Flying Off the Screen Trivia Quiz

Answer: M*A*S*H

Based on the movie of the same name, the TV series 'M*A*S*H' ran from 1972 to 1982. Set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Korea, wounded soldiers are frequently transported to the MASH unit by the ubiquitous H-13 Sioux helicopter, the military version of the popular Bell 47.

'China Beach' (1988-91) was about a military hospital set in Viet Nam, not Korea. 'Kung Fu' (1973-75) is a western set in the American frontier. 'Medic' (1954-56) is one of the first medical dramas on TV that tried to portray a sense of realism.

Answer: Baa Baa Black Sheep

'Baa Baa Black Sheep' which aired between 1976 and 1978, was an extremely fictionalized account of an actual Marine Corps squadron led by Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington. The Black Sheep flew the F-4U Corsair which is considered by many to be the best fighter of WW II.

The other options are all set in WW II. 'McHale's Navy' (1962-66) was also about military misfits, but this show was a comedy about a PT boat. 'Combat' (1962-67) was about infantrymen in France. 'The Gallant Men' (1962-63) was also about the infantry, this time on the Italian front.

Answer: Sky King

The TV series 'Sky King' which aired from 1951 to 1962 was an outgrowth of a radio series which was broadcast between 1946 to 1954. The aviation star of the show was a Cessna 310 which was used during the last half of the series. The first years Sky flew a Cessna T-50, which also had twin-engines but a wood rather than aluminum skin.

'Sky Cops' (2006 and 2011) is a BBC reality series about British police helicopters. 'Skyhawks' (1969-71) is an animated series about a California-based family owned air transport service. 'Mile High' (2003-5) is a British series about the lives of a flight crew for a hypothetical airline.

Answer: Criminal Minds

'Criminal Minds' (2005-2013 and beyond) shows the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit profiling serial killers around the country. After some stock footage of a beautiful Gulfstream in flight, the team discusses the case in a set that recreates the luxurious interior.

Although agents in 'The F.B.I.' (1965-74) needed to travel to national and even international locations, the writers didn't incorporate the aircraft into the show. Another FBI unit in 'White Collar' (2009-2013 and beyond) is based in Manhattan where they fight white collar crime. 'Numb3rs' (2005-2010) depicts a California FBI office that works with a mathematician to solve crimes.

Answer: Blue Angels

'Blue Angels' was a syndicated TV series in 1960 and 1961 about the precision flight team. During this time, the Grumman F-11F-1 Tiger was the Blue Angels plane of choice.

Although there was a TV series in the 1960s named 'Thunderbirds,' it was a science fiction series not about flight. The 'Thunderbirds' and the 'Snowbirds' are the US Air Force and the Canadian Forces flight demonstration teams respectively. The 'Seals' are the US Navy's special operation force.

Answer: Twelve O'Clock High

'Twelve O'Clock High' (1964-67) was based on a movie by the same name. The B-17 filmed for the show could only taxi and combat footage was used for all flight sequences.

'Pathfinders' (1972-73) was about an RAF squadron flying Avro Lancasters (actually models for the series). The mini-series 'Last Bastion' (1984) is about Australian involvement in WW II. 'Roll Out' (1973-74) was a comedy about the Quartermaster Corps trucking materials through France.

Answer: Blue Thunder

'Blue Thunder' was a short-lived series in 1984 based on a successful movie of the same name. It featured Dana Carvey as one of the regular characters two years before his SNL debut.

'Airwolf' (1984-87), similar to 'Blue Thunder,' featured a futuristic, supersonic chopper in a secretive military role, not police service. The show 'Magnum P.I.' (1980-88), a Hawaiian private detective frequently flies between islands in his friend's very real Hughes 500. 'The Aviators' is a Canadian-produced documentary in news magazine format.

Answer: Pan Am

When 'Pan Am' aired in 2011-12, it was an era when most Americans detested the airlines and airports. The series about passengers being pampered was like rubbing salt in an open wound. The series did feature some nice shots of period Boeing airliners, but mostly mock-ups of the interior.

The other choices are all defunct airlines from the period which have not been the subject of a TV series.

Answer: Wings

'Wings,' the prime-time comedy which ran on NBC from 1990 to 1997, is not to be confused with the like-named series on Discovery and BBC. 'Wings' featured fairly realistic settings for a prime-time series. The fictional airline, Sandpiper Air, operated a 10-passenger Cessna commuter plane, either the 402 or similar looking 411.

'Tales of the Gold Monkey' (1982-83) is set in the Pacific Islands prior to WW II where a bush pilot flies a Grumman Goose. 'Ice Pilots' (or 'Ice Pilots NWT'), a reality series that ran from 2009-14, is about Buffalo Airways, based in Yellowknife. Northwest Territories. Buffalo Airways flies WW II era cargo planes, primarily the C-46 and C-47 (DC-3).

'The High Life' (1994-5) is a BBC series about the flight crew of a fictional Scottish airline, Air Scotia. 'The High Life' (1996) is an HBO series about two businessmen with no relationship to aviation.

Answer: Bob Cummings

In 'The New Bob Cummings Show' (1961-62), Bob plays a charter pilot who is an amateur detective which differs from the 'Bob Cummings Show' (1955-59) in which he plays a bachelor photographer. Being taught to fly by his godfather, Orville Wright, Bob had a real passion for flying. In the show he flew his own twin-engine plane and the real star an Aerocar, a small plane with removable wings that could also be driven as a car.

None of the other choices match the description.