BRIEFING TEST PILOT TEST PILOT | BY BARRY SCHIFF 1. From reader John Schmidt: Upon touchdown, the rudder of an orbiter (space shuttle) would split open and become a speed brake. What well-known general aviation airplane incorporated such a feature long before America’s manned space program had begun? 2. The first air-to-air refueling of an airplane occurred on November 12, 1921. How was this accomplished? 3. What was so unusual about the 1931 French-built Makhonine MAK–10 monoplane? 4. True or False? Landing on a runway coated with wet ice requires more distance than landing on a runway coated with ice that is dry. 5. From reader Tony Bill: What was the name of the famous 1930s airship that was involved in a New Jersey accident that claimed more lives than any other accident in a dirigible? 6. The primary purpose of feathering a propeller following an engine failure is to reduce drag and improve engine-out performance. What are two other important reasons for feathering? 7. From reader George Shanks: An aircraft propeller originally had been regarded as a rotating pedal. Who was first to recognize that it was a rotating wing and introduce twist to the blades? What was the world’s first civilian, turboprop-powered production airplane? ANSWERS on page 48 34 | AOPA PILOT June 2013 JOHN HOLM 8.http://www.PennYanAero.com http://www.PennYanAero.com