Can We Guess if You're an Air Force Veteran?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can We Guess if You're an Air Force Veteran?
Image: WikiCommons

About This Quiz

The United States Air Force is the most powerful fighting force ever to take to the skies of this beautiful blue orb we call planet Earth. It has absolute dominance over the areas under American control, and frankly, it could easily assert its power over any other part of the globe if it were so inclined. 

It also has a rather amusing sense of humor, writing on its nukes, "Worldwide delivery in 45 minutes, or the next one's free!" It's an organization in which new ideas and skills are developed, limits are pushed, and power is deployed with finesse one day and a sledgehammer the next. USAF is a textbook case of an extraordinarily brave, highly qualified group of people studying for years to perfect the art of war, then only ever using about ten percent of that potential for destruction. It's all about restraint in the face of overwhelming temptation to simply knock together the heads of everyone that annoys you.

Does this sound like you? Are you someone who can hold back when you have to and then go all out the next minute? Do you understand the value of deterrence? Are you unafraid in a crisis and competent with tech skills? If so, you're probably a USAF veteran. Let's see if we can figure it out!

Do you know how to fly a plane?
I used to fly my dad's Cessna.
Absolutely.
Only metaphorically.
I'm an expert at X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter.
Do you have any home remedies for when your ears pop?
Chew gum.
I've never had that problem.
Swallow hard.
Just tough it out.
What is a hammer?
It's a metaphor, useful in describing people who only approach problems one way.
It's a maneuver popular with fighter pilots, especially around WW2.
It was a series of 2014 missile tests.
It's a tool for driving nails.

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What is a split S?
Some kind of maneuver.
A kind of turn used to evade an attacker or pursue a target that is also executing a split S.
That's above my pay grade.
It's a dollar sign.
Do you ever get nervous on civilian aircraft?
Only Russian civilian aircraft.
If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going.
Only when we land.
All the time.
What is the Bernoulli effect?
It's something to do with physics.
It's what gives airplanes lift.
It's what makes propellers work.
Isn't that a video game from Eidos?

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What is an Immelmann turn?
A maneuver dating back to WW1.
A 180 degree turn where the plan banks 90 degrees and then "pulls up".
That sounds like sub captain stuff to me.
That's a special move from Street Fighter II.
What is the most important invention to aviation?
Control surfaces.
Aviation screws.
The propeller.
The joystick.
What is a reel?
It's what you put film on.
It's the person sitting with the pilot in the cockpit of a fighter.
A thing used in fishing.
It could be any of a number of things.

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How would you finish "TS, SI, __"?
I'm not allowed to do that.
Top secret... sensitive information... above my pay grade?
No idea.
Double X.
How do you most commonly give directions?
Using landmarks.
In degrees.
In kilometers.
I send a link using Google Maps.
What happens if you set the autopilot to 0?
Air traffic control assumes you are dead at the stick.
You head to the north pole.
You crash.
You've turned it off.

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What is ping time?
The time between when a command is sent and when it is received.
It's why drones suck.
It's the time between seeing a gun fire, and hearing the report.
It's why I get killed in video games.
How fast is fast?
Mach 1.
Mach 3.3
45 knots.
300 mph.
What is the coolest plane of all time?
The A-12 OXCART.
The 747.
The F-18.
The F-35.

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How is your eyesight?
I'm nearsighted.
20/20.
I'm a little colorblind.
I'm useless without my glasses.
Can you keep a secret?
Yes.
Most secrets, sure.
Probably.
No!
Where do the best pilots come from?
The USA.
The Air Force Academy.
Top Gun.
Germany, during WW2.

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Are you good under pressure?
I thrive on pressure.
I can handle that, for a few hours.
I'm okay under pressure.
As long as I can hit the pause button, I can deal with it.
Are you tech savvy?
Very much so.
I can pick up tech easily.
I'm okay with it.
I can always handle the latest PlayStation.
Do you periodically recognize "UFOs" you see in video online?
Ha! All the time! Towed radar arrays are a laugh.
Yeah, my favorite is when those F-18 pilots manage to get a radar lock on a cruise missile.
No, but I believe there is life out there.
Yeah! I think one I saw was the Enterprise, sent back in time.

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Can you identify a plane from the sound of its engines?
Usually, but I'd rather rely on their silhouette.
Mostly, but I am losing my hearing.
I can tell the type of engine, sure.
They're all the same to me.
What's the worst sound you can hear on an aircraft?
Crunch.
Silence.
Bang.
"Does anyone know how to fly this thing?"
Who is your role model?
Francis Walsingham.
Erich Hartmann.
Neil Armstrong.
Solid Snake.

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What's your weakness?
I don't have the sharpest reflexes.
I can't do a layup to save my life.
I'm not great with g-forces.
Peanut butter.
What movie annoys you the most?
Does "Homeland" count?
"Broken Arrow."
"Under Siege."
"The Phantom Menace."
What song do you like to sing?
"Spy," by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean.
"The U.S. Air Force," by Robert Crawford.
"Anchors Aweigh!"
"Enter Sandman," by Metallica!

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Who would you not want in your proverbial foxhole?
Someone who vocalizes when they are afraid.
Someone tall.
Someone who can't fire a gun.
My mom.
Who is your favorite president?
George H. W. Bush.
JFK.
FDR.
Thomas Whitmore.
What's the best thing you saw out of the window of a plane?
The Milky Way.
The South Pole.
Shore.
The Grand Canyon.

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You Got: