Aircraft that Never Really Were -- Part 2 Quiz

Answer: His doghouse

The Sopwith Camel entered service in the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in 1917 and was the most popular (and effective) of the British fighter planes in WW I. It was replaced by the Sopwith Snipe. Snoopy, with a leather aviator's helmet and scarf, struck a dashing pose atop his doghouse as he battled the Red Baron.

Answer: Airwolf

The flight-worthy Airwolf helicopter was a twin-engine Bell Textron 222 tricked out to disguise its heavy armament. Jan Michael Vincent and his co-pilot/mechanic played by Ernest Borgnine starred. The show ran three seasons on American TV; Vincent's alcohol and IV drug problems contributed to its demise.

When the programme went out of production, the chopper was sold to a German air-ambulance company; it crashed on a mercy mission in 1992 killing its three crew members.

Answer: a dirigible

In the film, the Hindenburg III docks at the top of the Empire State Building. Set in 1939, the zeppelin purports to be the third of that name. The original Hindenburg (LZ 129) crossed the Atlantic many times in the 1930s until it was destroyed in a catastrophic fire at Lakehurst Airfield, New Jersey, on 6 May 1937. The movie stars Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.

Answer: Batman

The Batplane emerged in 1939 and has undergone a number of changes over time. It is a propeller driven fixed wing aircraft, apparently capable of operating underwater. Over time, it becomes jet powered. In Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, the plane is called "the Batwing." The Batcopter first appeared in a 1966 Batman movie and later in the Sixties TV series.

Answer: Budgie the Little Helicopter

Budgie the Little Helicopter resembles a Bell 206 except that he is blue and wears a big yellow cap. He works at Harefield Airfield with his friends Pippa (a fixed-wing airplane) and Chuck (a twin-rotor American helicopter who does not speak British English well).

The series produced a franchise of books, videos and toys. Hints of plagiarism attended the release of the first Budgie Book but they were never founded.

Answer: Skyfleet S570

The Skyfleet S570 is supposed to carry 850 passengers in double-deck, wide-body comfort. The plane seen in the film is actually a Boeing 747-200 to which two mock engines and two external fuel cells have been added. The result looks remarkably like a B-52 Stratofortress. The producers originally hoped to use an Airbus A380 but one was not produced by the time of filming.

Answer: T-16 Skyhopper

The T-16 Skyhopper was built by the Incom Corporation. It had three wings, an ion drive and pneumatic cannons linked to targeting lasers. Young Luke used the latter to kill womp rats for target practice. After a particularly harrowing race through Beggars Canyon, Biggs said to Luke "Someday, whammo! You're going to be nothing more than a dark spot on the damp side of a canyon wall."

Answer: Willis JA-3

Lt. Col. Matt Brennan is discharged after a heroic career in the U.S. Air Force. He then goes to work for the Willis Aircraft Company as chief test pilot. The goal is a 1400-mph jet fighter called the JA-3. There's some romance in "Chain Lightning," as well.

Answer: All of these are true.

The backstory on Wonder Woman's invisible airplane has changed over time. The invisible airplane can be seen by readers of the comics by little dotted lines indicating its presence. It even acquired a name, at one point: WonderDome.

Answer: Harold the Helicopter

Harold lives at Dryaw Airfield from which he launches rescue missions all over the Island to save people in trouble. He is a friend to Thomas the Tank Engine and his railway friends. His appearance is based on the Sikorsky S-55 (the Westland Whirlwind). He talks as if he were an RAF pilot in a Forties movie, using anachronistic terms such as "wizard."