Export your learner materials as an interactive game, a webpage, or FAQ style cheatsheet.
Unsaved Work Found!
It looks like you have unsaved work from a previous session. Would you like to restore it?
Total Categories: 6
Constructor-Commander C. I. R. Campbell was responsible for leading the design team of the R.38 class airships.
Answer: True
Design work for the R.38 class airships was conducted by an Admiralty team led by Constructor-Commander C. I. R. Campbell of the Royal Corps of Navy Constructors.
R.39 was planned as a variant of the R.38 class with a significantly reduced length.
Answer: False
R.39 was planned to be identical to the R.38. The variants R.40 and R.41 were planned with a reduced length due to manufacturing shed limitations.
The R.38's hull contained 14 hydrogen-filled gasbags and featured 13-sided mainframes spaced approximately 50 feet apart.
Answer: True
The R.38's hull structure included 14 gasbags and 13-sided mainframes positioned approximately 49 feet apart, constructed from diamond-shaped trusses.
Who was the lead designer for the R.38 class airships within the Admiralty team?
Answer: Constructor-Commander C. I. R. Campbell
Design work for the R.38 class airships was conducted by an Admiralty team led by Constructor-Commander C. I. R. Campbell of the Royal Corps of Navy Constructors.
Why were R.40 and R.41 planned as variants with reduced length compared to the original R.38 design?
Answer: Due to limitations of existing manufacturing sheds.
The variants R.40 and R.41 were planned with a reduced length of 690 feet specifically because the existing manufacturing sheds were not large enough to accommodate the full length of the original R.38 design.
How were the six Sunbeam Cossack engines distributed on the R.38 airship?
Answer: In three pairs: one aft of the control car, one amidships, and one at the aft.
The six Sunbeam Cossack III engines were housed in individual cars and arranged in three pairs: one pair located aft of the control car, one pair amidships, and the third pair situated at the aft of the airship.
What were the key dimensions of the R.38/ZR-2 airship?
Answer: Length: 695 ft, Diameter: 85 ft 4 in
The R.38/ZR-2 airship had a length of 695 feet (212 meters) and a diameter of 85 feet 4 inches (26.01 meters).
Four airships of the R.38 class were initially ordered; however, only the R.38 was completed following the armistice.
Answer: True
The Admiralty initially ordered four airships of the R.38 class. Following the armistice with Germany, orders for three of these—R.39, R.40, and R.41—were subsequently canceled, leaving only R.38 to be completed.
The R.38 was sold to the United States Army Air Service after its completion.
Answer: False
The R.38 was sold to the United States Navy, not the Army Air Service, and was designated ZR-2 prior to its completion.
The United States Navy requested modifications to the R.38's stern to improve its balance before completion.
Answer: True
The US Navy requested modifications, including adding weight to the stern, to ensure proper balance of the R.38 before its completion.
The US Navy was interested in acquiring rigid airships after WWI partly because their attempts to secure Zeppelins as war reparations failed.
Answer: True
Following World War I, the US Navy sought to expand its fleet of rigid airships. Their initial efforts to obtain Zeppelins as war reparations were unsuccessful as German crews deliberately destroyed them.
The USS Los Angeles was the only other large rigid airship the US Navy was pursuing around the time they acquired the R.38.
Answer: False
Around the time of acquiring the R.38, the US Navy was also pursuing the USS Shenandoah, which was built in the United States, in addition to ordering a Zeppelin that became the USS Los Angeles.
The United States Navy purchased the R.38 for £500,000.
Answer: False
The agreement for the purchase of the R.38 by the United States Navy was finalized for £300,000.
Demands for economy from the Exchequer and the US Navy's commander Maxwell contributed to risks being taken with the R.38 project.
Answer: True
The confluence of demands for economy from the Exchequer and the influence of US Navy commander Maxwell led to risks being accepted in the R.38 project, despite contemporary concerns.
Following the armistice after World War I, what happened to the majority of the R.38 class airships initially ordered?
Answer: Three were canceled due to budget cuts.
The Admiralty initially ordered four airships of the R.38 class. Following the armistice with Germany, orders for three of these—R.39, R.40, and R.41—were subsequently canceled, leaving only R.38 to be completed.
What designation did the United States Navy give to the R.38 airship after purchasing it?
Answer: ZR-2
The R.38 was sold to the United States Navy and designated ZR-2 prior to its completion.
What issue significantly complicated the manufacturing process for the R.38 after the contract was re-awarded?
Answer: Nationalization of the facility and confused responsibilities.
Following the re-ordering of the contract, the nationalization of the manufacturing facility at Cardington led to confused responsibilities between various authorities, significantly complicating the production process.
Which modification did the US Navy request for the R.38's bow section?
Answer: To allow mooring to a mast.
The United States Navy requested modifications to the R.38's bow section to facilitate mooring to a mast and to allow access from the keel to the mast.
