WW II Fighter/Bomber - 1

Probably because with only a pilot and navigator theres no loadmaster, so there not set to be released???

The bombs arnt in the plane?

the in should be IN for emphasis

>Probably because with only a pilot and navigator theres no loadmaster, so there not set to be released???
No, They are set, ready to go but they do NOT come out. Why?

>The bombs arnt in the plane?
No, Its fully loaded.

>the in should be IN for emphasis
No, Don't be fussy :)

A fully loaded bomber may not have any bombs IN it - but plenty of bombs ON it

>A fully loaded bomber may not have any bombs IN it - but plenty of bombs ON it
The bomber is fully loaded with the bombs IN it. They are not outside the Fighter/Bomber plane...........

They blow up on the plane?

or the plane crashes/in a kamikazee plane

oops for in read is

the plane is inverted (upside down)

>They blow up on the plane?
No
>or the plane crashes/in a kamikazee plane
No
>the plane is inverted (upside down)
No.

now your sure the plane isnt upside down???? LOL

One night during World War Two, a British bomber was on a mission. The plane was in perfect condition and everything on it worked properly. When it reached its target, the pilot ordered the bomb doors opened. They opened. He then ordered the bombs released. They were released, but the bombs did not fall from the plane. Why was this?
http://www.shellingford.freeuk.com/magaz/lat.html

It was flying upside down.
http://www.shellingford.freeuk.com/magaz/lata.html


???????????????????

i would say that it's because they didn't open the bombay doors, but that wouldn't stop the bombs from leaving (they'd just take the doors with).

and http://goto.bilkent.edu.tr/gunes/lateralthinking.htm

and just to be extra annoying - then ill stop http://www.olga.towerhamlets.sch.uk/children/riddles.htm

No, Remember this was told by someone who flew the plane, someone who knew the plane.....
The answer is different to your link.......

>i would say that it's because they didn't open the bombay doors, but that wouldn't stop the bombs from leaving (they'd just take the doors with).
Your on the right track now.....:)

Grrrrr!

??Who knew the plane??

The plane was diving/climbing

The bombs cant be released below a certain altitude

you cant drop the bombs with the landing gear down?

>??Who knew the plane??
My grandfather.

>The plane was diving/climbing
No
>The bombs cant be released below a certain altitude
Hmm, they can, they won't detonate though I believe. Not the answer anyways..... :)

>you cant drop the bombs with the landing gear down?
The landing gear is not down. Good guess though :)

:0) Another stab in the dark :(

cause he needs to press the bomb bay doors open button first

though thats a lot like the other answer :(

the plane needs to depressurise before the bomb bay doors open?

>cause he needs to press the bomb bay doors open button first
On the right track.....
>the plane needs to depressurise before the bomb bay doors open?
no

The safety system on the bombs wont let them release if the bay doors are closed.

>The safety system on the bombs wont let them release if the bay doors are closed.
no

The navigator needs to open the doors?

The navigator needs to open the doors?
No, The doors are opened by the pilot.........:)

The pilot hasnt opened the doors

or

the doors arnt open

or

there are no doors (as in there is no spoon)

you still there :p

>The pilot hasnt opened the doors
Yes, but not the complete answer. Why didn't he open the doors?
>the doors arnt open
Yes again, but not the complete answer. Why didn't he open the doors?
there are no doors (as in there is no spoon)
No. The doors are there. There are doors...

why didnt he open the doors???

that means the doors are capable of being opened!

which snookers the theory I just came up with in the shower :(

If they are over their target, it is too late to drop the bombs.
Unless they are in a dive.

then why would the pilot press the button

this is a fighter/bomber  as its a dual role aircraft, thats JUST been serviced, the servicing engineers have deployed it in the fighter role, therefore the bomb doors are locked shut.

>If they are over their target, it is too late to drop the bombs.
>Unless they are in a dive.
nope
therefore the bomb doors are locked shut.
nope

practise run

not usually advisable to do practice runs in enemy territory ;-)

Rodger Im sure youve just made up some crazy madness as the solution.

Pete

I would say that he didn't open the doors because he was flying a fighter/bomber. Fighter bombers have everything attached externally so that it can be dropped easily in the middle of a dogfight. This includes drop tanks and bombs. So there were no doors to open, and the bombs did not come OUT of the plane. If anything, the bombs would drop from their wing or belly mounts.

The plane has been hit so the bay doors are jammed. So the pilot did not open them.

Maybe the pilot forgot to open the bay doors

I think my estimates were likely given by now.
1) fighter/bomber has the bombs on outside of two seater for quick release
2) Once you are over a target, it is too late to drop them (momentum)
 - but I don't think the bombs are that smart, if pilot pulls trigger, bombs should release
unless maybe
3) wrong altitude (too low)
-----------------------------------
4) they are on the return trip, taking photo from atop where they'd already dumped their load
so.. pilot is forgetful or it is dual purpose switch, handling the bomb release and the camera

Very funny thread, lads! LOL all the time!

Does remind me of the "Dr Strangelove or How I Learnt To Love The Bomb" sequence where the bomb won't fall out after they apply auxillary power, emergency power, manual override and explosive bolts.

I've always wanted a "Caution - Explosive Bolts" sicker for my car door. Anyone know where I can get one?

Being directly over the target, it's too late to drop the bombs (they'd have too much forward momentum, and would miss the target completely).

They drop the bomb onto the closed bomb-bay doors so that on the second run, they just open the doors and the bomb will fall out of the plane.

The target could be a test target which is a runway. Not just any runway but the one they are taxiing on and about to take off from. You can't drop bombs when the plane is not in the air.

Let there be light,
http://www2.english.uiuc.edu/cybercinema/images/bomb20_2.jpg#2.jpg

i agree with see201

airspeed too high.

