1. 1947
   1901
2. 1999
   2017

The United States Air Force as we know it today was formed on September 18, 1947. Before that, it had many organizations that preceded it, such as Air Service, U.S .Army and U.S. Army Air Forces.

1. United States Marines
   Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps
2. Royal Air Force
   United States Navy Air Force

The forerunner to the United States Air Force as we know it today was the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps. This was formed in 1907 and remained in service until 1914. This division acquired its first aircraft in 1909 and implemented a program to train pilots, which resulted in the 1st Aero Squadron entering service in 1913.

1. True
2. False

A number of American pilots flew against the Germans over the Western Front before the United States had joined World War I. How? Well, they flew for the Lafayette Escadrille which formed in 1916. All these pilots were volunteers. They claimed 199 German aircraft shot down before the unit was disbanded in 1918.

1. Manfred von Richthofen
   Gervais Raoul Lufbery
2. Frank Luke, Jr.
   Eddie Rickenbacker

Eddie Rickenbacker was the top-scoring American fighter pilot during World War I. During his brief time on the Western Front, Rickenbacker claimed 26 victories. These came in just six months from April to October 1918.

1. Chuck Yeager
   John Glenn
2. Douglas Bader
   Richard Bong

Although aircraft had broken the speed of sound in a dive before, the quest was on to break it in level flight. Chuck Yeager became the first man to do so. He did it on October 14, 1947. Yeager was flying the Bell X-1 at the time.

1. Neil Armstrong
   Robert Crippen
2. Francis Gary Powers
   None of the above

Francis Gary Powers was the pilot of the spy plane shot down over Soviet territory in 1960. Powers was caught and spent nearly two years in Soviet custody before he was part of a swap deal between U.S. and Soviet authorities.

1. One
   20
2. 10
   Five

The term "ace" is used by the United States Air Force, amongst others. It actually originated in World War I and was used to describe a pilot who had shot down five or more enemy aircraft.

1. Washington D.C. One
   Air Force One
2. White Hours One
   None of the above

The President of the United States flies all over the world in a jet provided by the United States Air Force. This is called Air Force One. This designation is not assigned to one particular plane. It is assigned to any plane in which the U.S. president flies. In other words, it is a call sign, not an aircraft.

1. James Stewart
   Clint Eastwood
2. John Wayne
   None of the above

James Stewart was one of the first Hollywood actors to sign up to a branch of the United States military during World War II. Stewart, a pilot before the war, went on to fly combat missions over Germany on many occasions.

1. True
2. False

Perhaps the most famous aircraft of World War II, the Memphis Belle was NOT the first aircraft to fly 25 combat missions during the war. In fact, two aircraft managed the feat before the 'Belle. They were Hot Stuff, a B24 Liberator, and Hell's Angels, a B17 Flying Fortress. The Memphis Belle was the first aircraft to do so without losing any crew.

1. North American P51 Mustang
   Boeing B17 Flying Fortress
2. Lockheed U2

The Lockheed U2 was an exceptional aircraft. It was capable of flying at over 70,000 feet (21 kilometers) high which put it out of reach out of many military aircraft hoping to intercept it. It still remains in service today.

1. Bockscar
   Enola Gay
2. Flak Bait
   Lady Be Good

On August 6, 1945, a Boeing B29 Superfortress named the Enola Gay delivered the first atomic bomb ever used. It was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. The bomb, nicknamed "Little Man," killed 80,000 people instantly and many more over the coming days.

1. National Security Act of 1947
   Roswell Act of 1947
2. The Truman Act of 1947
   None of the above

The National Security Act of 1947 brought about the formation of National Military Establishment. This later had a name change to the National Department of Defense. Before that, all squadrons serving the United States fell under the U.S. Army.

1. Supermarine Spitfire
   North American P51 Mustang
2. Hawker Hurricane
   None of the above

The original North American P51 Mustang was not much to shout home about. It's Allison engine left it underpowered. When fitted with a Rolls Royce Merlin engine, the Mustang was transformed into one of the greatest fighter aircraft of World War II.

1. Korean War
   Vietnam War
2. Falklands War
   Gulf War

Although jet aircraft saw action toward the end of World War II, it was the Korean War that saw the first major dogfights between jet-powered machines. This was still dogfighting in the true sense of the word, with machineguns and canons the only weapons available to these aircraft.

1. Five
   Two
2. One
   None

Two recent U.S. presidents spent time in the U.S. Air Force. They were George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. George H. Bush flew during World War II but was a U.S. Navy pilot.

1. North American P51 Mustang
   North American F86 Sabre
2. Lockheed P38 Lightning
   None of the above

The North American F86 Sabre first entered service in 1949. During the Korean War, the Sabre proved its metal and was a far better plane than those flown by North Korean, Chinese and Russian pilots. Incredibly, the Sabre served right up until 1994 when it was finally pulled from squadrons belonging to Bolivia.

