Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Here's one that most aircraft enthusiasts know: the nickname for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Boeing named it the Stratofortress in keeping with its "Fortress" tradition of naming its bombers that began in 1935 when a member of the press called the newly-unveiled B-17 "a flying fortress". With the dawn of jet power, Boeing started using "Strato" in the names of its planes. This began with the B-47 Stratojet to point out that this plane did most of its work in the stratosphere. "Stratofortress" was a natural merger of these two naming conventions. However, it did not catch on with the mechanics and aircrews. What somewhat-humorous name did?
2. Republic Aviation (later Fairchild) had a tradition of giving its planes names incorporating "Thunder". This began with the famous P-47 Thunderbolt of WWII. Although the A-10 is indeed a worthy successor to the P-47, the official nickname did not catch on when a more apt one began to be used almost immediately upon the plane's introduction to the Air Force. What endearing nickname is given to the A-10 Thunderbolt II?
3. The Air Force did not like the name "Corsair II" for its version of the originally-for-the-Navy Vought A-7. What nickname did the Air Force eventually give to it?
4. Although they are very different-looking planes and have decades between their service lives, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the Grumman/General Motors TBF/M Avenger both share a nickname derived from their appearance. What was it?
5. These next two questions cover a rivalry between the two main Air Force fighter communities. The official "Fighting Falcon" name for the Lockheed-Martin (nee General Dynamics) F-16 never caught on. Its pilots call it the "Viper" partly in homage to the fighters from the original Battlestar Galactica TV series that premiered at the time the F-16 entered service. What is the derisive name that F-15 pilots call the F-16?
6. What is the put-down that F-16 pilots call the mighty Boeing (nee McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle?
7. This one is a little bit tricky in that it eventually did become the plane's official name. But first, it flew for decades with what was only an unofficial nickname. I'm talking about the very-capable General Dynamics F-111. Remember, I am asking for its nickname in American service. What was it?
8. The beautiful, sleek, and very loud North American F-100 Super Sabre had an unofficial nickname given to it. What was it?
9. The often-overlooked Republic F/RF-84F Thunderflash series had nicknames deriding its less-than-stellar take-off performance. The modifications from its straight-winged predecessor to its intake inlet and sweep of its wings lengthened its take-off roll to become much longer than its early Cold-War stablemate, the North American F-86 Sabre. What was one of these nicknames for the ground-loving F/RF-84F?
10. The awesome and much-missed Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird had an unflattering nickname given to it by rival aircrews that shared a base with it. Its breathtaking appearance and over-the-top performance made any serious attempt to deride it irrelevant but what was this nickname?
Source: Author
stevis82
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
stedman before going online.
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