Aviation Firsts

Key to Answers: 1c, 2a, 3b, 4c, 5a, 6c, 7a, 8c, 9a, 10b

Many firsts stand out in the memories of pilots—the first solo, first cross country flight, and first passenger. How many of these firsts can you identify?

1. Even without a pilot’s license, who was able to fly, carry passengers, and give flight instruction because he did it before a license was required in the U.S.?

a. Eddie Rickenbacker
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Wiley Post

2. In 1931, who made the fourth around-the-world flight by aircraft?

a. Wiley Post and Harold Getty
b. Charles and Anne Lindbergh
c. Jimmy Doolittle and Roger Williams

3. Who was the first pilot to fly solo around the world?

a. Jimmy Doolittle
b. Wiley Post
c. Roscoe Turner

4. What pilot experimented to achieve the first successful pressurized flying suit?

a. Amelia Earhart
b. Laura Ingalls
c. Wiley Post

5. The first “Winnie Mae” was a well-known airplane. Who was the owner who piloted it on its last flight when it crashed and was destroyed?

a. Laura Ingalls
b. Roscoe Turner
c. Wiley Post

6. After centuries of people dreaming of flight, who made bold attempts but had colossal failures?

a. Louis-Charles Guille
b. Jean Pierre Blanchard
c. Leonardo da Vinci

7. In 1911, who was the pilot who started naval aviation by landing an airplane on a battleship?

a. Glenn Curtiss
b. Orville Wright
c. Gordon Bennett

8. Who was the first woman pilot to fly over the North Pole?

a. Amelia Earhart
b. Jacqueline Cochran
c. Sheila Scott

9. Who was the first woman pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound?

a. Jacqueline Cochran
b. Alice Fuchs
c. Jean Bird

10. Who was the first U.S. President to fly in a helicopter?

a. Harry S. Truman
b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. John Kennedy

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