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Flying Flops of WWII Trivia Quiz

Some aircraft were misconceived, others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some, though, should never have been allowed near a squadron at all.

A multiple-choice quiz by Plumbus. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Plumbus

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
171,792

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
2524

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Muttley211 (5/10), Guest 180 (7/10), Guest 110 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This barrel-shaped fighter won the 1938 US Navy trials for a new carrier-borne fighter. It proved to be overweight, unstable and unmanoeuverable in service and was unsuccessful with most units that flew it. Hint

Curtiss SB2C

Seversky FN-1

Brewster F2A

North American P-64

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. This British torpedo bomber was designed at the same time and to the same specification as the famous Bristol Beaufort, but it was possibly the most unsuccessful design to enter service with the RAF. Hint

Blackburn Shark

Blackburn Ripon

Vickers Vildebeest

Blackburn Botha

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. The British Lerwick looked like a twin-engined, smaller version of the famous Sunderland flying boat. That's where the similarity ended, however. Which company built it? Hint

Blackburn

Short

Saro

Avro

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Question 4 of 10

4. This aircraft was supposed to be the successor to Messerschmitt's famous Bf.110 'Zerst�rer' fighter. But, after a troubled career, it was withdrawn from service and almost ruined Messerschmitt's reputation. Hint

Me.210

Me.410

Me.310

Me.111

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. It should have been Italy's most effective fighter-bomber but it spent most of its short career as a decoy aircraft on various airfields in North Africa. Hint

Fiat G.50

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79

Breda Ba.88

Reggiane Re.2000

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. The US Navy initially had problems with the SB2C Helldiver, but they'd have had a lot more problems if they'd had to rely on the Brewster SB2A. What was the name of this dive bomber? Hint

Buccaneer

Buck

Brigand

Bull

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Designed as a successor to the SOC Seagull, the Curtiss S03C floatplane design was an operational failure which was soon withdrawn to become a radio/gunnery trainer. The first part of its name was 'Sea-'. What was the second part?

Answer: (same word as the cry of a cat)

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Question 8 of 10

8. The turret fighter (a two-seat fighter in which all the armament was placed in a powered dorsal turret) seemed like a good idea at the time. The RAF's Boulton Paul Defiant soon proved the concept as a failure but the Royal Navy had a much worse contender - what was it? Hint

Hawker Demon

Blackburn Skua

Blackburn Roc

Hawker Hotspur

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The Heinkel He.162 Salamander was conceived as the "Volksj�ger" ("People's Fighter") to be flown by boys of the Hitler Youth.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The American P-66 Vanguard was only used in combat by the Chinese Air Force but it was a failure and, at times, downright dangerous. Which company designed and built it? Hint

Vought

Vultee

Republic

Grumman

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 24 2024 : Muttley211: 5/10
Apr 20 2024 : Guest 180: 7/10
Apr 12 2024 : Guest 110: 8/10
Apr 08 2024 : Guest 51: 2/10
Apr 03 2024 : Guest 202: 6/10
Mar 28 2024 : Guest 96: 3/10
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 73: 4/10
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 2: 4/10
Mar 20 2024 : Guest 99: 8/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Brewster F2A

Called the Buffalo by the British Commonwealth forces, it was badly mauled by the nimble Japanese fighters it came up against in early 1942. The F2A did have more success with the Finnish Air Force, where the colder weather helped to overcome its tendency to overheat.

Answer: Blackburn Botha

The Botha was desperately underpowered and quickly relegated to training units. It suffered a number of unexplained fatal accidents and was clearly unfit for any kind of service, even though it carried on flying with the RAF until 1944.

3. The British Lerwick looked like a twin-engined, smaller version of the famous Sunderland flying boat. That's where the similarity ended, however. Which company built it?

Answer: Saro

Unstable both on the water and in the air, the Lerwick was not recommended by any of the crews that flew it. Only a desperate shortage of patrol aircraft meant that the RAF took delivery of 21 Lerwicks in late 1940. It was withdrawn from service after six months.

Answer: Me.210

The Me.210 was eventually withdrawn after lots of stability problems and woeful performance. It re-appeared as the extensively re-designed Me.410.

5. It should have been Italy's most effective fighter-bomber but it spent most of its short career as a decoy aircraft on various airfields in North Africa.

Answer: Breda Ba.88

The Ba.88 looked right but the military version of the prototype was too heavy and its engines were underpowered. After proving to be spectacularly unsuccessful between June and October 1940, the remaining aircraft were stripped of parts and scattered around various bases to act as decoy aircraft to divert British attacks.

6. The US Navy initially had problems with the SB2C Helldiver, but they'd have had a lot more problems if they'd had to rely on the Brewster SB2A. What was the name of this dive bomber?

Answer: Buccaneer

The Buccaneer was unsuited to combat operations because it was badly underpowered and unmanoeuverable. It was equally unsuccessful with the RAF, with whom it was known as the Bermuda. Relegated to training units, one of its most successful functions was in USMC night fighter training.

Answer: -mew

Many Seamews were converted to radio-controlled gunnery target drones, known as Queen Seamews.

Answer: Blackburn Roc

The Roc was so seriously underpowered that it was slower than most German bombers.

9. The Heinkel He.162 Salamander was conceived as the "Volksj�ger" ("People's Fighter") to be flown by boys of the Hitler Youth.

Answer: True

The He.162 was too unstable to be flown by boys trained on gliders. It was inherently a good aeroplane, but needed a highly skilled pilot and the time to practise flying it: both were in short supply in Germany in the last year of the war, so it was the wrong aircraft for the situation.

10. The American P-66 Vanguard was only used in combat by the Chinese Air Force but it was a failure and, at times, downright dangerous. Which company designed and built it?

Answer: Vultee

Ordered by Sweden, designed and built in the USA, tested by the British, and blooded in combat by the Chinese, the P-66 had quite a cosmopolitan background in its development. This didn't stop its tendency to flip over at take-off and its poor dive/stall/spin characteristics.

Source: Author Plumbus

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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