LOL- BigRat, the answer 'should' be because he wanted to ride the bomb! God I love that movie!

Because the pilot only know the button that drop the bombs, he didn't know which button to open the door.

The pilot was shot before he opened the doors...

the button controlled the bomb release of a remote aircraft, so bomb came out of there not the fighter/bomber

LOL Andy! Dark Star. An extremely low budget movie that was a great success.

I thought someone might recognise Bomb No 20, and that explains why the pilot hadn't opened the bomb bay doors (not that fighter/bombers have bomb bays); he was still trying to fight off the alien inflatable beachball.

Ok, I'm back.

>practise run
nope
>not usually advisable to do practice runs in enemy territory ;-)
Too true
>Rodger Im sure youve just made up some crazy madness as the solution.
No, But I bet you'l kick yourself when you/someone else discovers the answer :)

>I would say that he didn't open the doors because he was flying a fighter/bomber.
Hmm, the First part of this sentence is true, but the second part is not......
>Fighter bombers have everything attached externally so that it can be dropped easily in the middle of a dogfight.
No, not all are like this. Some have there bombs internally as this one did.
>So there were no doors to open, and the bombs did not come OUT of the plane.
Hmm, here we have the first part being false but the second part is true.

 

>The plane has been hit so the bay doors are jammed. So the pilot did not open them.
Nope
>Maybe the pilot forgot to open the bay doors
Hmm, he didn't forget..........but???......don't want to give it away....:0

>1) fighter/bomber has the bombs on outside of two seater for quick release
No, not all are like this, some have their bombs located inside the plane.
>2) Once you are over a target, it is too late to drop them (momentum)
True
>but I don't think the bombs are that smart, if pilot pulls trigger, bombs should release unless maybe
Ok, we have something here.....................
1st part is true, the bombs are not smart but is this relevant? No.
2nd/3rd part is mostly true but not quite complete..........:)
>3) wrong altitude (too low)
no
>4) they are on the return trip, taking photo from atop where they'd already dumped their load
so.. pilot is forgetful or it is dual purpose switch, handling the bomb release and the camera
no

Did I get ignored or do I have to explain why airspeed is a factor
in opening bombay doors?

>They drop the bomb onto the closed bomb-bay doors so that on the second run, they just open the doors and the >bomb will fall out of the plane.
It was always considered "Bad practise" to release the bombs while the doors are closed......:), so no, not the answer.
>The target could be a test target which is a runway. Not just any runway but the one they are taxiing on and about to >take off from. You can't drop bombs when the plane is not in the air.
No, as mentioned the plane is flying.
>airspeed too high.
no
>Because the pilot only know the button that drop the bombs, he didn't know which button to open the door.
95% TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>The pilot was shot before he opened the doors...
no
>the button controlled the bomb release of a remote aircraft, so bomb came out of there not the fighter/bomber
The first part of this is true, but there is no remote aircraft.

If this is "the pilot didn't press the open doors button first" you
may get raked by everyone here ;)

Is it a glider on a tow line and they've re-jigged the bomb release mechanism to let it sail free?

>If this is "the pilot didn't press the open doors button first" you
>may get raked by everyone here ;)
This is actually based on fact, not fiction.......
There is no button that opens the doors..........:0

>Is it a glider on a tow line and they've re-jigged the bomb release mechanism to let it sail free?
no

Of course there is no button to open the doors, WW2 fighter/bombers didn't have bomb bay doors, we already said that. Do you mean your grandfather got into a spitfire and was so dumb that he thought he was flying a Lancaster?

>Do you mean your grandfather got into a spitfire and was so dumb that he thought he was flying a Lancaster?
I take offense to this comment Andy. Was there any need for this? Perhaps you should participate elsewhere on EE.
You are not welcome here with those comments

The pilot was not used to flying Fighters/Bombers having bay doors so he was not accustomed to opening the bay doors whenever he needed to release a bomb.

Dhyanesh

He had no button to open the doors...

I am sorry if you felt offended at my little joke, it was not intended that way.

because he didn't realise he needed to open the bomb door, (not being used to flying bombers), when he pressed the bomb release, the safety mechanism prevented it from being dropped without the doors being open.

Just a wild guess:
Did the service-crew probably confuse things?
Like "Open latch"-Button releases Bombs, "Release Bombs"-Button opens bay?
So your grandpa released bombs from their fittings while doors still closed, whilest he wanted just the doors to open?

I think I got it!

The pilot opened the door because he is in charge of the plane. But it is the navigator, who is also operating the bomb sight, that actually releases the bombs. So, because the navigator hasn't released the bombs yet, they have not come out of the open doors.

Arawn has either got it or given me a great clue!

>The Navigator looks through the targeting system
It would make perfect sense for the Navigator to release the bombs as he is using the targetting system. However if he just dropped them it could cause a nasty surprise to the pilot as the sudden loss of weight and turbulence from the open doors would cause the plane to fly badly.
So the navigator tells the pilot they are ready to drop bombs, the pilot agrees that he is ready by pressing the 'drop bombs' button. This indicates to the navigator that it is ok so he can let them go. The pilots button just lights a lamp and does not directly drop the bombs.

Thats a good effort!

If its a fighter bomber is a mosquito - in that case its made of wood, were the doors nailed shut?

Hmm... How 'bout this:

They are the lead plane in a sqadron of bombers, and their sole responsibility is for targeting.  The navigator tells the pilot that now's the time to drop the bombs and the pilot pushes the button that tells the rest of the sqadron to drop their bombs.  So, no bomb comes out of their plane, but bombs do come out of the rest of the planes in the squadron.

Make sense?

My grandfather flew Fighter/Bombers in the war.
These riddles were told to me, by him.
This is Riddle No 1. Riddle No 2 will follow as soon as this one is solved..........


