And have we got something for you. Its our FareCompare Quiz.

Might want to practice first, with Quiz #1, before tackling Quiz #2.

Okay, ready? Good luck!

By Karlene Lukovitz

Think you know flying? Prove it! Test your knowledge with the FareCompare Quiz, version 2.0. And if you haven’t seen our first quiz, click here.

Take the Test!

Its not easy, but its not impossible either. Take your best shot (no Googling!), check out the answers and well tell you if youre an aviation expert or not.

QUESTIONS:

1. In the 1960s, who managed to masquerade as a Pan Am pilot, acting as co-pilot on numerous flights and even passing fake Pan Am payroll checks?

A. Joseph Pistone
B. Anthony Angelone III
C. Frank Abagnale, Jr.
D. Dean Martin

2. Name the U.S. airports/cities corresponding to these official codes:

A. LGA
B. PDX
C. PWM
D. MCO
E. PVD (extra credit)

3. On what airline did the Beatles first invade the U.S., in 1964?

A. United
B. British Airways
C. Pan Am
D. KLM

4. What airline flies only Boeing 737s?

A. Continental
B. Southwest
C. Northwest
D. Air Wisconsin

5. What was the original name of JFK International Airport?

6. Match the aeronautical notables with their biographical facts (choose from Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, and Richard Branson):

A. Dropped out of school at age 16
B. His mother who pretended to be male in order to fly planes during WWII and later worked as an airline hostess
C. Worked as a nurses aide and social worker before becoming an aviator
D. Had his plane engineers design a bra
E. Invented a pump that kept hearts and other organs alive outside of the body

7. Match these famous figures in aviation Leonardo Da Vinci, Howard Hughes, Brigadier Gen. Paul W. Tibbets, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh with their quotes:

A. Fuel is running low. We are running north and south.
B. If I made any mistake, it was in working too hard and in doing too much of it with my own hands.”
C. If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.
D. Second thoughts? No…I had no problem with it.
E. The great bird will make its first flight, filling the whole world with amazement, filling all records with its fame, and bringing eternal glory to its birthplace.

8. When and on what airline was the first meal served on a commercial flight?

A. 1927, on American Airlines
B. 1919, on KLM
C. 1946, on Northwest

9. How did Charles Lindbergh deal with bathroom breaks during his cross-Atlantic flight?

10. What city can boast being the birthplace of Orville Wright, and the site of much of the Wright brothers research that led to the first manned air flight?

A. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
B. Dayton, Ohio
C. Charleston, South Carolina

ANSWERS (Score one point for each correct answer, except where noted.)

1. C: Frank Abagnale, Jr. detailed his many con-man exploits in his bio, Catch Me If You Can, which was made into a movie starring Leonard DiCaprio in 2002. (Joseph Pistone, AKA Donny Brasco, is the FBI agent whose true story of successfully infiltrating the mob became a Johnny Depp movie in 1997.)

2. Score one point for each correct answer on A through D. Give yourself another two points if you nailed E. A: La Guardia, New York City; B: Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon; C. Portland International Jetport, Portland, Maine; D: Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida; E: T.F. Green Airport, Providence, Rhode Island

3. C: A Pan Am Boeing 707-331, Clipper Defiance, flew the Fab Four into JFK.

4. B: Southwest

5. Getting this one right rates three points. New York International Airport was its official dedication name when it opened in July 1948. It was renamed Idlewild Airport in December 1948 due to its link to the Idlewild Golf Course, and finally renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in December 1963, after the Presidents assassination on November 22nd.

6. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, whose academic performance was hindered by dyslexia, dropped out of Buckinghshire, England-based Stowe School as a teen, to start a magazine for students; B: Also Branson. His mom, Eve, carried off a male impersonation in order to learn to glide RAF planes, and subsequently became a British South American Airways hostess (see Branson’s autobiography); C: Amelia Earhart (see official bio) D: Howard Hughes had an underwire bra designed to seamlessly support Jane Russells 38-D breasts in the 1941 film The Outlaw, but Russell claimed she secretly wore her own bras, lining them with tissue paper to achieve the same effect; E: Charles Lindbergh. In the years following his famed trans-Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis, his work with French surgeon/Nobel Prize winner Alexis Carrel laid the groundwork for organ transplants and the artificial heart (see this Lindbergh bio).

7. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Amelia Earhart. These were among the last words heard from Earhart, by radio, before she disappeared en route to Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific. Earhart also once said: Please know I am quite aware of the hazards.; B: Howard Hughes, commenting on the mistakes made in building the “Spruce Goose.”; C: Charles Lindbergh; D: Paul W. Tibbets, commenting on dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima, in an interview with Studs Terkel published in The UK Guardian in 2002. Tibbets, age 89 at the time, added: I got into the air corps to defend the United States to the best of my ability. That’s what I believe in and that’s what I work for.; E: Leonardo Da Vinci, anticipating the invention of mechanical flight in 1505

8. B: It appears (airlines aren’t eager to grab this credit) that KLM was the first to offer pre-packaged food on a flight between London and Paris in 1919.

9. Paper cups

10. Take two points for correct answer. C: Dayton, Ohio

HOW YOU RANK

Aeronautics Animal (20 to 25 points): You were raised by bald eagles, and became a flight attendant the summer you graduated from high school.

Traveling Titan (15 to 19 points): You seem to be flying off somewhere almost constantly, making you either extremely well-paid or a glutton for punishment.

Bio Baby (10 to 14 points): You don’t care much about flying, but have nearly total recall of every odd fact you’ve ever read about famous people. Consider cutting back on those hours watching the Biography Channel.

Otherwise Occupied (9 points or fewer): You stumbled on this FareCompare quiz while checking out super-cheap tickets to Vegas, and basically only got the movie and bathroom break questions right.

Easily confused? Then maybe the FareCompare Quiz isn’t for you.

But maybe you know more than you think you do.

Check out our quiz and see what you’re made of!

You might just surprise yourself. Good luck!

By Karlene Lukovitz

OK, so you’ve spent so much time in the air that your frequent flyer miles statement is thicker than War and Peace. Who could know more about aviation than you?

Well, here’s your chance to put that mental stockpile of flying factoids to the test. Drop that Sudoko book and prepare for takeoff: heres the first official FareCompare Quiz!

Take the Test!

After you’ve taken your best shot (no Googling!), check out the answers at the end of the quiz, and well tell you if youre an expertor not.

QUESTIONS:

1.Which is the oldest U.S. commercial airline? (Choose one or more)

A.United Airlines
B.Northwest Airways
C.Varney Airlines
D.Frontier Airlines

2.Who was the first U.S. stewardess?

A.Alma Reville
B.Ellen Church
C.Margaret Chase Smith
D.Betty Boop

3.Which is the worlds largest airline, as ranked by total passengers (domestic and international) transported in 2006?

A.United
B.Delta
C.American
D.Southwest

4. Which is the worlds largest airline, as ranked by total domestic-only passengers transported in 2006?

A. United
B. Delta
C. American
D. Southwest

5. What is the busiest U.S. airport, as of first-half 2007?

A. O’Hare International, Chicago
B. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
C. Los Angeles International
D. Dallas/Fort Worth International

6. Match these airlines — American, Continental, Frontier, Midwest, Southwest, United — with their current official slogans:

A. We Know Why You Fly
B. Its Time to Fly
C. You Are Now Free to Move About the Country
D. Work Hard, Fly Right
E. The Best Care in the Air
F. A Whole Different Animal

7. Match these airlines — American, Continental, National, TWA, US Airways, Western — with their past official slogans:

A. Up, Up and Away
B. Something Special in the Air
C. We Really Move Our Tails for You
D. The Only Way to Fly
E. Clear Skies Ahead
F. I’m Cheryl [Gina, Mary etc.]Fly Me

8. Match these airlines — Allegheny, Continental, Hughes Air West — with the official and unofficial nicknames they had at some point in their histories:

A. The Proud Bird With the Golden Tail
B. The Top Banana in the West
C. Agony Air

9. Match these airlines — America West, Pacific Southwest (PSA), Southwest — with the symbols they have been associated with over the years:

