Quiz anyone?

[Ian M]

Maybe they could be put in the Amusement park under quizzes?

[Guest]

I was looking over Boatmans shoulder, so I know my answers are right...
C, A, B, A, C, A, D, B, C, D.
What's the prize, what's the prize, what do I get, if I don't get a prize, then I will scream and scream untill I make myself sick.....

[Andy T]

I think I answered 4 of those :tears-of-joy:

Even though I know virtually nothing about the subject I still enjoy building them :smiling3:

[Steve-the-Duck]

What's the prize, what's the prize, what do I get, if I don't get a prize, then I will scream and scream untill I make myself sick

Yes, thank you Violet. But shouldn't that be 'thcweam and thcweam'?

[boatman]

hi guys thought this was meant to be about an aicraft quiz ?
chrisb

[Jim R]

Just had a go at the quiz. I think there are 5 questions for which I'm sure my answers are correct. A couple for which my answers would be a good guess and the rest I've no clue.

[spanner570]

hi guys thoughts this was meant to be about an aicraft quiz ?
chrisb

My thoughts too Chris.
These days I'm afraid you'll just have to get used to most threads wandering off topic. Unfortunately, that's the way this forum is being allowed to go.

Back to the quiz.
CABACADBCD

Thanks for posting the quiz Dave. :thumb2:

Ron

[rickoshea52]

My answers - ABRACADABRA

[minitnkr]

Wrong quiz Rick, there were only 10 questions. One was kind of tricky for me, but Packard engine gave it away.

[Gern]

OK guys, answers as promised:

In order C A B A C A D B C D

You might want to spare a thought for the poor quizmaster - even though he introduced the idea of topics chosen by the teams. He only started this fairly recently, but so far he's had to create sets of questions on: Signs of the Zodiac, British Birds, Football in the West Midlands (is there such a thing?), Speedway and this one. And for next week's delight and edification - Last of the Summer Wine.

I've created a lot of quizzes over the years, but there's no way I'd set myself up for that!

[Miko]

Q1, C - P51 Mustang, although I'm pretty sure the original P51 has Allison engines
Q2, A - Ju87 Stuka
Q3, B - Hawker Hurricane
Q4, A - Spitfire, I could nit pick at the question but probably shouldn't!
Q5, C - B-29
Q6, A - Me262
Q7, D - Lancaster although the MkII didn't have merlin engines
Q8, B - A6M Zero, it came into service in 1940 but was in production from 1939
Q9 , C - He111
Q10 D - Fairey Swordfish

Miko (switch pedant mode to 'off')

[stona]

Who's going to be the first to point out in the answer to question 1, the famous four months taken was trying to 'design' a way to fit the engine to an already existing airframe, NOT designing a 'plane from scratch?

That's not the case. The P-51 was designed from scratch, principally beecause North American didn't want to get lumbered producing Curtiss fighters for the British under licence.

Here's a brief timeline:

January 1940: British Purchasing Commission (BPC) visits US looking to buy a fighter. This is where the suggestion that North American build the Curtiss P-40 originates. North American reviews the British proposal and in turn proposes building a superior new design instead.

April 24 1940: The BPC accepts the preliminary design of the NA-73X.

May 4 1940: British approve design proposal for the NA-73X

May 29 1940: British order 320 NA-73 aircraft with the name 'Mustang'.

September 9 1940: The first NA-73 aircraft is rolled out of the North American plant, without an engine.

October 7 1940: Allison engine arrives at North American

October 26 1940: First flight of NA-73 at Mines Field. Vance Breese is the US test pilot.

Though the time from the initial British enquiry to the approval of the design was indeed four months, it was ten months to the first flight. It is not until a year later that AG346, actually the second Mustang I, arrives in the UK.

October 24 1941: AG346 arrives in UK. It is fitted with British wireless and guns and ready to fly at the end of the month. It made a creditable 382 mph at 14,000 feet.

Testing continued at the A&AEE, Boscombe Down for several months.

April 1942: No. 2 Squadron of the short lived Army Co-operation Command is the first unit to receive the Mustang I for operational use.

May 10 1942: No. 2 Squadron raid an airfield in France, the first operational use of the P-51/Mustang.

For the first two years of its life, the P-51/Mustang was powered by the Allison engine for which it had been designed. It was a good aeroplane, but its performance at altitude was limited by the performance of its engine. It was the British who first thought they could do better, and this brings us to the question of engines.

July 14 1942: Rolls-Royce make a feasibility study for installing a Merlin 61 engine in the Mustang airframe.

July 25 1942: Contract issued to North American to convert two lend-lease P-51s to XP-78s using Packard Merlin engines.