A pilot and his navigator (There are only 2 men on these particular Fighter/Bombers) are flying in enemy territory.

The plane has recently been serviced so everything is working perfectly.

They approach their target, the plane is fully loaded with bombs.

The Navigator looks through the targeting system and indicates to the pilot that they are over their target.

The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane.

Why?


Several possibilities:

(1) The plane is in a -G dive.
(2) The bombs still have their safety pins in the shackes.
(3) The plane was in perfect shape when it took off, but enemy fire has cut the release wires.
(4)  The navigator peed into the bomb bay, said liquid froze the doors shut.
(5)  Bomb release computer is configured for "toss-bomb" release, which doesnt happen until plane is nosed up 45 degrees into a Immelman maneuver.
(6)  As others have noted, being over the target is waay too late for bomb release.
(7) Navigator was, as often happened, asleep and dreaming the whole thing.

You guys/gals will kick yourselves when you find out the answer :)
Its so simple :)

To give you all a "HINT"

When the navigator tells the pilot to release the bombs, the pilot only needs to do 1 "Action" to open the doors, then release the bombs. Ie: When the "Action" opens the doors, the bombs come out/drop automatically.

Cheers
Rodger

>The pilot was not used to flying Fighters/Bombers having bay doors so he was not accustomed to opening the bay doors whenever he needed to release a bomb.
no
>He had no button to open the doors...  
yes, this is correct. But something else is missing.....See my HINT above.

>I am sorry if you felt offended at my little joke, it was not intended that way.
Ok, Thank you

He hadn't released the button?

>because he didn't realise he needed to open the bomb door, (not being used to flying bombers), when he pressed the >bomb release, the safety mechanism prevented it from being dropped without the doors being open.
no
>Just a wild guess:
>Did the service-crew probably confuse things?
>Like "Open latch"-Button releases Bombs, "Release Bombs"-Button opens bay?
>So your grandpa released bombs from their fittings while doors still closed, whilest he wanted just the doors to open?
No, The Service Crew didn't confuse things...... perhaps someone else did though....:)

I think I got it!
The pilot opened the door because he is in charge of the plane. But it is the navigator, who is also operating the bomb sight, that actually releases the bombs. So, because the navigator hasn't released the bombs yet, they have not come out of the open doors.
no

>The Navigator looks through the targeting system
>It would make perfect sense for the Navigator to release the bombs as he is using the targetting system. However if he >just dropped them it could cause a nasty surprise to the pilot as the sudden loss of weight and turbulence from the >open doors would cause the plane to fly badly.
>So the navigator tells the pilot they are ready to drop bombs, the pilot agrees that he is ready by pressing the 'drop >bombs' button. This indicates to the navigator that it is ok so he can let them go. The pilots button just lights a lamp >and does not directly drop the bombs.
No, good guess

>If its a fighter bomber is a mosquito - in that case its made of wood, were the doors nailed shut?
:) no

>They are the lead plane in a sqadron of bombers, and their sole responsibility is for targeting.  The navigator tells the >pilot that now's the time to drop the bombs and the pilot pushes the button that tells the rest of the sqadron to drop >their bombs.  So, no bomb comes out of their plane, but bombs do come out of the rest of the planes in the squadron.
>Make sense?
Yes makes sense, but no, sorry, not the answer
 
Several possibilities:

(1) The plane is in a -G dive.
no
(2) The bombs still have their safety pins in the shackes.
no
(3) The plane was in perfect shape when it took off, but enemy fire has cut the release wires.
no
(4)  The navigator peed into the bomb bay, said liquid froze the doors shut.
:) no
(5)  Bomb release computer is configured for "toss-bomb" release, which doesnt happen until plane is nosed up 45 degrees into a Immelman maneuver.
No Computer in these days this is 1943/1944.
(6)  As others have noted, being over the target is waay too late for bomb release.
no
(7) Navigator was, as often happened, asleep and dreaming the whole thing.
:) no


Cheers
Rodger

He hadn't released the button?
no

Sorry about the short post. What I meant is that maybe he has a dual action button. He presses the button, all the hydraulics and whatnot get primed up and the bomb bay doors open, and then when he releases the button, the bombs fall.

OH, OF COURSE.




This is a Kamikaze mission.  The bombs do not need to leave the plane.

It's just a stupid guessing game, although there are thousands of reasons one could invent for the bombs not falling out of the plane asmodeusnz refuses to accept the obvious one posted at the begining of the thread that the plane is being flown upside down. Just like he invents conditions of his fat bastard climbing the stairs to his appt for exercise during the week and then pigging out and not exercising at weekends due to stupid instructions from an incompetant doctor.

Notif off. Riddles are clever and interesting, this isn't.

Andyalder,

Whats your problem?
First you insult my Grandfather and now just because you can't guess the right answer means you get all upset.
Your truly pathetic.
Go play with yourself, at least you can't be rejected by your hand.
Your not welcome here.

>The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane.

>He had no button to open the doors...  
yes, this is correct. But something else is missing.....See my HINT above.

???? Your riddle says there is a button to drop the bombs

>The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs

Does anything at all happen when he presses this button?

did he first need to turn a handle to open bomb doors?

Hmm, "flying upside down" isnt a very good answer.

Most bombers do not have a fast enough roll rate or enough structural strength to make a roll feasible, especially when loaded.

It is possible to roll a plane while maintaining 1-G, but it takes much skill and practice, and it's never taught in a bomber, and probably a court-martial offense to even attempt one.

It's unlikely a Nav/Bobardier would be in a position to verify their position when the plane is upside down.

In most bombing protocols, the pilot hands over control of the bomber to the bombardier and/or bombsight.  

