Aviation Trivia

1. This was the plane that Douglas Bader crashed which resulted in the loss of both his legs. Which aircraft is named after a canine symbol of Englishness?

From Quiz Fly by Night, Fly by Day, Aircraft Animals

Answer: Bristol Bulldog

The Bristol Bulldog is a single-seat biplane dating back to the 1920s. It was used extensively by the Royal Air Force in the period between the two world wars and was retired in 1937, replaced by the Gloster Gauntlet. Douglas, a RAF pilot, was doing a spot of aerobatics, strictly unauthorised, when he crashed, losing both his legs. The Bulldog was a fast plane, but had stability issues at low speeds. When he recovered from this near death experience he retook his flight tests, which he passed, but was medically retired. When WWII broke out a few years later, he returned to the RAF and became one of the biggest names in pilot history for his heroism and extraordinary story. The other choices are unfortunately fictitious.

From Quiz The Sky is Calling

Answer: wing

Lift is the force that raises an airplane off the ground. An airfoil creates less air pressure above the wing, causing the pressure beneath it to elevate the plane. As a plane gains speed, its lift approaches the minimum amount of gravity (weight) that is holding it down. Once its speed surpasses that threshold, it's able to fly.

From Quiz I'm Glad Moose Don't Fly

Answer: Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard

The term bird strike is more commonly, but not only, applied to occurrences of birds colliding with any form of aircraft. It can also be used for collisions between birds and any other modes of transport such as cars and trains, as well as for other man-made structures such as buildings and towers. Although there has been tens of thousands of reported instances of bird strike since man first took to the sky, figures from a 2003 report by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put the known number of fatal accidents involving civil aircraft at forty-two and the death toll from these accidents at 231 people. These figures have increased since then with one of the contributing factors being an increase in bird populations of species that are commonly involved in such accidents.

From Quiz Zeppelins

Answer: Army officer

Graf Zeppelin was born in 1838 into a noble North German family. From an early age he lived in a family castle near Constance in the south. When he was 17 he entered a military academy and later was commissioned into the army. In 1863 he took leave to act as a volunteer in the Union side in the American Civil War and had his first experience in an observation balloon, which left him with a lifelong interest in lighter-than-air flight. At the age of 52 he resigned from the army and thereafter devoted his time to dirigible (steerable) balloons and airships. Although he did pilot his earlier airships himself, he was not a professional pilot, nor did he make a deep study of physics or aeronautics.

From Quiz World Airport Names

Answer: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This airport is very close to town, and one new runway is so far from the main terminal that it is nicknamed the "Belgium Runway". The name translates into English as "Ship Grave", as the land was reclaimed after being a frequent flood plain.

From Quiz The History of Flight

Answer: Montgolfier brothers

In September 1783 the first living land creatures left planet Earth, in a balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers. They were a sheep, a duck and a cockerel. Not long after, François Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes made a flight lasting 25 minutes and covering 9Km. Manned flight had happened for the very first time.

From Quiz Most Extreme Airports

Answer: A Parking Garage

The parking garage is 100 feet high and stands 200 yards from the end of the runway. This means that pilots cannot land on the first 1,810 feet of the runway. The TV show "Most Extreme Airports" lists this as the 10th most extreme airport.

From Quiz So, Just How Did You Get That Callsign?

Answer: Speedbird

The callsign "Speedbird" was adopted by British Airways after the merger of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) and BEA (British European Airways). The callsign was originally used by BOAC as a reference to its original logo, which depicted a swept-back winged bird travelling at high velocity. It became the official callsign of British Airways in 1974.

From Quiz The ABC's of Aviation

Answer: International Air Transport Association

IATA is an international organization that helps regulate the airline industry around the world. They assign identifiers to airlines and airports to help simplify airline operations. They also help regulate inter-airline traffic rules and regulate a fair and balanced fare structure.

From Quiz Born Again Aircraft

Answer: X-29

Most of the fuselage of this aircraft came from re-manufactured F-5 airframes with some bits from the F-16 as well. I had the pleasure of meeting the first test pilot for this aircraft shortly before his death in 1986.

From Quiz US Airport Acronyms

Answer: Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration used to be called the Federal Aviation Agency. Before that it was the CAA--Civil Aviation Authority.

From Quiz Basic Flying

Answer: Daniel Bernoulli

The Bernoulli Principle is the most widely taught, but not fully accepted as a totally correct explanation. The Bernoulli Principle says that air travelling over the top curved surface of the wing is forced to travel faster(and thus lower in pressure) to reach the back of the wing at the same time as the air travelling under the wing. The resulting difference in pressure causes the lift. Scientists also argue that Newtons third law (for every action there is an equal, and opposite, reaction ) plays a major role in creation of lift.

From Quiz Soaring and Gliding

Answer: Otto Lilienthal

Lilienthal generated lots of information about the science of flight, and his work helped later inventors. Octave Chanute was a railroad engineer who compiled information about aviation in the late 19th century. Chanute also was a mentor to the Wright Brothers during their experiments. Wolf Hirth was the co-founder of the famous sailplane manufacturer Schempp-Hirth.

From Quiz Aircraft Engines

Answer: 4

At the time of its introduction, the 747 'Jumbo Jet' was the largest passenger aircraft. It even has an upper deck!