A. Heart painted on side
B. Smile painted on nose under cockpit area
C. Cactus

10. Which airline was featured in all of the following movies: Something’s Got to Give (1962, Marilyn Monroe’s last, unfinished movie); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967); Good Morning Vietnam (1987); Beaches (1988); When Harry Met Sally (1989); Sleepless in Seattle (1993); Jerry McGuire (1996):

A. American
B. Delta
C. Pan Am
D. United

ANSWERS (Score one point for each correct answer, except where noted.)
1. Both A and C (score one point if you chose either A or C, two points if you chose both): The first U.S. commercial flight was a mail-delivery by Leon D. Lee Cuddeback, chief pilot for Boise, Idaho-based Varney Airlines, on April 6, 1926. Cuddeback flew an open-cockpit Swallow biplane between Pasco, Washington and Elko, Nevada. Varney Airlines (founded by Walter T. Varney, who also founded Continental Airlines) was soon acquired by Boeing Air Transport, and the airlines name was changed to United Aircraft-Transport Corp. in 1929. United Airlines marks Cuddebacks flight as its birth date. But Northwest Airways (now Northwest Airlines) was a close runner-up for first U.S. commercial flight: On October 1, 1926, it flew a mail-delivery fleet of two rented biplanes from the Twin Cities to Chicago.

2. B: When Boeing began carrying passengers in 1930 (as well as mail), it hired Ellen Church, a registered nurse, to assist passengers. (Alma Reville was the maiden name of a film editor best known as the wife of film director Alfred Hitchcock).

3. C: According to World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), American flew 99.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2006, followed by Southwest (96.3 million), Delta (73.6 million) and United (69.3 million). But for first-half 2007, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports Southwestern out ahead, with 49.8 million passengers to Americans 48.6 million.

4. D: Southwests 96.3 million passengers were all domestic. The domestic runners-up were American (78.6 million), Delta (63.5 million) and United (58.8 million).

5. B: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which saw 20.8 million passengers cross its carpets between January and June 07. The other Top 5 most-trafficked airports were Chicagos OHare (17 million), Dallas-Fort Worth (13.8 million), Denver (11.65 million) and Los Angeles (11.64 million).

6. Score one point for each correct answer: A: American; B: United; C: Southwest; D: Continental; E: Midwest; F: Frontier

7. Score one point for each correct answer: A: TWA (borrowed from the Fifth Dimensions hit 1967 song, probably because it rhymed with TWA); B: American (mid-80s to mid-90s); C: Continental; D: Western; E: US Airways (after its first of two bankruptcy filings, in 2002); F: National, acquired by Pan Am in the late 70s (the stewardess’s name changed for each different commercial).

8. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Continental (which used to paint the tails of its planes gold); B: Hughes Air West, founded by Howard Hughes, painted its planes bright yellow; C: Allegheny Airlines; this forerunner of todays US Airways, Allegheny was renowned for horrific customer service. (See FunTrivia for more airplane slogans and nicknames.)

9. Score one point for each correct answer: A: Southwest (whose headquarters is at Love Field, in Dallas); B: Pacific Southwest (acquired by US Air in the late 80s; one of its slogans was Catch Our Smile); C: America West

10. D: United

HOW YOU RANK

Air Head (20 to 25 points): You are probably an employee of the National Air and Space Museum (and could be a liability at cocktail parties, if you don’t watch it). Seriously consider pitching Trivial Pursuit on an aeronautics-only edition.

Wing Nut (15 to 19 points): You know U.S. airlines history essentials, but stopped keeping up circa 2003, when your first child was born and you switched your home page from Century of Flight to What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Now that he/she is about four, time to switch your home page to FareCompare.

Good Guesser (10 to 14 points): You really aren’t into aeronautics, U.S. or otherwise, but you’re well-read, pretty interested in history in general, and bored enough to spend time taking this quiz. After FareCompare, try entertaining yourself with Trivia-Library.

Off Course (9 points or less): You are a Wall Street trader, or a successful entrepreneur or family head who has no time or interest in the history of flight, U.S. or otherwise — unless it means getting a ticket discount. Skip future aviation quizzes, but stick with FareCompare as your travel info source.