I've never heard of a situation where the pilot releases the bombs.  It can't be very precise bombing if they can tolerate a several second delay between the bobardier noticing they're in the right position, his saying so, the pilot's reacting to this, and then the bombs actually releasing.




*** Perhaps you're misdirecting us a bit, and you're just saying the pilot pushed the button that RELEASES his control of the bombs to the Bombardier?  ***

Maybe they're bomb casings filled with leaflets, and somebody goofed, they're not heavy enough to fall out due to the airflow?

Since it seems that this is an unconventional fighter bomber, because it has the pilot controlling the bombs and not the navigator/bombadier, I will go with an unconventional answer.

The bombs did not fall out because the pilot did not yell "Bombs away!". Here is my reasoning. The bombs were most likely stacked very tightly in their compartment, and so the opening of the doors was not enough for them to fall out. They needed some sort of external force to give them the needed nudge. When the pilot yells "Bombs away!", the sonic vibrations from his voice provide enough force to nudge the bombs from their racks, thereby releasing them onto the unsuspecting populace below.

Here's another idea.

Your grandfather flew for the stupidest army in the history of war. While other countries were perfecting the Hydrogen bomb, your grandfather's country was perfecting the Helium bomb. Unfortunately, they hadn't perfected it quite well, so the damn thing kept floating in the bomb bay.

The pilot open the door of the plane and threw the bomb out.  (??)

The pilot opened the door of the plane and threw the bomb out.  (??)

Oops, didn't mean to post twice...

The navigator, who was eating his lunch at the time, dropped an apple. This apple rolled along the floor of the plane and wedged itself underneath the first bomb. The bombs couldn't drop because of the apple wedged there. If this answer is incorrect, I am also willing to guess that the fruit could have been a pear or an orange.

Maybe the bombs were "dog bombs"?   They sometimes get stuck, then the dog has to go to the Vet.

I hear some bombers were real dogs to fly, ergo the connection.

-------------

Pilots have been known to make unscheduled landings in duty-free zones to pick up cheap items.
Maybe the bomb bay was jammed solid with cases of cheap whiskey, boxes of "Rolllex" watches, tightly-packed loose women?

The bomb doors were stuck in ice (from water un the clouds?), therefore, even if releasing them, the doors would not open, thus the bomb did not fall (or the bombs are in ice).

A.

Disclaimer:  No insult intended by my horrible attempt at ebonics

Pilot: "Yo, bro'.  You give me the wazza when we'z over da target"
Navigator: "Yo man, we be over right now, know what I'm sayin'"
Pilot: "Man, you da bomb!"

The navigator then thinks about this for a second, shrugs his shoulders, then opens the door and jumps out of the plane.

There were flying at night, in the dark (not to be seen by enemies), therefore, he pressed on the wrong button. Instead, he turned on the "no smoking allowed" signs.

or

He did press the right button, but having been shut by several bullets a moment ago, the cable was severed, and the doors did not respond.

A.

The doors were still locked to prevent accidental drop on own ground... the other guy only had to unlock the doors, but fell asleep instead.

The doors don't actually open until the pilot says "Open Sesame". Once he says the magic words, the doors will open and the bombs will fall.

Aha here's a not too offbeat answer:

The pilot was instructed to fly the bomb run at 150 knots groundspeed.   But they had a big tailwind that day and the pilot had to crank waay back on airspeed, to the point of having to fly with flaps and/or landing gear down to maintain the proper groundspeed.

But the pilot FORGOT that this plane had the common safety feature that the bombs CANT release when the plane is in a landing or on-the ground configuration (flaps and landing gear down).  

grg99

That can't be it, it makes too much sense.

After all, all the people who actually know planes have already pointed out every logical explanation of why this plane might not have dropped the bombs. So this was obviously some "magical" fighter/bomber that was flown by an imaginary race of fairies, and we have to figure out why this fighter/bomber didn't drop the bombs.

Well, it may be that the OP now realizes that what he heard on Gramps knee was all malarkey, so now he feels bad.

It would be mighty intersting if he DID have some logical and obvious explanation.

 

Navigator: "We're over the target"

Pilot opens the window and starts throwing out videotapes of moves such as:
Gigli, Freddy Got Fingered, Showgirls and Striptease, to name a few.

Pilot:  "BOMBS AWAY!!!"  ;)

But the point is that the pilot never got the bombs off, so maybe they were all stuck in the VCR?

Yeah, I guess the pilot mistook the play button for the eject button.  :)

Oh, I know what it is,

Instead of the bomb falling out of the plane, the plane fell out of the bomb.  This is a small two-seater plane inside intercontenental missile.  When the navigator see's they're plummeting down towards their target, they push the button and the plane is ejected from the bomb.  Why were they in the missile in the first place, you ask?  Because someone needs to be at the target to record the damage.

Well, if you're looking for corn.............

The bombs didn't leave the plane because the pilot couldn't find the/his belly button !!!

Now we all have agreed that this is some weird plane, and that asmodeusnz's dear old grandpappy might have been fibbing a bit when he told these stories. So I have an idea. Maybe grandpappy never fought in the war at all. Maybe he was doing some "flying" of a different kind. He could have hit Amsterdam, picked up some quality hallucinogenics, and then proceeded to "fly" all over Europe. So the reason that the bombs never fell out of the plane is because asmodeusnz's grandpa was actually "flying" a park bench at the time.

Maybe there's a 'prime the bomb' button that needs to be pressed before pressing the bomb drop button.

>The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane.
>He had no button to open the doors...  
>yes, this is correct. But something else is missing.....See my HINT above.
>???? Your riddle says there is a button to drop the bombs

Indeed, so if the button doesn't work, then surely he should be doing something ELSE,
rather than pressing a button...Right?

