Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. From reader Bill Worden: During World War II, a significant number of Allied airplanes were adorned with one or more images of small camels. What did these camels signify?
2. On October 14, 1947, Charles "Chuck" Yeager became the first pilot to officially fly faster than the speed of sound, but a pair of broken ribs almost kept him from making the flight. Who was the backup pilot for this supersonic attempt?
3. Name the two models of Cessna aircraft that have geared engines (the engines turn more rapidly than their propellers).
4. Estimate within 10 knots and 100 nautical miles the official world records for speed and distance in a glider (sailplane).
5. Their aircraft were not equipped with tailhooks, so why were these pilots called the "flying hookers"?
6. From reader Jeff Van West: A private pilot departs an airport in the United States, flies into Canada, touches down in Canada, parks, and drives off without ever notifying customs about his arrival. Explain the circumstances behind this legal and routine flight.
7. Airframe manufacturers usually designate their aircraft with model names such as Skyhawk, Flying Fortress, Constellation, and so forth. What English-language model name has been the most popular (used by the most manufacturers)?
8. Why is a Concorde supersonic transport called a Concorde?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

9. According to Federal Aviation Regulation 91.17, no pilot may operate an aircraft "while having _____ percent by weight or more alcohol in the blood."
   1. 0.02
   2. 0.04
   3. 0.06
   4. 0.08
10. From reader Jeff Pardo: The width of a typical lightning bolt is about
    1. 1 inch.
    2. 1 foot.
    3. 5 feet.
    4. 5 yards.
11. Which of the following does not belong?
    1. She was a Hollywood stunt pilot and wrested the women's world speed record from Amelia Earhart.
    2. She was an heiress turned barnstormer.
    3. She married a famous test pilot.
    4. She owned a watering hole near Edwards AFB called The Happy Bottom Riding Club.

TRUE OR FALSE

12. Dust devils and tornados spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
13. The face of a propeller is the relatively flat surface that faces aft.
14. Chicago was given the title Windy City because of prevalent and bone-chilling winter winds.

TEST PILOT ANSWERS

1. A mission over the Himalayas in World War II was referred to as "flying the hump." Every time an aircraft completed such a mission, its ground crew would adorn the aircraft with a camel, which obviously has a hump or two.
2. R.A. "Bob" Hoover, one of the most popular airshow pilots of all time, would have attempted to fly the Bell XS-1 beyond Mach 1.
3. The Cessna 175 Skylark and the twin-engine Cessna 421 Golden Eagle, which have gear ratios of 0.75- and 0.667-to-1, respectively.
4. James and Thomas Payne (United States) flew an out-and-back 300-km course in a Schleicher ASH 25 at an average speed of 145.4 knots (March 3, 1999). Using a Stemme S10-VT, Klaus Ohlmann and Aloïs Urbanzik (Germany) covered 1330.3 nm in a closed course over Argentina (November 26, 2000).
5. They were pilots of Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighters who "landed" under the bellies of the airships Akron and Macon by engaging an open hook atop their aircraft onto trapezelike hooks hanging from the airships.
6. The runway at Avey Field State Airport in Laurier, Washington, straddles the U.S.-Canada border. When landing on Runway 16, the traffic pattern extends into Canada, which requires flying in Canadian airspace. Customs officials permit pilots of flights originating in the United States to land on the Canadian end of the runway and roll into the United States as long as they park in Washington.
7. Sport has been the most popular (32 manufacturers worldwide), followed by Scout (18), Dove (16), Cadet (15), Eagle (15), and Dragonfly (13). The most popular non-English name is Taube, which is German for dove (18).
8. The name Concorde represents the English word concord, a state of agreement by compact or covenant. This SST was developed and manufactured by France (Aerospatiale) and England (British Aircraft Corporation) as the result of such an agreement (or concord).
9. (b) Nor may a pilot operate an aircraft within eight hours of consuming any alcoholic beverage (the bottle-to-throttle rule) or while under the influence of alcohol.
10. (a) The typical bolt has the width of a thumb, although its corona (glow) is much larger (typically less than 50 feet across). With a temperature of 30,000 degrees Celsius, lightning is five to six times hotter than the surface of the sun.
11. (c) While Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was riding a donkey in Mexico, a comrade called her "Pancho" because of her resemblance to Don Quixote's faithful companion. The nickname delighted her.
12. False. Dust devils are too small and of too short a duration to be influenced by Coriolis effect; their spin directions are random. Most but not all tornadoes, however, do spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. (According to Weatherwise.)
13. True. It is called the face because it faces into the relative wind created by propeller rotation. The cambered surface that faces forward is the back.
14. False. The name was created by Charles Dana, editor of the New York Sun, because of Chicago's "long-winded politicians."

Visit the author's Web site ( www.barryschiff.com).