1940 “Vliegtuigen-Kwartet (Aviation-Quartet)” Airplane Card Game
Vlieger (Pilot), 48-cards, The Netherlands

• Series Title: Vliegtuigen-Kwartet (Aviation-Quartet)
• Issued by: Vlieger (Pilot)
• Country: The Netherlands
• Number of Cards: 48
• Card Numbering: 12 sets numbered 1 to 4
• Card Dimensions: 3½ × 2½ inches
• Format: Playing card format with well rounded corners
• Circa: 1940

This is one of the series of Graphics Training Aids (GTA) used by the United States Army to train their personnel to recognize friendly and hostile aircraft. This particular set, GTA 44-2-1, was issued in July 1977. The set features aircraft from: Canada, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, and the USSR. The fronts of the cards are presented in a landscape format, and feature a B/W side-view drawing of the subject aircraft along with the aircraft designation and 3 to 4 of the key recognition features of the aircraft. The set designation number “GTA 44-2-1”, along with the card number and card side i.e “Fig. 1 FRONT“ are positioned in the upper right-hand corner of the card.

The Backs of the cards are presented in a portrait format and feature 3-view silhouette drawings of the aircraft. In some cases an additional side-view is included to show either the trainer or the reconnaissance version of the aircraft. Directly beneath the three view drawings, three lines of text identify: (a) aircraft designation, (b) nickname, (c) function, (d) country of origin or military service, (e) wing or rotor spans, and (f) the length of the aircraft. The set designation number “GTA 44-2-1”, along with the card number and card side i.e “Fig. 1 Back“ are positioned in the upper left-hand corner of the card.

The cards measure 3½ × 2½ inches and are formatted in a standard playing card (PLC, format, with rounded corners. The cards are package in the same manner as any deck of cards, with the thin cardboard package/box that opens on the top end. An example of a card deck pack is shown below.

“Vliegtuigen-Kwartet (Aviation-Quartet)” (GTA 44-2-1) Image-Guide

The following “Vliegtuigen-Kwartet (Aviation-Quartet)” (GTA 44-201) Image-Guide shows the fronts and Backs of all 54 cards. Behind each image is a 600-dpi card image that you may access.

American Mil. Vliegtuigen (American Military Aircraft)

Buitenl. Verkeerstoestellen (Foreign Transport Machines)

Duitsche Mil. Vliegtuigen (German Military Aircraft)

Eng. Mil. Vliegtuigen (English Military Aircraft)

Fr. Mil. Vliegtuigen (French Military Aircraft)

Ital. Mil. Vliegtuigen (Italian Military Aircraft)

K.L.M. Vliegtuigen (KLM Aircraft)

Kleine Vliegtuigen (Small Aircraft)

Moderne K.L.M. Vliegtuigen (Modern KLM Aircraft)

Ned. Mil. Vliegtuigen (Netherlands Military Aircraft)

Reuzen Vliegtuigen (Giant Aircraft)

Vliegbooten (Flying Boats)

“Vliegtuigen-Kwartet (Aviation-Quartet)”Checklist

Contributors

John Shupek — John is retired Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineer that lives in Southern California. John's 36 year aerospace career/adventure started in the mid-1960s when he worked for Pratt & Whitney at their “FRDC” … Florida Research and Development Center, West Palm Beach, Florida. John was part of the P&W jet engine design team for the CIA/USAF's Lockheed A-12/SR-71A “Oxcart/Blackbird” engines (J58/JT11D-20). He also worked on the RL-10 rocket engine and the JTF-17A which was P&W's entry into the United States' SST competition between Boeing and Lockheed. Several years later, John moved Back to California and worked at the AiResearch Mfg. Company at LAX and Torrance. He originally worked on the thermal design of the HRE (Hypersonic Ramjet Engine) which was a supersonic combustion Mach 7 ramjet engine that was to be tested on the North American X-15. John did about three more years of jet engine design work before he disappeared for 13 years into the classified DOE “GCEP” (Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant) Atomic Energy program for the enrichment of U₂₃₅. After the GCEP program was cancelled by the DOE in 1985, John was hired by Northrop Aircraft to do the thermal design for Northrop's entry into the ATF (Advanced Tactical Fighter) competition, the Northrop YF-23A “Black Widow II” stealth supercruise fighter. He also worked on the Northrop Grumman B-2A “Spirit” stealth bomber. After several years on a classified stealth missile program, John worked the remainder of his Aerospace career as one of Northrop Grumman's Program Directors on the United States Navy's F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet” jet fighter program.

During John's career at Northrop Grumman he served for five years as Northrop's “Vintage Aircraft Club” Commissioner and the Curator and Webmaster for the Western Museum of Flight in Hawthorne, California. Several years later, John was the volunteer webmaster (for about 3 years) for the Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California. He also served as President and webmaster for two different NPO's after his retirement. The Whittier Historical Society & Museum and Whittier Meals on Wheels.

John's love of aviation history and aviation photography lead to the establishment of this Skytamer.com website in 1998. The Skytamer.com site has continued to expand and will always grow and will never be completed. It's sort of analogous to a snowball rolling down a hill without any trees to stop it. In approximately 2002, John remembered that he had collected Topps “Wings” (ACC# R707-4) airplane trading cards while in High School. Somehow the cards had disappeared over the years. So at this point, he started to re-collect airplane trading cards via eBay and become an airplane card “Image Collector” rather than a “Card Collector” per se. After John scans an airplane card for the website, he has no further use for it and he puts it Back into circulation via eBay. John's mission statement for the Skytamer.com is basically to restore and preserve high-quality card images/artwork associated with the various airplane card sets from the early 1900s to the present. These cards are wonderful historical “snapshots” into aviation history showing which aviation events and aircraft were important at that point in time. For the Skytamer.com website, basically if it is a trading card collection that features things that fly, but doesn't have feathers, it eligible for the consideration on the Skytamer.com website. John always welcome inputs and high resolution scans (600-dpi) that can be used on this website. John can be reached via the “Contact Us” navigation button on the left.

References

1. Shupek, John. 600-dpi card scans from the Skytamer Images “Skytamer Archive”