>The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs
>Does anything at all happen when he presses this button?
No, Nothing at all. Good question!!

>did he first need to turn a handle to open bomb doors?
Hmmm, very very close, not quite though. I'll probably give you a few points for this one anyway though......

>Hmm, "flying upside down" isnt a very good answer.
No, It's not.
>Most bombers do not have a fast enough roll rate or enough structural strength to make a roll feasible, especially >when loaded.
Very true.
>It is possible to roll a plane while maintaining 1-G, but it takes much skill and practice, and it's never taught in a >bomber, and probably a court-martial offense to even attempt one.
Again, very true. Good thinking.
>It's unlikely a Nav/Bobardier would be in a position to verify their position when the plane is upside down.
True again.
>In most bombing protocols, the pilot hands over control of the bomber to the bombardier and/or bombsight.  
Its a matter of teamwork actually.
>I've never heard of a situation where the pilot releases the bombs.  It can't be very precise bombing if they can >tolerate a several second delay between the bobardier noticing they're in the right position, his saying so, the pilot's >reacting to this, and then the bombs actually releasing.
You are talking about 1943/1944 technology. Bombing in those days was never "Precise". They got "As close as possible"
They would often miss the target completely or bomb the wrong target. Communication was difficult and was usually done via shouting.  
>*** Perhaps you're misdirecting us a bit, and you're just saying the pilot pushed the button that RELEASES his control >of the bombs to the Bombardier?  ***
Yes, but that's the idea isn't it? This question when it was told to me by grandad was difficult. Needless to say I couldn't work out the answer until he told me what it is, and believe me, there is a simple answer for this.

>Maybe they're bomb casings filled with leaflets, and somebody goofed, they're not heavy enough to fall out due to the >airflow?
No

>Since it seems that this is an unconventional fighter bomber, because it has the pilot controlling the bombs and not the >navigator/bombadier, I will go with an unconventional answer.
>The bombs did not fall out because the pilot did not yell "Bombs away!". Here is my reasoning. The bombs were most >likely stacked very tightly in their compartment, and so the opening of the doors was not enough for them to fall out. >They needed some sort of external force to give them the needed nudge. When the pilot yells "Bombs away!", the >sonic vibrations from his voice provide enough force to nudge the bombs from their racks, thereby releasing them onto >the unsuspecting populace below.
:) No

>Your grandfather flew for the stupidest army in the history of war. While other countries were perfecting the Hydrogen >bomb, your grandfather's country was perfecting the Helium bomb. Unfortunately, they hadn't perfected it quite well, >so the damn thing kept floating in the bomb bay.
no

>The pilot opened the door of the plane and threw the bomb out.  (??)
no

>The navigator, who was eating his lunch at the time, dropped an apple. This apple rolled along the floor of the plane >and wedged itself underneath the first bomb. The bombs couldn't drop because of the apple wedged there. If this >answer is incorrect, I am also willing to guess that the fruit could have been a pear or an orange.
:):) no

>Maybe the bombs were "dog bombs"?   They sometimes get stuck, then the dog has to go to the Vet.
>I hear some bombers were real dogs to fly, ergo the connection.
no

>Pilots have been known to make unscheduled landings in duty-free zones to pick up cheap items.
>Maybe the bomb bay was jammed solid with cases of cheap whiskey, boxes of "Rolllex" watches, tightly-packed loose >women?
:) no

>The bomb doors were stuck in ice (from water un the clouds?), therefore, even if releasing them, the doors would not >open, thus the bomb did not fall (or the bombs are in ice).
no good guess though

>Disclaimer:  No insult intended by my horrible attempt at ebonics

>Pilot: "Yo, bro'.  You give me the wazza when we'z over da target"
>Navigator: "Yo man, we be over right now, know what I'm sayin'"
>Pilot: "Man, you da bomb!"

>The navigator then thinks about this for a second, shrugs his shoulders, then opens the door and jumps out of the >plane.
:) no

There were flying at night, in the dark (not to be seen by enemies), therefore, he pressed on the wrong button. Instead, he turned on the "no smoking allowed" signs.
Yes, but the button wasn't for "no smoking allowed" :)

>The doors were still locked to prevent accidental drop on own ground... the other guy only had to unlock the doors, but >fell asleep instead.
no
>The doors don't actually open until the pilot says "Open Sesame". Once he says the magic words, the doors will open >and the bombs will fall.
:) no

>Aha here's a not too offbeat answer:
>The pilot was instructed to fly the bomb run at 150 knots groundspeed.   But they had a big tailwind that day and the >pilot had to crank waay back on airspeed, to the point of having to fly with flaps and/or landing gear down to maintain >the proper groundspeed.
>But the pilot FORGOT that this plane had the common safety feature that the bombs CANT release when the plane is in >a landing or on-the ground configuration (flaps and landing gear down).  
no
>That can't be it, it makes too much sense.
>After all, all the people who actually know planes have already pointed out every logical explanation of why this plane >might not have dropped the bombs. So this was obviously some "magical" fighter/bomber that was flown by an >imaginary race of fairies, and we have to figure out why this fighter/bomber didn't drop the bombs.
LMAO, no, there is a logical explanation. And IF people Really knew how these old planes worked they would have worked it out by now :)

>Well, it may be that the OP now realizes that what he heard on Gramps knee was all malarkey, so now he feels bad.
>It would be mighty intersting if he DID have some logical and obvious explanation.
No, there is a logical explanation.
 
