Test Pilot

1. True or false? There are no American helicopters powered by three engines.
2. Who was the first seated U.S. president to fly in an airplane, and what was the type aircraft in which he flew?
3. From reader Jerry Griggs: Many airplanes have interconnected (coupled) roll and yaw controls to assist the pilot in coordinating aileron and rudder input. Examples include the Beechcraft Bonanza, the Piper Tri-Pacer, and the Learjet Model 35. What was the first airplane with interconnected controls?
4.  Which of the following does not belong?
   A. amber
   B. green
   C. magenta
   D. red
5. From reader George Shanks: The first transatlantic airline flight using a landplane—not a flying boat or dirigible—took place on October 23, 1945, and flew from New York to England (with three en route stops). What was the airline and what type aircraft was used?
6. Which one of the world’s major airports is below sea level?
7. From reader John Schmidt: True or false? World War II Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann was the most successful fighter ace of all time. He had a black tulip painted on each side of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 and was so feared by Russian pilots that he would lend his uniquely painted fighter to inexperienced recruits so they could fly with less chance of being attacked.
8. 8. A Lockheed SR–71 Blackbird is in a 30-degree banked turn at 85,000 feet while maintaining a true airspeed of 1,800 knots. The circumference of the turn is
   A. 215 nm.
   B. 515 nm.
   C. 815 nm.
   D. 1,115 nm.

Test Pilot Answers

1. False. The Sikorsky CH–53K King Stallion is a heavy-lift helicopter operated by the U.S. military. It has three General Electric 7,500-shaft-horsepower turboshaft engines.
2. President Franklin D. Roosevelt flew to Casablanca during World War II in a Boeing 314 seaplane (a “Pan Am Clipper”).
3. The 1903 Wright Flyer. Lying prone in a hip cradle, the pilot steered the airplane by moving his hips and the cradle from side to side. The cradle was connected to the wing tips with wires, and cradle movement caused the wings to twist in opposition (a form of roll control preceding ailerons). The cradle also was connected to the rudder.
4. The correct answer is C. Amber, green, red, and blue were the designations for the low/medium-frequency airways that preceded Victor (VHF) airways. Amber and blue were north-south airways; red and green were east-west airways.
5. American Export Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, used a Douglas DC–4. The unpressurized airplane carried 12 passengers and crossed the North Atlantic at 8,000 feet msl.
6. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is 10 feet below sea level.
7. True. Hartmann flew 1,404 combat missions, engaged in combat during 825 of those missions, and shot down 352 aircraft (almost all over the Eastern Front).
8. The correct answer is B. Turn radius is 82 nm. The Blackbird still holds the current world speed record for jet airplanes of 1,907 knots (2,195 mph).