August 1942: In simultaneous development on both sides of the Atlantic, North American make a prototype installation of the Packard Merlin engine and five Mustang Is are sent to Rolls-Royce for the development of a Merlin version, 'Mustang X'.

September 1942: The Americans re-designate their Packard Merlin powered XP-78s as XP-51Bs (you can see where that's going with US designations).

October 14 1942: The first Merlin powered Mustang makes a first flight in England. In tests this aircraft made 422 mph at 22,000 feet.

November 30 1942: The first Packard Merlin powered XP-51B flies in the US.

Th fruits of this development began to materialise on both sides of the Atlantic almost simultaneously. However, it was not rational to have Rolls-Royce, a hard pressed British aero engine manufacturer, continue the process rather that the aircraft's designer and builder.

January 19 1943: US data on the XP-51B is sent to the UK. The decision is taken not to modify existing Mustang Is in the UK but to wait for US production of the P-51B.

There were production problems, notably the accumulation of Mustang airframes awaiting engines from Packard. Nonetheless, after three years, the rest is history.

Obviously, there are some other more or less salient points I have excluded from the timeline for the preservation of my sanity and brevity :smiling3:

[Miko]

Obviously, there are some other more or less salient points I have excluded from the timeline for the preservation of my sanity and brevity :smiling3:

Lot of work to type that lot, thanks! Is it true that the name 'Mustang' was a British air ministry creation, not sure that North American had a name for it beyond P-51 ?

Miko (my last P-51 build was in the early nineties)

[stona]

Yes, 'Mustang' was a British designation.

The Air Ministry had a set procedure for the naming of aircraft of different categories. These conventions were originally intended to apply to British manufacturers (obviously). Experimental aircraft were designated by the manufacturer's name and Air Ministry specification, as in Handley Page B5/36, for example. A name was allotted to an aircraft of a new basic type as soon as it became evident that a production order was to be placed. It had to be selected from the categories of nomenclature in the Air Ministry list, but could be proposed by the manufacturer. The name 'Spitfire' was proposed by Vickers (Supermarine) and accepted by the Air Ministry. As examples, fighters had to have names that were 'General words indicating speed, activity or aggressiveness' and bombers 'Place names - an inland town of the British Empire or associated with British history'.

There was an obvious disconnect with aircraft from foreign manufacturers. The Ministry of Aircraft Production circulated a memorandum to cover this. The relevant portion reads:

"In the case of American aircraft allotted to Britain, and Canadian aircraft built for the MAP, fullest consideration will be given to the wishes of the relevant authorities should they press for the adoption of names not within these categories. Endeavours should be made, however, to follow as closely as possible the basic rules, but names with an American or Canadian flavour will be very appropriate. For instance, American-built transports should not necessarily be named after a county or district of the British Empire, but would preferably be named after a district or state of thee United States of America...."

'Mustang' seems to have been the name chosen by the British Purchasing Commission, and definitely has a suitably American flavour. Mustangs are fast enough and very definitely American. The best demonstration of the example given for transport aircraft might be the famous Douglas C-47, 'Dakota' in British designation.

Edit: The US designation for the production fighter version, what they called a pursuit aircraft, was always P-51. The other XP designations refer to experimental aircraft/prototypes. The Americans designated the ground attack/dive bomber version of the aircraft, what they called an attack aircraft, as the A-36. Development of this type began in June '42. For reasons beyond the scope of this reply, fifty-five Mustang IAs, originally intended for the British, were kept by the Americans, converted to photo-reconnaissance aircraft and designated as F-6As.

[Miko]

'Mustang' seems to have been the name chosen by the British Purchasing Commission, and definitely has a suitably American flavour. Mustangs are fast enough and very definitely American. The best demonstration of the example given for transport aircraft might be the famous Douglas C-47, 'Dakota' in British designation.

Edit: The US designation for the production fighter version, what they called a pursuit aircraft, was always P-51. The other XP designations refer to experimental aircraft/prototypes. The Americans designated the ground attack/dive bomber version of the aircraft, what they called an attack aircraft, as the A-36. Development of this type began in June '42. For reasons beyond the scope of this reply, fifty-five Mustang IAs, originally intended for the British, were kept by the Americans, converted to photo-reconnaissance aircraft and designated as F-6As.

Don't you find the British system of classification nomenclature is better?

Manufacturer, Given name, followed by a Role designator and then a sequential mark number

English Electric (BAC) Canberra A1, B2, PR3, T4, B(i)8 U10, E15, TT18 all adaptions of the same aircraft

Whereas in the US system the name and mark number change according to role

Northrop F-5A,B 'Freedom fighter' to F-5E.F 'Tiger Shark' and the two seat trainer is Northrop T-38 'Talon' also adaptions of the same aircraft

Miko (a bit OCD)