>Navigator: "We're over the target"
>Pilot opens the window and starts throwing out videotapes of moves such as:
>Gigli, Freddy Got Fingered, Showgirls and Striptease, to name a few.
>Pilot:  "BOMBS AWAY!!!"  ;)
:) no

>But the point is that the pilot never got the bombs off, so maybe they were all stuck in the VCR?
no

>Yeah, I guess the pilot mistook the play button for the eject button.  :)
no

>Oh, I know what it is,
>Instead of the bomb falling out of the plane, the plane fell out of the bomb.  This is a small two-seater plane inside >intercontenental missile.  When the navigator see's they're plummeting down towards their target, they push the >button and the plane is ejected from the bomb.  Why were they in the missile in the first place, you ask?  Because >someone needs to be at the target to record the damage.
no

>Well, if you're looking for corn.............
>The bombs didn't leave the plane because the pilot couldn't find the/his belly button !!!
? no
 
>Now we all have agreed that this is some weird plane, and that asmodeusnz's dear old grandpappy might have been >fibbing a bit when he told these stories. So I have an idea. Maybe grandpappy never fought in the war at all. Maybe he >was doing some "flying" of a different kind. He could have hit Amsterdam, picked up some quality hallucinogenics, and >then proceeded to "fly" all over Europe. So the reason that the bombs never fell out of the plane is because >asmodeusnz's grandpa was actually "flying" a park bench at the time.
LMAO, no but you should get some points for this one for creativity.

>Maybe there's a 'prime the bomb' button that needs to be pressed before pressing the bomb drop button.
no

Asmodeus, you said:

>Needless to say I couldn't work out the answer until he told me what it is

If you couldn't figure it out until he told you the answer, do we stand any chance?

Also, will you answer simple yes/no questions to narrow down the possibilities?

>If you couldn't figure it out until he told you the answer, do we stand any chance?
I think so, if you think simply enough.
>Also, will you answer simple yes/no questions to narrow down the possibilities?
Sure will.

The pilot only press the button to drop the bomb, but before that, he didn't turn a handle to open the bomb door, so the bomb do not come out.

I asked a yes/no earlier (well it could be treated as such)

>Does anything at all happen when he presses this button?

He made a sharp turn to dislodge the bombs

All right, since asmodeusnz says that his dear old grandpa actually flew a real plane, I will go back to some real answers.

The bombs had not been readied for bombing. I would imagine that the bombs were transported in some sort of "safe" condition so that there would not be any accidental explosions during flight. So perhaps the pilot forgot to remove the transport safety mechanisms, thereby not allowing the bombs to fall?

Okay, please answer the following:

Is this some kind of simulation?

Are they really flying in the air?

Are they flying above the target they wish to bomb?

Do they really want to drop a bomb on this target?

Is the bomb located inside the plane?

Is the bomb located outside the plane?

Does the pilot actually press a button?

Does the pilot release the button?

Is the button that was pressed the one that the pilot intended to press?

Is the function of the button that when pressed, the bomb would be released?

When the pilot presses the button, does the desired effect occur?

Is the button, or the system attached to the button broken?

Does the pilot need to fix the system or button in some way?

Are there bomb doors on this plane?

If so, are the doors already open when the scenario begins?

Are the doors ever opened in this entire scenario?

Is there something either the pilot or the navigator has forgotten to do?

Is there something that the pilot or navigator would usually do, but hasn't due to circumstances?

You said that the pilot must perform an "action":

Is this "action" one that can be performed in his seat?

Is it one that involves turning or cranking?

Is it one that involves the opening of something or the attempted opening of something?

If so, is this the opening of a door or doors?

Does the "action" involve contact with the door, a handle or the bomb itself?

Does the "action" involve the pushing of a button?

If so, is this the pushing of the same button?

Is the bomb meant to fall out of the plane?

Is it normal that the bomb didn't fall out of the plane?

When the navigator says that they're over the target, is it too late for them to drop the bomb for it to hit the target?

Ah, you answered my question, I'm afraid I missed it in all the rest.

Is the button labeled in any way? and if so, can you tell us what it says?

How about:


He pushed the button, but the bombs didnt drop, because in order to drop the bombs you had to PULL the button (which was actually a knob).

... or maybe as a safety feayure, it wasnt enough to just push the button, one had to do something else, like push TWO buttons, or twist and push, or push and turn, or crank and push, or push at the same time the other guy is pushing HIS button, or break the safety wire holding the knob in the deactivated position.

Or maybe he'd scrozzled things by not having primed the bomb-relase hydraulics by first working up pressure with the wobble-pump handle, or maybe he'd accidentally pushed the button long before, thinkin it was the windshield wipers, and that had leaked all the pressure out of the system, or he pushed the button TOO HARD and broke the valve, or he pushed the button with his gloves on, and the glove was too clumsy to push the button properly, or he'd hung his purse (or parachute harness) on that knob, and the strap got in the way of pushing the knob all the way in.....  

 

>The pilot only press the button to drop the bomb, but before that, he didn't turn a handle to open the bomb door, so >the bomb do not come out.
No
>He made a sharp turn to dislodge the bombs
No
>All right, since asmodeusnz says that his dear old grandpa actually flew a real plane, I will go back to some real >answers. The bombs had not been readied for bombing. I would imagine that the bombs were transported in some >sort of "safe" condition so that there would not be any accidental explosions during flight. So perhaps the pilot forgot to >remove the transport safety mechanisms, thereby not allowing the bombs to fall?  
No

Hmm, Some GOOD Questions here.........:)