Great big beautiful planes; isn’t that what life’s all about? No?

Well, you really should take a look at this one. The Airbus 380: Godzilla’s airplane.

Hey, its as tall as an 8-story building. Don’t believe me? Then please, do yourself a favor and read on:

By Al Senia

Does the airline industry really need a new gargantuan jetliner to move larger numbers of passengers longer distances? The European commercial airplane manufacturer Airbus believes it does, and the company is gambling billions of dollars and its financial futureon the outcome.

The Debut of the Big One

When the highly touted and long awaited A-380 jumbo jet makes its commercial debut in late October with Singapore Airlines, a milestone in aviation history will be crossed. The A-380 simply dwarfs the old definition of a jumbo jet.

For more than 35 years, the jumbo jet meant the steadfast, reliable Boeing 747 that hit the skies in January 1970 (with Pan American World Airways as the first customer). At the time, it was the worlds only 400-seat airplane, a giant composed of 6 million parts, half of which are fasteners. In its extended or stretched design (which seats less passengers), the lumbering old 747 has a range of 7,720 nautical miles (14,297 km) and cruises at 565 mph. Its legacy it that it opened up far reaches of the world to affordable tourist traffic.

Now, the A-380 makes the 747 look like a pygmy.

• The A-380 can seat over 500 (there are some Asian carriers discussing an 800-passenger all-coach configuration)
• It has 50% more floor space than the 747.
• The A-380 is designed for a range of 8,200 nautical miles (15,200 km), which means, for example, it can move a great many more passengers from New York to Hong Kong nonstop (it cruises at about the same speed as its old rival.)
• The entire length of the A-380 is double-decked; in comparison, the 747 has a front hump consisting of a upper-level cockpit and small seating area that in its early days was used as a first-class lounge (so much for the concept of an exclusive first-class lounge!)
• The A-380 is as high as an eight-story building.

Airbus = More Profits

The Airbus 380 operates a lot more efficiently and profitably for airlines than does the 747. Airbus officials boast of several improvements:

• The wide use the advanced composite materials to lighten the weight
• Advanced systems and aerodynamics to increase operating efficiency.
• New, fuel-efficient engines

All in all, this will reduce seat-mile costs by 20 percent and increase the flying range by 1,000 miles over the standard 747. The A380 seats over 40% more passengers, in better comfort than today’s largest aircraft in a typical three-class, 525-seat configuration. (The number of passengers carried will vary widely depending on carrier preference.)

Airbus: What Airlines Will Fly It?

The A-380, like the 747, will be an international workhorse.

• Singapore will fly its first A-380s in a 471-seat, three-class configuration between Singapore and Sydney. Nearly 40 of those seats will be coach class. Future plans include Singapore-San Francisco and Singapore-Paris/Frankfurt/London.
• Australian carrier Qantas is positioned to be the second carrier to get the A-380; it plans 450-seat service between Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles.
• Air France and Emirates also expect to add the plane to their fleets in 2008. Fifteen airlines already have placed more than 165 orders for the A-380.

Airbus: The Good News, The Bad News

The good news:

• More than 25 percent of the A-380 weight is composite material. And there is a significant wing-design breakthrough: It is the first commercial airliner with a central wing box made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, as well as the first to have a wing cross-section that is smoothly contoured instead of partitioned in section. This improves aerodynamics and flight efficiency.

The less-than-good news:

• The A-380 is so wide and large that it won’t fit in the largest gates at many major airports, forcing airport operators to construct new facilities to accommodate it. And it promises to test the capabilities or other airport infrastructure such as baggage handling, security and customs and immigration clearance.
• The A-380 also has been impacted by significant delays. Singapore Air first expected delivery of the plane in 2006. But Airbus announced several delays attributed to the complexity of some 330 miles of wiring in each aircraft. (The are 100,000 wires and more than 40,000 connectors in each plane.) Other problems were caused by the use of two incompatible versions of the computer-aided design system, as well as difficulties with configuration management. Some industry analysts also cite weight issues with the new airplane; the first Airbus A-380 is about five tons heavier than originally intended.
• The program delays caused some customers such as FedEx and UPS, to cancel orders for freighter versions of the A-380.