Why did the US Navy initially fail in their attempt to acquire German Zeppelins after WWI?
Answer: The German crews deliberately destroyed them.
The US Navy sought to obtain German Zeppelins as war reparations following World War I. However, their efforts were thwarted as the German crews deliberately destroyed the airships.
Besides the R.38 (ZR-2), what other large rigid airship was the US Navy planning or building around the same time?
Answer: USS Shenandoah
Concurrent with its pursuit of the R.38 (ZR-2), the US Navy was also planning and constructing the USS Shenandoah, a large rigid airship built in the United States.
What was the purchase price agreed upon between the UK and the US Navy for the R.38?
Answer: £300,000
The agreement for the purchase of the R.38 by the United States Navy was finalized in October 1919 for a sum of £300,000.
During World War I, the R.38 class airships were initially conceived for reconnaissance missions over the North Sea.
Answer: True
The R.38 class airships were designed for Britain's Royal Navy during the concluding months of the First World War, with their intended role being long-range patrol duties over the North Sea.
Upon its initial flight, the R.38 was recognized as the largest airship globally.
Answer: True
At the time of its first flight, the R.38 held the distinction of being the largest airship in the world.
The Admiralty required the R.38 class airships to patrol for a minimum of 10 days at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.
Answer: False
The Admiralty's performance requirements for the R.38 class included patrolling for six days at ranges up to 300 miles from base and reaching altitudes of up to 22,000 feet.
J. E. M. Pritchard proposed 200 hours of flight testing for the R.38 before its handover.
Answer: False
J. E. M. Pritchard proposed a total of 150 hours of flight testing, comprising 100 hours of initial testing and an additional 50 hours to be flown by the American crew.
Air Commodore Edward Maitland agreed with the abbreviated testing schedule proposed by Commander Maxfield.
Answer: False
Air Commodore Edward Maitland strongly disagreed with the abbreviated testing schedule, finding it 'appalling.' Commander Maxfield had advocated for completing tests in a single day.
The R.38's first flight revealed issues with the engine performance.
Answer: False
The first flight of the R.38 revealed problems related to the over-balance of its control surfaces, not engine performance.
During its third flight, the R.38 experienced failures in several girders near the aft engine cars.
Answer: False
During its third flight, the R.38 experienced failures in several girders located near the midship engine cars, not the aft ones.
Air Commodore E. M. Maitland advised conducting speed trials at higher altitudes, similar to German Zeppelin testing practices.
Answer: True
Air Commodore E. M. Maitland recommended that all future speed trials be conducted at higher altitudes, mirroring the practice used by the Germans when testing fragile Zeppelins, upon which the R.38 design was based.
What was the primary intended role of the R.38 class airships for the Royal Navy?
Answer: Long-range patrol duties over the North Sea.
Designed for Britain's Royal Navy during the concluding months of the First World War, the R.38 class airships were intended for long-range patrol duties over the North Sea.
What record did the R.38 hold at the time of its initial flight?
Answer: Largest airship in the world.
At the time of its first flight, the R.38 held the distinction of being the largest airship in the world.
Which of the following was NOT among the performance requirements set by the Admiralty for the R.38 class in June 1918?
Answer: Operating at speeds exceeding 80 mph.
The Admiralty's performance requirements for the R.38 class included patrolling for six days, reaching altitudes of up to 22,000 feet, and maintaining a range of 300 miles from base. Operating at speeds exceeding 80 mph was not specified as a requirement.
What was the total proposed flight testing duration recommended by J. E. M. Pritchard before the R.38's handover?
Answer: 150 hours
J. E. M. Pritchard proposed a total of 150 hours of flight testing for the R.38 before its handover, comprising 100 hours of initial testing and an additional 50 hours to be flown by the American crew.
Which senior officer found the abbreviated testing schedule for the R.38 'appalling'?
Answer: Air Commodore Edward Maitland
Air Commodore Edward Maitland strongly disagreed with the abbreviated testing schedule proposed for the R.38, finding it 'appalling.'
What critical structural failures were observed during the R.38's third flight over the North Sea?
Answer: Failure of several girders near the midship engine cars.
During its third flight, the R.38 experienced failures in several girders located near the midship engine cars, indicating significant structural stress.
The R.38 airship met its end in 1921 over the Humber Estuary, not the English Channel.
Answer: False
The R.38 (ZR-2) airship suffered catastrophic structural failure and was destroyed on August 24, 1921, over Hull, England, subsequently crashing into the Humber Estuary.
The R.38's final flight was intended to reach RNAS Pulham for mooring to a mast.
Answer: True
The intended destination for the R.38 on its final flight was RNAS Pulham in Norfolk, where it could be moored to a mast, a facility not available at its departure point.
The R.38 broke apart during a low-speed ascent.
