Hydro Junkie

Okay, how are the Mig-15/17, P-40 series and F-4 Phantom even close to a Huey? Other than the fact the Mig 17 and Phantom both were flying while the Huey was in production, I don't see anything relevant to connect them

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Hydro Junkie; I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but I'll try to answer. I didn't mean to imply there was any real connection between them. You guessed "I'm thinking Mig 15//17, the P-40 series or the F-4 Phantom. Might as well continue to knock out the obvious"; and I answered "None of those, Hydro Junkie. This one was more popular than any of those; although one on your list is pretty close". I was thinking about the MIG-15, whose production numbers were such as to rival the number of Huey's produced, making it, arguably, almost as popular as the Huey in terms of sheer numbers. But none of them served as long, or were produced for as long, as the Huey. The only connection was in terms of popularity, and that you guessed those aircraft. Thanks; Ernie P.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, I see what you meant now. Your response of " This one was more popular than any of those; although one on your list is pretty close." had me was thinking manufacturer or time frame, something along those lines, not quantity. That was where my next guess, the C-9/DC-9/MD-80 came from. Thanks for the clarification

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Sir; no problem. Now let's see what Top_Gunn comes up with. Looking at my next couple of potential questions, I remembered I have actually passed up some questions I was considering because I thought "That wouldn't be fair, because it's so obscure there's no way anyone has a chance of answering that". Have any of you done the same thing? Thanks; Ernie P.

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

OK, here we go, changing from the very popular to the almost unknown.

Looking for the name of a warbird.

1. British. (I know this kind of giveaway isn't usual for these quizzes, but if I stick to subtleties we'll run out of clues too soon.)

2. At first glance, most of us (including me) might think this was a different and quite well known aircraft.

Edit: I was typing this when Ernie posted about the unfairness of extremely obscure aircraft. This one's pretty unfair. But I'll try to compensate for that by departing from my usual practice and giving straightforward clues. The only reason I know about this plane is that someone actually built a model of it, which I happened to see online somewhere (not here).

Hydro Junkie

Bristol Beaufort

elmshoot

My Feedback: (6)

Beverly

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

Much less well known than the Beaufort or the Beverly. Good guesses at this point, so here's another clue. Not quite sure what the Beverly might be mistaken for, though; perhaps a flying whale? (Just kidding; I like the Beverly.)


Looking for the name of a warbird.

1. British. (I know this kind of giveaway isn't usual for these quizzes, but if I stick to subtleties we'll run out of clues too soon.)

2. At first glance, most of us (including me) might think this was a different and quite well known aircraft.

3. Only one was built, and it first flew with weights where some armament would have been installed. There are pictures of it with its full complement of armament, however, so it may have flown that way eventually. After the program was cancelled, it was modified somewhat and used for testing for a few years.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Top_Gunn; don't worry, no one has gotten off base, or even close to it. Obscure aircraft are fine. I'm talking of several layers of granularity finer than obscure. Actually, not an aircraft, but a problem that caused several flying accidents with a well known aircraft. Don't worry; you guys are all right as rain. Thanks; Ernie P.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Well, if we're looking for obscure lookalikes, how about the Osprey? It looked a bit like the Sopwith Triplane. Thanks; Ernie P.


Answer: The Austin A.F.T.3 Osprey

The Austin A.F.T.3 Osprey was a prototype British fighter triplane of the First World War. Developed by the motor car manufacturer Austin as a replacement to the Sopwith Camel, only one was built, the Sopwith Snipe being preferred.

Development and design

In 1917, Britain's War Office issued Specification A.1.A for a single-seat fighter to replace the Sopwith Camel. To meet this requirement, the Austin Motor Company, already a large scale manufacturer of aircraft to Royal Aircraft Factory designs, produced its own design for a single-engined triplane, the A.F.T.3 Osprey, receiving a licence to build three prototypes as a private venture. The Osprey was of conventional wood and fabric construction, with single-bay triplane wings. It was powered by a Bentley BR2 rotary engine, and featured the required armament of two Vickers machine guns and a single Lewis gun. The synchronised Vickers guns were mounted ahead of the pilot, while the Lewis gun was mounted on a movable mounting on the centre section of the middle wing, where it had a very limited field of fire, with the large diameter propeller blocking any forward fire. Like a similar gun mounted on the Snipe it would probably have been deleted had the type gone into production. The first Osprey flew in February 1918, being tested at Martlesham Heath in March. It was heavier than expected, and its performance was inferior to Sopwith's Snipe. When the Snipe was selected as the winner of the competition for the new fighter, Austin abandoned development of the Osprey, with the second and third prototypes not completed. The first prototype was briefly used for trials at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough until at least June 1918.