Is this some kind of simulation?
No
Are they really flying in the air?
Yes
Are they flying above the target they wish to bomb?
Yes
Do they really want to drop a bomb on this target?
Yes
Is the bomb located inside the plane?
Yes, but Bombs....(more than 1)
Is the bomb located outside the plane?
No
Does the pilot actually press a button?
Yes
Does the pilot release the button?
Yes
Is the button that was pressed the one that the pilot intended to press?
No, Good Question
Is the function of the button that when pressed, the bomb would be released?
No, Excellent Question
When the pilot presses the button, does the desired effect occur?
:), No but the Wipers come on
Is the button, or the system attached to the button broken?
No
Does the pilot need to fix the system or button in some way?
No
Are there bomb doors on this plane?
Yes
If so, are the doors already open when the scenario begins?
No
Are the doors ever opened in this entire scenario?
No
Is there something either the pilot or the navigator has forgotten to do?
Yes, Excellent Question
Is there something that the pilot or navigator would usually do, but hasn't due to circumstances?
Yes
You said that the pilot must perform an "action":
Yes
Is this "action" one that can be performed in his seat?
Yes
Is it one that involves turning or cranking?
No
Is it one that involves the opening of something or the attempted opening of something?
No
If so, is this the opening of a door or doors?
No
Does the "action" involve contact with the door, a handle or the bomb itself?
No
Does the "action" involve the pushing of a button?
No
If so, is this the pushing of the same button?
No
Is the bomb meant to fall out of the plane?
Yes
Is it normal that the bomb didn't fall out of the plane?
No
When the navigator says that they're over the target, is it too late for them to drop the bomb for it to hit the target?
No, but as mentioned, the navigator yells out when approaching the target to allow for gravity, wind etc.
The pilot must perform "The Action" to drop the bombs.

>Is the button labeled in any way? and if so, can you tell us what it says?
Yes, it says WW.

>He pushed the button, but the bombs didnt drop, because in order to drop the bombs you had to PULL the button          >(which was actually a knob).
No, but he had to PULL something....

>maybe as a safety feayure, it wasnt enough to just push the button, one had to do something else, like push TWO >buttons, or twist and push, or push and turn, or crank and push, or push at the same time the other guy is pushing HIS >button, or break the safety wire holding the knob in the deactivated position.
No
>Or maybe he'd scrozzled things by not having primed the bomb-relase hydraulics by first working up pressure with the >wobble-pump handle,
No
>or maybe he'd accidentally pushed the button long before, thinkin it was the windshield wipers,
He did accidentally push the button and it WAS the button for the Windshield wipers....

>and that had leaked all the pressure out of the system, or he pushed the button TOO HARD and broke the valve, or he >pushed the button with his gloves on, and the glove was too clumsy to push the button properly, or he'd hung his purse >(or parachute harness) on that knob, and the strap got in the way of pushing the knob all the way in.....  
No

Did the pilot try to release the bomb without arming it first?

>Did the pilot try to release the bomb without arming it first?
no

Was this a night time mission, so he couldn't see the writing on the button, thought he had indeed released the bombs, turned and headed for home. Not noticing his mistake till he landed

Does the pilot have to arm to arm the bomb release button? For example, does he have to trip a switch first that will make his bombing button live? I would imagine that there would be some sort of safety precaution like this so that pilots didn't accidently hit the "Bomb" button while in flight.

OK, here is a really easy and stupid answer.

He pressed the wrong button.

>He pressed the wrong button.
Yes, he did press the wrong button. The button he pressed was for the Wipers.
Of course this didn't release the bombs, but by the time he realised this he was over the target and choose not to
"ANSWER TO RIDDLE HERE" to drop the bombs.
The pilot made a big mistake, he panicked for whatever reason, they are flying over enemy territory, at night, amongst AA Guns as well. Mistakes can happen and in this case, obviously did.

The question remains........What did he not do to release the bombs?

Did the pilot fail to select a target before trying to launch a bomb?  Some munitions, like the Patriot missile, can be "told" what to attack.

This doesn't deem like a puzzle/riddle of any sort. It seems more like a lstory or a lesson on the layout of a wwII fighter/bomber. Since the flying upside down answer wasn't it the answer must be someone just forgot to do something to get the bomb off (something only a person who flew a wwII fighter/bomber would know). Can we get to the second one or is it a story too rather than a puzzle/riddle

he choose not to turn around for another run so pulled out and dumped bombs in sea

Well, for one thing, the pilot didn't press the right button.

>What did he not do to release the bombs?

Maybe there was no button

>The plane has recently been serviced

Perhaps part of the servicing involved an update to include windshield-wipers and the bomb release button was re-allocated to this purpose.

The designers may have overlooked the necessity to provide a bomb button.

Okay, More Questions:

Did the pilot accidently press the windshield wiper button instead of the 'drop bombs' button?

If so, is this why the bombs didn't leave the plane?

If so, doesn't this answer the original question/puzzle?

When the pilot realized that he had pressed the wrong button, were they too far over/past the target to drop the bombs and hit the target?

Did the pilot not want to make a second pass?

Did was there something under the plane that the pilot did not want to bomb (say a school, allied ship or plane)?

You said "What did he not do to release the bombs?":
     Did he not press the right button to release the bombs?

Sorry to be a nit-picker, but here's a direct quote from the original puzzle:

"The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane."


Note it says "the pilot presses THE button", not: "the pilot presses A button"

Most speakers of the English language would take "the button to drop the bombs" to mean "the button to drop the bombs".

If it said "a button"  or "some button" then MAYBE it would be logical to interpret this as "perhaps not the right button".


But as the puzzle was written, it's not possible for me to read "the pilot presses the button" as "the pilot presses the wrong button".

Let's wind this question up shall we?

the riddle also says
>The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane.

Why?

The answer therefore to the riddle must be, as already acknowledged, that he pressed the wrong button. The riddle doesn't ask for anything else.

so asm, you're saying that instead of hitting a button to open the doors, then hitting another button to drop the bombs, he hit a button to turn on windshield wipers, then hit another button to drop bombs:that didn't drop because doors were closed?

>Did the pilot fail to select a target before trying to launch a bomb?  Some munitions, like the Patriot missile, can >be "told" what to attack.
No, Remember this was 1943/44 no technology advanced missiles like the Patriot were even invented then.

