Wichitans take pride in the city’s aviation heritage. Take this test to see how far and wide your knowledge of aviation extends. The answers appear below.
1. What brothers are best remembered for making the first successful powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903?
2. Who flew the Spirit of St. Louis to all 48 states to show that airplanes could provide a safe and reliable mode of transportation?
3. Who disappeared on July 2, 1937, while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world?
4. What 804-foot German dirigible burst into flames upon landing in Manchester Township, New Jersey, in 1937?
5. In October 1947, what Brigadier General and flying ace became the first pilot in history to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight?
6. What American fighter pilot became the leading U.S. World War I flying ace with 26 downed enemy aircraft?
7. What was the name of the first artificial satellite launched into an Earth orbit by the Soviet Union in 1957?
8. What Soviet was the first human to journey into outer space?
9. What two men hold the proud title of the “First Men on the Moon” after their historic moon landing on July 20, 1969?
10. On October 29, 1998, the first American to orbit the Earth made history again when he became the oldest man to fly in space. Who was he?
11. What airplane pilot landed an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River just off Manhattan saving all 155 passengers and crew?
Answers:
1. Orville and Wilbur Wright
2. Charles Lindbergh
3. Amelia Earhart
4. Hindenburg
5. Chuck Yeager
6. Eddie Rickenbacker
7. Sputnik 1
8. Yuri Gagarin
9. Neal Armstrong and “Buzz”
Aldrin
10. John Glenn
11. Chesley Sullenberger
