Test Pilot

1. From reader George Shanks: Why is it inappropriate to use the word “throttle” when referring to the thrust lever of a turbofan engine?

2. True or false: The first indications to a pilot that his airplane is encountering a low-altitude microburst is that the nose pitches up and there is an increase in lift.

3. When Lockheed’s “Blackbird” entered service in 1964, it was designated by the U.S. Air Force as an RS–71. The RS stood for “reconnaissance strike.” How did the aircraft come to be known as an SR–71?

4. Why did the military develop TACAN (tactical air navigation) when a similar navigational system, VOR/DME, was already in civilian use and had been proven reliable?

5. From reader James Robinson: True or false: The U.S. Air Force has never had an operational, four-engine jet bomber that was flown by a single pilot (no dual controls).

6. In terms of what is best for a reciprocating engine, the least harmful way to simulate the sudden failure of an engine developing cruise or climb power is to

A. close the throttle.
B. place the mixture control to idle cutoff.
C. turn off the magnetos.
D. turn the fuel valve to the Off position.

7. How would navigation have been affected had Germany won World War II?

8. During World War II, what were Weary Willies?

1. “Throttle” is derived from “throat” and refers to the opening and closing of an air passage in a tube, such as a butterfly valve in the throat of a carburetor. This valve controls the amount of airflow and, therefore, the amount of fuel metered to the engine. A turbofan engine, of course, does not have a carburetor but instead has a fuel-control unit.

2. True. The aircraft first encounters the outflow portion of the microburst, which results in an increasing-headwind type of wind shear. Powerful downdrafts and an increasing-tailwind type of wind shear soon follow.

3. President Lyndon Johnson announced the introduction of the aircraft during a speech on July 25, 1964, but mistakenly referred to it as an SR–71. The Air Force considered it more tactful to change the aircraft designation than to correct the president.

4. VOR stations are unsuitable for use on rolling and pitching ships at sea, and they are not adaptable to some of the extraordinary siting conditions required by military operations.

5. False. Although the supersonic Convair B–58 Hustler had a crew of three, the single-pilot airplane did not have provisions for a co-pilot.

6. B. Also, the throttle should be kept open. This allows manifold pressure to remain higher and keep the combustion chambers filled with more shock-absorbing air. This, however, is not necessarily the safest way to simulate an engine failure.

7. Adolph Hitler had planned to move the Prime Meridian from Greenwich, England, to Berlin, Germany. He even had maps and charts printed to reflect that change.

8. These were worn-out (weary) B–17s and B–24s that were loaded with explosives and flown into enemy targets by remote control. (Takeoffs were made by pilots who bailed out after the aircraft had become airborne.)