>Well, for one thing, the pilot didn't press the right button.
Hmm, well as a LARGE HINT...."How do you know he had to press a Button"?

>Maybe there was no button
Correct, there was NO button to release the bombs, but there was something else, something standard.....
Something Used ALL THE TIME.....in those days to release the bombs.........

>Perhaps part of the servicing involved an update to include windshield-wipers and the bomb release button was re->allocated to this purpose.
>The designers may have overlooked the necessity to provide a bomb button.
No

>Did the pilot accidently press the windshield wiper button instead of the 'drop bombs' button?
He certainly pressed the Windsheild wiper button accidentally...... but How do you know he had to press a Button to drop the bombs?

>When the pilot realized that he had pressed the wrong button, were they too far over/past the target to drop the >bombs and hit the target?
YES
>Did the pilot not want to make a second pass?
No, remember it was night and they were being shot at, he'd already panicked once, which it why he pressed the button for the Wipers instead of what he was supposed to do, he was too scared to go and make a second pass.

>Did was there something under the plane that the pilot did not want to bomb (say a school, allied ship or plane)?
No

>You said "What did he not do to release the bombs?":
>Did he not press the right button to release the bombs?
No, but see my HINTS above

>Sorry to be a nit-picker, but here's a direct quote from the original puzzle:
That's fine, this is a hard question

>"The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs, but they do NOT come out of the Fighter/Bomber plane."
True, but the point is too mislead and get you all thinking, which is exactly what you;ve all done....:)

>Note it says "the pilot presses THE button", not: "the pilot presses A button"
>Most speakers of the English language would take "the button to drop the bombs" to mean "the button to drop the >bombs".
>If it said "a button"  or "some button" then MAYBE it would be logical to interpret this as "perhaps not the right button".
>But as the puzzle was written, it's not possible for me to read "the pilot presses the button" as "the pilot presses the >wrong button".
True, but the point is too mislead and get you all thinking, which is exactly what you;ve all done....:)

>Let's wind this question up shall we?
Surely you don't want the answer already do you??

Bigrock, Your the closest so far!!!! And I'll give you Some points for this comment below, however you haven't hit the nail on the head yet. Close but no Cigar.

>He did not pull the release to open the bomb bay doors before he pushed what was thought to be the bomb release >button.

he hadn't wound the handle to open the bomb doors which would have primed the switch ready to release the bombs

The "NAVIGATOR" forgot to pull the release to open the bomb bay doors before he pushed what was thought to be the bomb release.

</unsubscribe>

So, if I understand this correctly, the pilot is a complete moron. He pushes the button to drop the bomb, but doesn't succeed because this plane doesn't require button pushing to drop bombs, it needs some sort of pull on a lever or the pilot needs to clap three times and sing a song before the bombs fall out. So the pilot is probably:
1. On his first ever mission in the plane.
2. Accustomed to flying a completely different plane that does require a button to be pushed.
3. An idiot who panicked under fire.

No matter which option is correct, I think this damn question is starting to drag out way too long. I and the others here have provided many logical answers about why the bombs didn't come out. None of them are correct because the answer seems to be that the pilot is a moron and shouldn't have been pressing the button at all.
Can you please end this question?

Ok I've awarded the points to ozo.
Exactly right.
In those days, the pilot had a lever by his seat, he had to pull that hard to open the doors of the bomb bay.
The bombs automatically fell out due to gravity, the doors obviously kept the bombs in, so as soon as the doors were opened, the bombs followed.

RobinD, I've given you points as well, the whole idea of this question WAS to put you all off by the mention of the button.
It makes you think that the pilot pressed the wrong button, but its difficult to think that there was no button, but a lever to release the bombs. So the Biggles books held the answer all the time.......:)

Bigrock, I've given you some points as well for being the first to steer the others in the right direction.

Everyone, as I said earlier, this was a very hard puzzle (one of the hardest I've ever heard) and needless to say, when first told to me, I didn't get the answer. After much whinging at my Grandfather he finally told me the answer.

He also said that under the circumstances it was easy to panic as he himself had done whilst under enemy fire.
Pilots are human and make mistakes, its hard to think straight when Flak Guns are firing at you.

Well done All, there were some good guesses in this forum.

Also, I don't want to here people whinging because they didn't get the answer or thought "The plane was flying upside down" which is the answer to a similar common riddle. As someone else mentioned here, these planes were NOT designed to fly upside down in ANY Circumstances.

Cheers
Rodger

If there is no button to release the bombs, then why do you say:
> "The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs"
in your original question???

It is not "solve the riddle", it's "correct the riddle"! ;)

A.

> "The pilot presses the button to drop the bombs"
>n your original question???

>t is not "solve the riddle", it's "correct the riddle"! ;)


:) Yes, the wording has been bought up before.
As I said, Difficult riddle, deliberately made to deceive by my clever Grand-Dad... :)

Thanks asmodeusnz.

Is there going to be a WW II Fighter/Bomber - 2 ?

Hey, what about my points?! I still think this is the valid answer.

Cheers,

Arawn


>Now we all have agreed that this is some weird plane, and that asmodeusnz's dear old grandpappy might have been >fibbing a bit when he told these stories. So I have an idea. Maybe grandpappy never fought in the war at all. Maybe he >was doing some "flying" of a different kind. He could have hit Amsterdam, picked up some quality hallucinogenics, and >then proceeded to "fly" all over Europe. So the reason that the bombs never fell out of the plane is because >asmodeusnz's grandpa was actually "flying" a park bench at the time.
LMAO, no but you should get some points for this one for creativity.

Whew! Good thing it wasn't a stealth bomber or they would never find the lever!