Question 1: The Museum of Flight in today’s image is in what US city?
- Seattle
- Washington, DC
- Charlotte
Correct Answer: Seattle
Fact: The Museum of Flight—the largest independent museum of its kind in the world—was founded by aviation enthusiasts to preserve historical artifacts that were rapidly vanishing. The museum includes the Red Barn, the birthplace of Boeing, and many historic Boeing aircraft, including the first production 727 and 737.
Question 2: National Aviation Day, celebrated on August 19, coincides with the birthday of what famous aviator?
- Amelia Earhart
- Howard Hughes
- Orville Wright
Correct Answer: Orville Wright
Fact: Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871. His birthdate was chosen by President Franklin Roosevelt as the day to mark National Aviation Day, a celebration of the achievement of flight. Wright and his brother Wilbur became the first to achieve powered, controlled flight in 1903, in the sand dunes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Their Wright Flyer flew for less than a minute for several hundred feet, but made history nonetheless. Orville lived until 1948, long enough to see the invention of the jet engine and the breaking of the sound barrier. Only 21 years after his death, humans landed on the moon.
Question 3: Who first achieved human flight?
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Orville Wright
- Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier
Correct Answer: Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier
Fact: While Leonardo conceptualized many aeronautical ideas during the Renaissance, the Montgolfier brothers are generally acknowledged to be the first to achieve human flight—in a balloon. In 1783, two men ascended untethered to 500 feet over Paris in the brothers’ fire-powered balloon. The entire ride lasted around 30 minutes, and the balloon traveled more than 5 miles.