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

The Osprey's a good guess, but it had a couple of wings too many.

Looking for the name of a warbird.

1. British. (I know this kind of giveaway isn't usual for these quizzes, but if I stick to subtleties we'll run out of clues too soon.)

2. At first glance, most of us (including me) might think this was a different and quite well known aircraft.

3. Only one was built, and it first flew with weights where some armament would have been installed. There are pictures of it with its full complement of armament, however, so it may have flown that way eventually. After the program was cancelled, it was modified somewhat and used for testing for a few years.

4. Single-engine monoplane,

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

This morning's clue:

Looking for the name of a warbird.

1. British. (I know this kind of giveaway isn't usual for these quizzes, but if I stick to subtleties we'll run out of clues too soon.)

2. At first glance, most of us (including me) might think this was a different and quite well known aircraft.

3. Only one was built, and it first flew with weights where some armament would have been installed. There are pictures of it with its full complement of armament, however, so it may have flown that way eventually. After the program was cancelled, it was modified somewhat and used for testing for a few years.

4. Single-engine monoplane,

5. Fighter.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, I'll throw out a few:
Hawker Hotspur- similar to the Defiant
Hawker Tornado- similar to the Typhoon
Martin-Baker MB.2- shared much with the MB.3
Martin-Baker MB.5- had more than a passing resemblance to the P-51D/H/K Mustang
Vickers Type 432- similar to the Mosquito

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

It is one of those, Hydro. And not the Vickers, which had two engines. Here's a few clues that should narrow it down to one:

It was a modified version of an airplane that had been designed as a bomber, though it was never used in that role. And that airplane (the would-be bomber) was derived from a well-known fighter.

It had the same name as a glider which was manufactured by a different company. That name appears prominently in one of Shakespeare's plays (but not in the title).

Armament would have been five machine guns, none of them in the wings.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, I'm going to back out of this one at this point since I'm going to be heading out of town next week and won't be able to run a quiz until after I get back.
Guys, I narrowed it down so you all now get to figure out which one is the correct plane:
Hawker Hotspur- similar to the Defiant
Hawker Tornado- similar to the Typhoon
Martin-Baker MB.2- shared much with the MB.3
Martin-Baker MB.5- had more than a passing resemblance to the P-51D/H/K Mustang
I'm going to send my guess to Al in a PM, just to see if I'm right, just to keep things interesting for the rest of you
HJ

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

OK, here's what I hope is the last clue.

Looking for the name of a warbird.

1. British. (I know this kind of giveaway isn't usual for these quizzes, but if I stick to subtleties we'll run out of clues too soon.)

2. At first glance, most of us (including me) might think this was a different and quite well known aircraft.

3. Only one was built, and it first flew with weights where some armament would have been installed. There are pictures of it with its full complement of armament, however, so it may have flown that way eventually. After the program was cancelled, it was modified somewhat and used for testing for a few years.

4. Single-engine monoplane,

5. Fighter.

6. It was a modified version of an airplane that had been designed as a bomber, though it was never used in that role. And that airplane (the would-be bomber) was derived from a well-known fighter.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Oh, look! A nice juicy worm just sitting there on that hook. Okay; I'll bite. How about the Hawker Hotspur? Thanks; Ernie P.


Answer: Hawker Hotspur

The Hawker Hotspur was a Hawker Henley redesigned to take a Boulton-Paul semi-powered four gun turret. It was designed in response to Air MinistrySpecification F.9/35, which required a powered turret as the main armament to replace the Hawker Demon. In the same fashion as the Henley, the Hotspur used standard Hurricane outer wing panels. One prototype aircraft, K8309, was built in 1937, fitted with armament of four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in a Boulton Paul dorsal turret plus one .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted in the front fuselage.[3] The completion of the prototype was delayed until 1938, by which time the rival Boulton Paul Defiant had already flown. The Hotspur first flew on 14 June 1938 with only a wooden mock-up of the turret and with ballast equivalent to the weight of armament.