Still, the A-380 will make aviation history when it rumbles down the runway in late October. Industry executives and passengers likely will both be startled and awed by the sheer size of the worlds newest commercial jetliner.

World’s newest aircraft to be most comfortable, fuel efficient and technologically advanced in history

By Al Senia

When the worlds newest airplane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, takes to the skies for its initial test flight sometime this fall, a new threshold in the history of commercial aviation will be crossed.

The Dreamliner, a twin-aisle replacement for the aging and less fuel-efficient 767 airplane, will feature a more comfortable cabin design with larger windows and more ambient lighting for customers. The airplane makes substantial use of composite material in its primary structures, reducing weight and increasing operating efficiency. And it has a flying range of almost 8,500 nautical miles, long enough to link Los Angeles nonstop to Bangkok, Thailand and placing many mid-size U.S. cities in range of more Asian carriers who are among the expected customers for the plane.

On the commercial airplane side, we know we have to stay one step ahead and provide our customers with what our competitors cannot, Boeing Chairman & CEO Jim McNerney explained to company shareholders in April. He labels the Dreamliner a product that differentiates us in terms of innovation, passenger comfort, economic efficiency and environmental performance. It confirms the merits of our point-to-point strategy, and it is emblematic of our deep, company wide commitment to improving the environmental footprint of our products and facilities.
In aerospace circles, the Dreamliner draws attention mostly because of its breakthrough use of carbon fiber, a lightweight, sturdy composite material in much of the airframe. By weight, the new aircraft is 50 percent composite, 20 percent aluminum, 15 percent titanium and 10 percent steel. That makes it much lighter than Boeings 767 or 747 jumbo jets. Boeing estimates the plane will use 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized airplanes, produce fewer carbon emissions, and provide quieter takeoffs and landings. All of that has made both airline companies and passengers cheer.

The Dreamliner is so much more efficient to operate, that when it is added to airline fleets in a few years, it could help lower passenger airfares on more competitive, long-rage routes. The airplane accommodates between 210 and 300 passengers, depending on the configuration chosen by the airline. (Domestic Asian flights likely will have the tightest fit, with international long-haul routes offering the most breathing room.)
Passengers will find a more comfortable cabin that Boeing officials brag has a deliberate gee-whiz factor attached to it:

• Windows are larger
• Luggage bins are roomier (can hold 4-standard carry-on bags)
• Window shades have been replaced with individual dimmer switches
• LED mood lighting simulates sunrise, daytime sky and evening

The aim is to use the planes new design to take a bit of the edge off the often nerve-jarring experience of flying long distances. Theres even a fancy new air purification system designed to add humidity and keep the cabin air cleaner. Boeing says the cabin is built to be pressurized at an altitude of 6,000 ft., rather than the standard 8,000 ft. All-in-all, the cabin should feel about 50-percent less dry for passengers, hopefully reducing health complaints.
All of this innovation, of course, comes with a cost. The initial two versions, the short-range 787-3 and the baseline 787-8, are priced between $150 million and $167 million, depending upon the configuration chosen. (A later, stretched version, the 787-9, is priced at $200 million and scheduled for delivery in 2010.) Its expected the baseline version will carry 220 passengers in a three-cabin configuration. The short-range version will have a 6,500 nautical-mile range and can carry 296 passengers in a two-cabin class.

The Dreamliner was rolled out to the public on July 8, and the first flight was originally set for August, then delayed until late September. A lot of industry buzz in popular blogs (and a recent article in the Seattle Post- Intelligencer) claims the plane wont actually fly until October, with speculation that electrical wiring issues have caused a delay. Commercial delivery to the planes first customer, All-Nippon Airways, is not until May, so Boeing probably has at least a month or two to work out any kinks without seriously endangering the delivery schedule. Company officials are sticking to the May delivery date.

The aircraft-maker certainly wants to keep the production line humming. So far, 47 customers have ordered 683 aircraft, which is enough to keep the operation going full-throttle through decades end and makes the Dreamliner, according to Boeing, the most successful commercial airplane launch in history.