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Minnesota Aviation Trivia Game

 

 

Question 24:

  • In 1943, B-24 bombers were brought to Holman field for modification to include new radar and radios, new accurate bomb sights, turning some aircraft to reconnaissance capability, and others to perform a special mission. What was the modification and what was the mission?


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Question 23:

  • What was produced in the old Hippodrome at the Minnesota State fairgrounds during from 1943-1945?

 

Answer:

  • The A. O. Smith Company produced aircraft propellers under military contract in the old Hippodrome (currently called the Coliseum), of the State fair Grounds.  (NA 234)

 

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Question 22:

  • What was the University of Minnesota’s aviation accomplishment that made them the first U.S. University to have one during WW II.

 

Answer:

  • The U of Minnesota Aeronautical Engineering Dept. designed and built a glider for the war effort in February 1942. The glider was test flown by Theodore Bellak, the Director of Gliding for the Minnesota Aeronautics Commission (currently called the Mn/DOT Office of Aeronautics).  After completing the test flight, he was able to secure the first airworthiness certificate ever issued to a U.S. University. (NA 232)

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Question 21:

  • Minnesota aviation pioneer Chuck Doyle worked for the Villaume Company in St. Paul during WW II. What was his job and what engineering process did he design for the company which built wings, rudders, and elevators, and special shipping crates for the Waco CG-4A and CG-13 glider Aircraft?

 

Answer:

  • Doyle was in charge of selecting the spruce planks that were machined into wing spars, and birch and mahogany for the ribs, to assure the integrity and airworthiness of the components. (NA 230)

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Question 20:

  • What was the Doolittle Raiders connection to Minnesota?

 

Answer:

  • 24 B-25 Bombers were modified with custom made 275 gallon fuel tanks that were designed and specially fitted into the Bombay area of the aircraft. The work was done by 3 shifts of mechanics from Mid-Continent Airlines, located at Holman Field (the Downtown St. Paul Airport).  there were no blue prints  for the modifications so every part needed was manufactured on site  except the rubber bladder fuel cells which were manufactured by Mc Quay Company of Minneapolis. (NA 228)

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Question 19:

  • On what date was the Minnesota Air National Guard officially recognized and at which airport was the unit officially stationed at the time of recognition?

Answer:

  • The 109th Observation Squadron was officially recognized on January 17, 1921. They were located at Speedway Field, (the current Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport). (NA199)



Question 18:

  • What was the original official name of the current Duluth International Airport and in what year was the airport officially dedicated?

Answer:

  • Williamson-Johnson Municipal Airport, September 13-14, 1930. (DuluthAirport



Question 17:

  • Who flew the first airmail flight between Duluth and Minneapolis, in what year and what model of aircraft?

Answer:

  • Pilot, 19 year old Lt Walter Bullock flew the first air mail between Duluth and the Twin Cities on February 21, 1919. The actual time of flight for the Curtiss JN4 Jenny, was 1 hour and 50 minutes.  (DuluthAirport)


 

Question 16:

  • What airline with a “now famous” name offered passenger service from Duluth to the Twin Cities in 1927?

 

Answer:

  • Trump Airlines owned by brothers Fred and William Trump operated flying a Buhl Air Sedan ( NA184).

 


Question 15:

  • What could arguably be considered the first (Minnesota) report on what would become General Aviation and who was it published by?  When did this report appear?

 

Answer:

  • The report was published by the Minnesota Journal in November 1909.  It read       “ the factory that made the plane (referring to the Curtiss Aeroplane on display at Dayton’s exhibit room), already has orders for ten more and nearly all of them for private persons taken with the idea of a little flying on their own account.” (NA180)

 


Question 14:

  • What Minnesota Company was the first to use aircraft to deliver their products, and in what year did they start doing this

 

Answer:

  • Dayton Company in 1919, contracted with William Kidder of the Northwest Airplane Company to fly ordered merchandise across the state. Northwest Airplane Company flew to 24 Minnesota cities delivering goods from the Dayton Company for $1.00 per mile.  (NA180)


 

 

Question 13:

  • In November 1909, citizens of the Twin Cities were given their first opportunity to see an airplane up close on static display.  What was the aircraft and where was it on display?

