Boeing's Signature Sevens Trivia Quiz

Answer: Douglas DC-9

The Douglas DC-9 was launched with the DC-9-10 model, which first flew on February 25, 1965. Two years after the DC-9 debuted, McDonnell Aircraft merged with the Douglas Aircraft Company to become McDonnell Douglas. On October 18, 1979, the company introduced the DC-9-80 variant, which was rebranded as the MD-80.

McDonnell Douglas would later merge with Boeing in 1997, with the MD-95 (a shorter/more modernized version of the MD-80) still in development. The MD-95 was rebranded as the Boeing 717 and it first flew on September 2, 1998. The 717 was discontinued in 2006 which put an end to the DC-9's lineage.

Answer: Pratt & Whitney

The 727 was the only triple engine passenger jet to be produced by Boeing. The aircraft was first flown on February 9, 1963. It was also the first passenger airliner to be equipped with JT8D engines which were designed by American aerospace company Pratt & Whitney.

In addition to the Boeing 727, the JT8D engine model (one of the world's most popular designs) has been utilized in early variants of the Boeing 737 as well as the aforementioned DC-9/MD-80 series. Pratt & Whitney is based in Connecticut and the company has been making aircraft engines since 1925.

Answer: MAX

The Boeing 737 is one of the most popular airliners in the world. The line was introduced with the 737-100, which first flew on April 9, 1967. The Boeing 737 MAX series was the fourth generation of the airliner to see production. The first 737 MAX was flown on January 29, 2016.

Two fatal accidents involving the MAX later occurred in Indonesia (October 29, 2018) and Ethiopia (March 10, 2019). Both incidents were attributed to design flaws in the aircraft. The MAX series was soon grounded by numerous national aviation authorities, until the defects in the airplane's design were corrected for existing and future airframes. The grounding was gradually lifted in 2020.

Answer: Pan Am

On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747s were involved in what is considered to be the worst aviation disaster prior to 9/11. The accident occurred at the Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife, which is part of the Spanish owned Canary Islands. The airport had received dozens of diversions that day due to a terrorist attack at the nearby Gran Canaria Airport in Las Palmas.

The two flights involved in the accident were KLM 4805, which originated in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Pan Am 1736, which originated from JFK Airport in New York City. The unusual traffic volume combined with dense fog at Tenerife made conditions extremely difficult for pilots and air traffic controllers. KLM had erroneously started its take-off run at the same time that Pan Am was attempting to cross the runway and the two jumbo jets collided. All 248 souls on KLM were lost and 335 of the 396 souls aboard Pan Am were also lost.

Answer: C-32

Technically Air Force Two can be any Air Force owned aircraft that is called upon to transport the Vice President of the United States. However, the type of aircraft that normally functions in this role is a variant of the Boeing 757 known as the C-32A. Air Force One is normally a special variant of the Boeing 747, which is designated as the VC-25.

The Boeing 757 is a long narrow body airliner with a fairly long range, with some variants being able to operate trans-oceanic flights. It was first flown on February 19, 1982. The C-32A variant was released in 1998.

Answer: Gimli Glider

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada 143 departed from Cartier International Airport in Ottawa and was destined for Edmonton International Airport in Alberta. Due to an error in fuel planning, the Boeing 767 was loaded with less than half of the fuel needed for the flight. The pilots only became aware of the low fuel when the aircraft's alarm sounded as the plane was flying over western Ontario.

After realizing their fuel was running low, the pilots initially intended to make an emergency landing at Winnipeg International Airport in Manitoba. However, the engines of the aircraft gave out and the pilots were forced to try and land closer to their position. The pilots were miraculously able to land the aircraft at a former Canadian Air Force base located near the town of Gimli, Manitoba, which led to the aircraft being nicknamed the Gimli Glider.

Answer: MH370

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8, 2014 using the Boeing 777. The flight's destination was Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The flight took off from Kuala Lumpur at around 12:42 AM local time. A little over a half hour into flight, verbal communication ceased between the pilots and air traffic control.

The last known position showed the aircraft flying over the Andaman Sea which is located to the northwest of Malaysia, which meant the aircraft had drifted way off course of its flight plan. It is assumed that the aircraft may have crashed into the Indian Ocean once the fuel onboard was exhausted. Pieces from the aircraft have been found across the expanse of the Indian Ocean from Africa to Australia. The final fate and cause of this accident has yet to be determined as of the date this quiz was written.

Answer: Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was first flown on December 15, 2009. The aircraft has been touted for its fuel efficiency as its fuselage is constructed of composite carbon fiber material rather than aluminum. Airbus, Boeing's biggest competitor later released the Airbus A350 in 2013 which is constructed out of similar material.

The issues with the Boeing 737 MAX led to even more bad publicity for Boeing as the 787 Dreamliner program was also marred with numerous design flaws, most notably the aircraft's lithium-ion batteries. As was the case with the MAX, the 787 had to be grounded until corrections were made to the aircraft's design.

Answer: 2707

The Concorde was the first supersonic passenger jet to see mass production and gave airlines the ability to fly trans-oceanic routes in less than half the time it would take on a normal jet. Shortly after research on the Concorde began in the early 60's, the U.S. government held a contest to see which aviation company would receive financial aid in order to develop an American made supersonic airliner. Boeing was declared the winner.

After experimenting with several designs, Boeing developed plans for the Boeing 2707. Were it to have seen production, the Boeing 2707 would have been able to accommodate between 250-300 passengers on flights that would reach speeds close to Mach 3. Unfortunately, the Boeing 2707 was cancelled in 1971 after the American government cut funding for the project.

Answer: John Travolta

The 707 was the first jet airliner to be produced by Boeing. The quad-engine aircraft made its debut flight on December 20, 1957. In 1998, American actor John Travolta purchased a Boeing 707 that had once been part of the fleet at Qantas Airways, one of the major air carriers in Australia.

John Travolta often flew the jet himself having first received his pilot's license in 1978. In addition to the 707, John Travolta has owned several other jets and even had a personal runway and hangar constructed at his mansion in Florida. As of 2017, John Travolta was in the process of donating the 707 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society in Australia.