1. Silver Falcons
   Blue Eagles
2. Red Arrows
   Thunderbirds

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were established as a display squadron in 1953. Based in Nevada at the Nellis Air Force Base, the Thunderbirds are the third-oldest military display team in the world.

1. Handley Page Hampden
   Avro Lancaster
2. Vickers Wellington
   Boeing B17 Flying Fortress

The B17 Flying Fortress is one of the most famous aircraft of World War II. Designed as a bomber, it was primarily used in the West, flying daylight missions against Nazi Germany. The B17 could hold 9,600 pounds of bombs and had 11 to 13 machine guns as defensive armament. It first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1938.

1. Yank Air
   Flying Tigers
2. No 1 Pursuit Squadron
   Hat and Ring Squadron

Nicknamed the "Flying Tigers," the First American Volunteer Group flew with the Chinese Air Force against Japan from April 1941.

1. True
2. False

Hunter S. Thompson wanted to be a pilot and joined the U.S. Air Force in the 1950s. It was while serving at Eglin Air Force Base that he took classes at Florida State University and even became the sports editor of the Command Courier. Thompson was discharged from the Air Force due to his rebel attitude.

1. Fewer than 5,000
   7,791
2. More than 300,000
   5 million

The United States Air Force is the second-largest service branch in the U.S. military. It employs more than 300,000 people, including 140,000 civilians, about 70,000 reservists and more than 100,000 in its Air National Guard division.

1. A satellite
   A weather balloon
2. A misdirected bomb
   None of the above

The Roswell incident received much attention years after it happened, with many UFOlogists claiming that a saucer as well as bodies were recovered at the crash site. The U.S. AIr Force, however, has always maintained it was a high-altitude balloon that came down.

1. More than 12,000
   150,000
2. 275,000
   400

As the largest air force in the world, it is to be expected that the U.S. Air Force would have a large number of pilots. In fact, they number more than 12,000! So thats almost a two-and-a-half aircraft for each pilot!

1. 1912
   1941
2. 1945
   1993

The first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force was Jeannie Leavitt. Leavitt entered service in 1993 and flew more than 300 combat missions in a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.

1. 400
   1,000
2. 1,143
   5,369

In 2017, the U.S. Air Force could call upon 5,369 active aircraft. These are not only stationed in the United States but in bases around the world. By comparison, Russia has a little more than 2,000 aircraft in service.

1. Tuskegee Airmen
   Arizona flyers
2. Alabama attackers
   None of the above

Tuskegee Airmen is a popular name given to a group of African American pilots that served during World War II. They served in the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group. 332nd Fighter Group saw action in both Africa and Italy. They were commonly known as the 'Red Tails' as many painted the tails of their aircraft red.

1. Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
   Hawker Tempest
2. Sukhoi Su-57
   None of the above

Introduced into Soviet service in 1949, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was more than a match for the North American F86 Sabre during World War II. In fact, in some regards, it was superior. What the American did have, however, was many World War II veterans with combat experience. and that led to a kill ratio of 5.6 to 1.

1. General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
   North American F-100 Super Sabre
2. Northrop T-38 Talon,
   Republic F-84G Thunderjet

The go-to aircraft for the Thunderbirds, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet serving with the U.S. Air Force. It entered service with the Thunderbirds in 1983. In the 30 years previous to that, they flew six other aircraft types.

1. "Aim High … Fly-Fight-Win"
   "To Infinity ... and beyond"
2. "Up, up and away"
   None of the above

"Aim High … Fly-Fight-Win" is the motto of the U.S. Air Force. Others have been used over time, including "Integrity first, Service before self, Excellence in all we do."

1. Boeing B52 Stratofortress
   Boeing B17 Flying Fortress
2. North American B25 Mitchell
   None of the above

The Boeing B52 Stratofortress first entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1955. With a range of over 8,000 miles, B52s can reach almost any target in the world and deliver more 70,000 pounds of weapons. It remains in service today.

1. Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker
   Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle
2. Robert Morgan
   None of the above

The "Doolittle Raid," also known as the raid on Tokyo, took place in April 1942 and although it didn't inflict heavy damage, it was a major morale booster for the United States. It was led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle with the squadron of North American B25 Mitchells taking off from U.S. Navy carriers (a feat in itself).

1. Grumman F-14 Tomcat
   Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
2. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
   McDonnell Douglas F-16 Falcon

The first stealth aircraft to see operation, the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk first entered service in 1983. This strange-looking aircraft took part in the Gulf War and flew operations during the Kosovo conflict.

1. Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
   Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
2. Boeing B-29 Superfortress
   None of the above

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program is somewhat controversial due to its cost. To date, the program has cost more than $1.5 trillion. The aircraft itself is a multirole platform and even includes a carrier-based variant.

1. Robert M. Hanson
   Richard Bong
2. Gregory Boyington
   George Preddy

Richard Bong shot down 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II, all while flying the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter. He died testing a new jet aircraft in 1945.