an odd bird in more ways than one. The H designator will almost always be the SECOND letter of a two letter combo: AH, CH, HH, etc. Think a moment - what might that A in AH stand for? Or the C in CH? And that first H in HH? It's search & rescue/medevac.

Answer: Ground attack/tactical

We told you A is for ATTACK! Hog drivers get right down "in the dirt" to help troops on the ground. Any fighter pilot would do the same, but only the Hog was designed with this sort of mission in mind!

***New letters - "K" is for tanker; an aerial refueler. But like that H we discussed, the K is never alone; watch for KA, KC, etc. Next is "O" for observation (a rare bird these days), and "P" for maritime patrol.

Answer: Maritime patrol

The P-3 is a superb aircraft; able to perform electronic warfare, anti-submarine (ASW) warfare, and anti-ship (ASuW) missions. It's "P" designator is for maritime patrol; long, often tedious missions over vast oceans. I had the privilege to fly on some P-3 missions in the Bering Sea. A steep learning curve - AND steep dives! Pass me the airsick bag, please?

***Now on to the new - "R" is reconnaissance. "S" is for ASW. You can bet the Navy was big on that! T is easy - trainer." And "U" is utility; if it fits nowhere else, stick it here, I guess!

Answer: Fighter/tanker

Fighters need to refuel several times during a transoceanic flight. The F-16 "Fighting Falcon" single engine, single-seat fighter was accepted by the USAF in 1979. Over 4500 have been built, and the type has been exported to 25 other countries. The F-16's service life is projected to probably beyond 2025.

The KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueler was first delivered to the USAF in 1957, and upgraded models are still flying. Remember our earlier lesson? The K (tanker) always appears with another letter - in this case a C for cargo/transport. See how it works? Old Air Force joke: the refueling boom operators are the only people in military who get paid to lay on their belly and pass gas!

Answer: Submarines

Remember - the S stands for ASW - antisubmarine! Entering service in 1974, the S-3 and its 4 man crew was a primary defender against submarine attack. It was a smaller carrier based partner of the P-3. The Russian submarine threat greatly declined after 1991, and S-3 units were converted to "sea control squadrons" and anti-surface defense. Retired from general service in 2009, three S-3B's remained flying in 2010 as chase planes at the Pacific Missile Test Center.

***Just 3 more letters to go - I think! "V" is for V/STOL - Vertical/Short Take Off and Landing like the Marine's AV-8 Harrier. "X" - as you can guess - is experimental.

Answer: Tactical support/attack

Flown by Marines, for Marines (and allies, of course), the AV-8B Harrier is a ground support attack aircraft. It's vertical take off ability allows it to operate routinely from larger amphibious warfare vessels and unimproved airfields. The Harrier has suffered from a very high accident rate, particularly during take off and landing. It will probably be replaced by the F-35B sometime in the 2030s.

***"Z" - the last of our aircraft designators is another odd one. It hasn't been in active use since 1962, when the last lighter-than-air craft of the Navy were decommissioned.

Answer: An HU-16 Albatross

Did you recall what the leading "H" stands for? It's search and rescue/medevac. What? "Foul!" you say? No - not so. You know the U is utility. As in useful, handy, serving various purposes. And you (hopefully) realized a B1 bomber or and F-15 high speed fighter would probably never see you from 30,000 feet. AND - just as the albatross is a sea bird, able to land on water, so was the HU-16.

It was a twin engine amphibian aircraft, used by Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. I was able to fly on the HU-16 in 1970. For all practical purposes, seaplanes and amphibians were retired from the US military by the late 1970s.

Answer: Transport helicopter for VIPs

Did you remember that the H (for helicopter) never stands alone? In this case the V stands for "Staff transport", as in "VIP"! VH-3 helicopters are US Marine crewed VIP transport aircraft, primarily for the President and Vice-President; when they are aboard the craft, the radio call signs used are "Marine One" and "Marine Two," respectively.

They get to land on the White House lawn. Sounds cool to me!

Answer: A blimp

The ZPG-3W (four in all, built from 1958) was the last and biggest class of blimps built for the US Navy. With a length of 400 feet and a height of about 120 feet, the 3W class housed a huge radar antenna and were used as radar picket aircraft to fill gaps in the country's defensive barrier.

Their endurance was incredible. A similar class of blimp flew non-stop from New Jersey to West Africa to Key West Florida - without refueling - 9448 miles - in 264 hours. How's THAT for fuel economy? The last Navy blimps were decommissioned in 1962.