Answer: False
The R.38 broke apart during turning trials conducted at a speed of approximately 62.7 mph and an altitude of 2,500 feet, involving control reversals, not during a low-speed ascent.
Eyewitnesses reported the R.38's hull cracking open and separating into two sections before crashing.
Answer: True
Eyewitness accounts described the hull creasing diagonally towards the stern, both ends drooping, the hull cracking open with crew members falling out, and the two main sections separating.
Following the structural break-up, the aft section of the R.38 caught fire and exploded.
Answer: False
After the structural break-up, the forward section of the R.38 caught fire and exploded, while the aft section descended more slowly.
The wreckage of the R.38 primarily fell onto the city of Hull.
Answer: False
The wreckage of the R.38 fell into the shallow waters of the Humber Estuary, adjacent to Hull, rather than directly onto the city itself.
Flight Lieutenant Archibald Herbert Wann, the British Commanding Officer, was among those killed in the R.38 crash.
Answer: False
Flight Lieutenant Archibald Herbert Wann, the British Commanding Officer of the R.38, was one of the few survivors of the crash.
Rigger Norman Otto Walker was the only American crew member to survive the R.38 disaster.
Answer: True
Rigger Norman Otto Walker was indeed the sole American crew member to survive the catastrophic event.
In which body of water did the R.38 (ZR-2) airship crash after its structural failure?
Answer: The Humber Estuary
The R.38 (ZR-2) airship suffered catastrophic structural failure and was destroyed on August 24, 1921, over Hull, England, subsequently crashing into the Humber Estuary.
Commander Jerome Hunsacker and Charles Burgess expressed concerns about the R.38's structural integrity, noting a lack of safety factor.
Answer: True
Following girder failures during testing, Commander Jerome Hunsacker and Charles Burgess raised concerns. Burgess specifically concluded that the airship's transverses were barely adequate and lacked a sufficient safety factor.
Only one official inquiry was held into the R.38 disaster.
Answer: False
Three separate official inquiries were convened to investigate the R.38 disaster.
The first inquiry concluded that the structure failed due to extreme control forces and criticized the lack of independent design scrutiny.
Answer: True
The initial inquiry, chaired by Sir John Salmond, determined that the structure failed under extreme control forces and criticized the system where design and airworthiness inspection were handled by a single authority, suggesting insufficient scrutiny.
The Admiralty's inquiry determined that the R.38's design incorporated several new features that compromised its strength.
Answer: False
The Admiralty's inquiry concluded that the R.38's design did not incorporate new features that compromised its strength, but rather that there was no existing body capable of adequately advising on its structural integrity at the time.
The technical Committee of Enquiry found that the R.38's design adequately accounted for aerodynamic stresses.
Answer: False
The technical Committee of Enquiry, chaired by Mervyn O'Gorman, concluded that the R.38's design had made no allowance for aerodynamic stresses, which, when combined with the maneuvers performed, weakened the hull.
What specific structural concern did Charles Burgess raise about the R.38's design after testing?
Answer: The transverses lacked a sufficient safety factor.
Following girder failures during testing, Charles Burgess concluded that the airship's transverses were barely adequate and lacked a sufficient safety factor, indicating a critical structural weakness.
What did the technical Committee of Enquiry, chaired by Mervyn O'Gorman, conclude was the primary cause of the R.38's failure?
Answer: Inadequate allowance for aerodynamic stresses in the design.
The technical Committee of Enquiry concluded that the R.38's design had made no allowance for aerodynamic stresses. While it could withstand normal loads, the maneuvers performed introduced stresses that the structure could not safely endure.
The R.38 disaster had little impact on the design considerations for subsequent British airships.
Answer: False
The R.38 disaster significantly influenced the design of subsequent British airships, such as the R.100 and R.101, by prompting rigorous investigations into airship structures.
The R.38 Memorial Prize was established to honor the airship's successful transatlantic flight.
Answer: False
The R.38 Memorial Prize was established in December 1922 by the Royal Aeronautical Society as an annual award for technical papers on airships, not to commemorate a successful flight.
The first R.38 Memorial Prize was awarded for a paper on the airship's operational history.
Answer: False
The first R.38 Memorial Prize was awarded to C.P. Burgess, Jerome Hunsacker, and Starr Truscott for their paper titled 'The Strength of Rigid Airships,' focusing on structural integrity rather than operational history.
How did the R.38 disaster influence the design of subsequent British airships like the R.100 and R.101?
Answer: It prompted rigorous investigation of airship structures.
The R.38 disaster led to a rigorous investigation into airship structural integrity, which directly influenced the design considerations for subsequent British airships, including the R.100 and R.101.
What type of prize was established in December 1922 in memory of the R.38 disaster?
Answer: An annual award for technical papers on airships.
Established in December 1922 by the Royal Aeronautical Society, the R.38 Memorial Prize was intended as an annual award for technical papers focusing on airship design and technology.