Answer:

  • The aircraft was Curtiss Aeroplane and it was on display at Dayton’s Dry Goods Store in Minneapolis, on the third floor exhibition room, in Minneapolis. Note that this not quite 6 years after the Wright Brothers first flight in December of 1903. (NA180)


 

Question 12:

  • What was the last year that the Hamilton Metalplane was flown by Northwest Airlines?

 

Answer:

  • 1941. Northwest owned 9 Hamilton’s which were purchased between 1928 and 1931.  (NA165)


 

Question 11:

  • What record was achieved by Barney Oldfield and future WW I Ace, Eddie Rickenbacker at what became Minneapolis St. Paul Airport in 1915?

 

Answer:

  • They set a very respectable Twin City Motor Speedway record of 114 mph, September 4, 1915. Both men went on to be notables; Oldfield in automobile racing and Rickenbacker in aviation. (NA123)

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Question 10:
  • Which Minnesota airport was once a race car track, and in what year did the first airmail aircraft land at that field?

 

Answer:

  • Minneapolis-St. Paul (International) Airport. (Remnants of the track are still there today), The first airmail plane landed August 10, 1920.  (NA123)


Question 9:

  • Florence “Treetops” Klingensmith of Minneapolis, Minnesota, held a record for several decades for doing this……………. in 5 hrs and 12 minutes? 

Answer:

  • Klingensmith completed 1078 consecutive loops over the same airport in 1931. She was called “Treetops” by colleagues because of her skills at low level flying.  (NA093)

 

 

Question 8:

  • What was the name of the airport started by pioneer aviator Gus Imm and where was it located?

 

Answer:

  • Gus Imm started the Northern Airport in Maynard, Minnesota, circa 1925.
    (NA70)

 

 

Question 7:

  • What is the name of the Minnesota pilot who (eventually) graduated from Washburn High School and had an amazing career as a pilot and sky writer, and is noted for making the first parachute jump at the Minnesota State Fair in 1935?

 

Answer:

  • Chuck Doyle, 1916-2008  (NA055)

 

Question 6:

What year was the first commercial license given for an airport in Minnesota, and where was the airport located?


Answer:

  • William “Bill” Kidder, a Minneapolis native secured the first commercial license for an airport in the state in April 1919. The airport was located at what is now the intersection of Snelling and Larpenteur, in Falcon Heights (St. Paul).  It was called Curtiss-Northwest Airfield.   (Pioneer Press & NA123)

 

 

Question 5:

  • What was one unique record that Charles Homan was noted for and what year did he accomplish that feat?

 

Answer:

  • In 1928 Holman established a world record by flying 1,433 consecutive “loop-the-loop” maneuvers over the downtown St. Paul airport. That record stood for more than twenty-two years.  (NA082)


 

Question 4:

  • Who was the first licensed female balloon pilot and the first woman the first woman to fly to the stratosphere?

 

Answer:

  • Jeannette Ridlon Piccard (1895 –1981), co-invented the cellophane balloon with her husband Jean Picard and launched one from the University of Minnesota campus in 1936. It flew more than 600 miles at 50,000 feet. She and her husband lived in Minneapolis until their deaths.  (Worldlingo)

 

 

Question 3:

  • What is the name of the company and what year did they receive FAA Type certification on their new all composite aircraft? What was the aircraft called?

 

Answer:

  • Cirrus Aircraft Design Corp., Duluth, Minnesota, 1998, SR20   (Cirrus Design)

 

 

Question 2:

  • Who was the first person to see Minnesota from the air, and in what year did that flight occur?

Answer:

  • William Markoe (1820 – 1916), a resident of St. Paul, accomplished the first balloon flight in Minnesota in 1857, in a balloon of his own design and construction. The first ascent took place in St. Paul, Minnesota. (NA002)


 

Question 1:

 

Answer:

  • Phoebe Jane Fairgrave Omlie (1902 – 1975) attended Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated in 1920. (NA094)


 

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