Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. Why was Kiwi International Air Lines, a U.S. scheduled air carrier from 1992 to 1999, named after a flightless bird (a kiwi)?
2. In fighter-pilot parlance, tallyho means that enemy aircraft have been sighted. It is colloquially used in civil aviation to mean that traffic is in sight. What is the source of this expression?
3. From reader Jack Klein: The Century-series fighters began with the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the McDonnell Douglas F-101 Voodoo, the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and so forth. The McDonnell F-110A Spectre became better known as what famous airplane?
4. From reader Jeff Van West: What is VH and why is it more significant now than it has been in the past?
5. Frequently presented by the president of the United States in a White House ceremony, the Robert J. Collier Trophy probably is aviation's most prestigious award. Who was Robert J. Collier?
6. Why did the FAA choose a maximum-allowable gross weight of 1,320 pounds for light sport aircraft instead of something simpler like 1,300 or 1,400 pounds?
7. From reader Mark Barchenko: What was the first production general aviation airplane equipped with a reversible-pitch propeller?
8. From reader George Shanks: The North American AT-6 Texan had several names and variants. Two versions used by the Royal Canadian Air Force were the Harvard and the Yale. What was the significant difference between them?

TRUE OF FALSE

9. Delta Air Lines is the oldest airline in North America.
10. From reader Rick Ray: More pilots became aces flying the North American P-51 Mustang than any other U.S. fighter during World War II.
11. Glenn Curtiss was first to receive a government-issued pilot certificate.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

12. The first airline to offer scheduled around-the-world passenger service was
    1. Lufthansa.
    2. Pan American World Airways.
    3. Qantas Airways.
    4. Trans World Airlines.
13. From reader Jeff Pardo: The greatest indicated airspeed ever normally required by a given airplane in takeoff configuration to get off the ground is
    1. 220 mph (191 knots).
    2. 260 mph (226 knots).
    3. 300 mph (261 knots).
    4. 340 mph (296 knots).

MIX 'N MATCH

14. From reader Dr. Stephen Rosenbaum: The names of IFR intersections sometimes reflect the geographical region in which they are located. For example, MICKI, MINEE, and GOOFY are near Orlando (Disney World). Match the following intersections with their locations.

    1. HOOPS, SLAMN, DUNKK	a. Andrews AFB
    2. COACH, QTRBK, FMBLE	b. Houston, TX
    3. DUBYA, BUUSH, FORRD	c. Iowa State University
    4. EIEIO	d. Kansas City, MO
    5. GOLDI, HAWNN	e. Las Vegas, NV
    6. HOWYA, DOOIN	f. Nashville, TN
    7. HOLDM, LUCKY, KSINO	g. Newark, NJ
    8. LRETA, JCKSN, GRRTH	h. Phoenix, AZ
    9. SPICY, BARBQ, RIBBS	i. Southern California
    10. STAAN, MUZUL	j. St. Louis, MO

TEST PILOT ANSWERS

1. The airline consisted of former Eastern Air Line pilots who had called themselves "kiwis" upon becoming flightless when Eastern failed in 1991.
2. Tallyho is shouted during fox hunting (primarily a British sport) when a rider sees the fox.
3. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara directed that the Spectre be renamed the McDonnell F-4C Phantom II, thus ending the Century series.
4. VH is the maximum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power. It is a limitation associated with light sport aircraft.
5. Collier was a prominent American publisher (remember Collier's Weekly?), a pilot, and first to purchase an airplane from the Wright brothers for personal use. Glenn Curtiss was the trophy's first recipient (1911).
6. 1,320 pounds (or 1,322.8 to be more exact) is 600 kilograms, the upper limit for light aircraft used in Europe and elsewhere.
7. Hartzell Propeller developed propellers in 1946 for the Republic Seabee (a piston-powered amphibian) to assist in slowing on water.
8. The Harvard had retractable landing gear, but the Yale had fixed gear. The U.S. Army Air Corps' versions of the Yale were the BT-9 (fabric-covered fuselage) and the BT-14 (metal).
9. False. Mexicana was founded in 1921. Delta was established eight years later.
10. False. A total of 305 pilots became aces while flying the Grumman F6F. The Hellcat was nicknamed the "Ace-Maker" and had an astounding 19-to-1 victory-to-loss ratio.
11. False. He was first to obtain one from the Aero Club of America. The first government certificate was issued on April 6, 1927, to William P. MacCracken, assistant secretary of commerce for aviation.
12. (c) On January 14, 1958, two Lockheed Super Constellations departed Melbourne, Australia, and headed around the world in opposite directions. They arrived in Sydney six days later. Circumnavigation flights soon operated weekly.
13. (c) Called the "Flaming Pencil," the British Bristol 188 was a stainless-steel aircraft built in 1962 to research structures during supersonic flight.
14. 1. (h); 2. (b); 3. (a); 4. (c); 5. (i); 6. (g); 7. (e); 8. (f); 9. (d); 10. (j).

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