From Quiz Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines

Answer: 4

The plane was named "Flyer". It was their own design, including the engine, and had taken years to perfect. The 4th flight was 852 feet long and lasted 59 seconds--which might not seem very log, but was a triumph at the time!

From Quiz All Aeronautical

Answer: Spiral staircase

The spiral staircase was considered a safety hazard in emergencies so no other plane adopted the design. Instead they have turned to straight stair designs and retractable stairs.

From Quiz Name That Aircraft

Answer: General Dynamics

The F-16 was one of only two fighters capable of pulling 9+ g's.

From Quiz The X (Plane) Files!

Answer: Bell

Bell was a premier X-plane builder in the late 40s - early 50s. Besides the three X-1 aircraft, Its other products included the X-1A-B-D series, the X-1E (a modified X-1), the X-2 and the X-5.

From Quiz Fly by Night, Fly by Day, Aircraft Animals

Answer: Kittyhawk

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was a single-engine, single-seater fighter plane from 1938. 13,738 of them were built and used extensively by the Allied Powers. The name changed to Kittyhawk for the models P-40D onwards. The plane had limitations in its ability to perform at high altitudes but was used to great affect as air superiority fighters. Post war analysis showed that despite being seen, after the effect, as a mediocre aircraft, over 200 Allied fighter pilots became 'Flying Aces' flying this craft. A flying ace is a pilot credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft.

From Quiz The Sky is Calling

Answer: Blackbird

The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" was able to reach speeds in excess of 2,100 mph and elevations over 85,000 ft. These are records which have held for almost 40 years now (2014). Its high amount of titanium (85%) meant that it could withstand high temperatures using the lightest possible weight. In 1999, the plane was retired due to high operational costs. "Silver Dollar" was coined for the North American F-100 Super Sabre: the first U.S. Air Fighter to reach supersonic speed. The Convair B-58 Hustler "Delta Queen" was the first jet bomber to reach Mach 2 flight. A red robin is, well, just a bird.

From Quiz I'm Glad Moose Don't Fly

Answer: Approaching for landing

Once again using figures from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, a fourteen year study between 1990 and 2003 found that out of a total of 39,459 known instances of bird strike to civilian aircraft, 15,065 (38%) occurred during the aeroplane's landing approach. This was almost double the second most common time of during the take-off run at 7,810 (20%). The entire landing phase of the aircraft (the descent, approach and landing roll) accounted for 22,989 (58%) of all bird strikes. The overall view of the statistics showed that aeroplanes could indeed be subjected to bird strike anywhere and at anytime, but the greatest risk was at an altitude of less than one kilometre, and either at, or within very close proximity to the airport.

From Quiz Zeppelins

Answer: 1900

Zeppelin's first airship, numbered LZ1, was built in a floating hangar on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and made her first flight in July 1900. The floating platform was adopted so that the effect of changing wind directions would be minimised. She flew for 17 minutes and travelled a distance of just over three and a half miles carrying five people at a maximum height of 1,300 feet, before crash-landing on the lake. After repairs, she made two more flights that year, but Zeppelin failed to convince his financial backers and the craft was subsequently dismantled and scrapped. The LZ1 was 428 feet long with a diameter of 30 feet, and was powered by two Daimler 15 horsepower internal combustion engines.

From Quiz The History of Flight

Answer: Engine

Over 100 years after the first manned flight small engines were fitted. These allowed the balloon to move independently of the wind. Airships had been developed. They found many uses, including reconnaissance for the military and as luxury passenger carriers.

From Quiz Most Extreme Airports

Answer: Portugal

Funchal Airport has a runway extending over the ocean. The show "Most Extreme Airports" lists it as the 9th most extreme airport.

From Quiz The ABC's of Aviation

Answer: Instrument Landing System

An Instrument Landing System is an automated tool to help airplanes land during low visibility or high volume conditions. When an airport has ILS equipped runways (if the airplane is capable) the aircraft's autopilot will lock on to a pre-programmed glide slope for the runway.

From Quiz Inside the Overhead Storage Compartment

Answer: 8,000

According to a 1996 study completed by the Association of Flight Attendants, 4,500 passengers and 3,600 fight attendants are injured annually by items falling from overhead storage compartments.

From Quiz Born Again Aircraft

Answer: ATL-98 Carvair

These were built to be used as car ferries. Raising the cockpit over the main fuselage allowed cars to be driven on and off the aircraft easily.

From Quiz U.S. Airport Acronyms II

Answer: Federal Inspection Station

The FIS is an area where international arriving passengers are cleared through Customs, Immigration and Agriculture. By its nature the FIS must be physically separated from the domestic part of a terminal by walls. Passengers arriving on international flights are not allowed into the public portion of the terminal until they and their luggage have been cleared.

From Quiz Faster than the Speed of Sound

Answer: Chuck Yeager

Many people had claimed to have broken the sound barrier prior to Yeager, but only while diving, where an aircraft naturally picks up speed. Level flight was important to fly faster than Mach 1 because the aircraft was controlled, where many thought supersonic flight was uncontrollable.

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Last Updated Jun 28 2025 5:46 AM

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