As Hawker was committed to the production of Hurricanes and Gloster to Henley production, there was insufficient capacity to introduce another type and production was abandoned. The mock-up turret was removed and a cockpit fairing installed. Planned production by Avro to Specification 17/36 was abandoned and the prototype, less turret, was used at the RAE Farnborough to test flap and dive brake configurations until 1942. Answer: Hawker Hotspur

The Hawker Hotspur was a Hawker Henley redesigned to take a Boulton-Paul semi-powered four gun turret. It was designed in response to Air MinistrySpecification F.9/35, which required a powered turret as the main armament to replace the Hawker Demon. In the same fashion as the Henley, the Hotspur used standard Hurricane outer wing panels. One prototype aircraft, K8309, was built in 1937, fitted with armament of four 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in a Boulton Paul dorsal turret plus one .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted in the front fuselage.[3] The completion of the prototype was delayed until 1938, by which time the rival Boulton Paul Defiant had already flown. The Hotspur first flew on 14 June 1938 with only a wooden mock-up of the turret and with ballast equivalent to the weight of armament.

As Hawker was committed to the production of Hurricanes and Gloster to Henley production, there was insufficient capacity to introduce another type and production was abandoned. The mock-up turret was removed and a cockpit fairing installed. Planned production by Avro to Specification 17/36 was abandoned and the prototype, less turret, was used at the RAE Farnborough to test flap and dive brake configurations until 1942.

Top_Gunn

My Feedback: (6)

It is indeed the Hotspur, which resembles the Defiant if you don't look too carefully, although the nose is very different. This didn't turn out to be as tough a question as I'd expected. Over to you, Ernie, and thanks for grabbing the worm! Once Hydro had narrowed it down, there didn't seem to be much point in giving a lot more clues. I'm sure a lot of people got it but didn't want to start a new quiz, which I can understand. More fun guessing than quizzing, I suppose.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And therein lies the rub. Coming up with new questions seems to be a lot harder, and less fun, than answering them. Thanks, Top_Gunn. Since I have a few questions ready, I don't mind stepping in. But this questions is about the pilots, not the planes themselves. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?



1. This pilot is, today, almost unknown. Yet he was, in many ways, one of the best there ever was.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot is, today, almost unknown. Yet he was, in many ways, one of the best there ever was.

2. He was born on a farm.

Hydro Junkie

Actually, to me, coming up with a quiz and the associated clues is just as much fun as figuring out the answer to someone else's quiz. Then again, I don't mind doing some research on a subject that I find to be interesting. That was why I did a quiz on the F4F-3 Wild Catfish. It was a "one-off" plane that most would have never heard of, even though it's parent design was well known due to it's it's combat record and exploits during the first half of WWII. The Hotspur and Defiant were very similar, in many ways, to the Wild Catfish:

• All were overshadowed by more famous aircraft such as the Corsair, Hellcat, Spitfire, Hurricane, Mustang, etc
• All were actual "flops" performance and/or combat wise
• All were either never put into production or ran a very limited production run(just over a thousand Defiants were built, mostly as night fighters or air/sea rescue planes as it was a sitting duck against German fighters)

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Yeah, I don't mind doing the research either. Maybe it's the babysitting of the question that gives people pause. Anyhow, here's another clue on our current question. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot is, today, almost unknown. Yet he was, in many ways, one of the best there ever was.

2. He was born on a farm.

3. And entered military service at a young age.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Today's clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot is, today, almost unknown. Yet he was, in many ways, one of the best there ever was.

2. He was born on a farm.

3. And entered military service at a young age.

4. And originally served, as seems natural, in a cavalry unit.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird pilot do I describe?

1. This pilot is, today, almost unknown. Yet he was, in many ways, one of the best there ever was.

2. He was born on a farm.

3. And entered military service at a young age.

4. And originally served, as seems natural, in a cavalry unit.

5. He first saw combat as part of a cavalry unit.

Hydro Junkie

Looks like the answer is going to be from WWI as clue 4 kind of hints at a horse mounted unit and cavalry in WWII was NORMALLY in jeeps, armored cars or half track type vehicles. Looks like I might be narrowing down another one, UNLESS THE PILOT IS RUSSIAN OR CHINESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!