The Evolution
The progression of the airplane has not ceased since its creation in the early 1900s. It has constantly been recreated, updated, and improved upon so that as society progresses, aviation moves along with it. From the simple “Flyer” in 1903 to over 100,000 flights a day worldwide today, the airplane has played, and will continue to play, a major role in global travel and communication.
The FlyerThe Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer was a (from a modern standpoint) simple machine that they had based off of their 1902 glider. The plane was comprised of two identical wings, twin rudders, and canard elevators. The plane was about 40 feet long, with about six feet between the wings, leaving space for the operator to sit. There were also “twin counter-rotating pusher propellers”, which were able to connect to the 12 horsepower motor through the use of bicycle chains (1).
War Time AviationThe production of aircrafts to be used for warfare was a leap forward for wartime technology, but a step back for commercial aviation. The sole focus of airplane modernization became war: the build, design, and function of all produced aircrafts were all directed toward fighting, especially during the World War I time period. People began associating flight with bombings, and were afraid of airplane travel due to the common theme of danger being linked with aviation. It took time for citizens around the world to become comfortable with commonplace air travel after the boom of war-produced airplanes. (2).
2. http://www.avjobs.com/history/ |
Commercial Air TravelThe first commercial transport flight with an airplane took place on November 7, 1910, by Phil O. Parmalee. Despite this early accomplishment, however, it took years for the reliability of planes to reach a level at which typical people felt confident in their ability to travel internationally. Commercial aviation became increasingly popular in the 1920s and 1930s after comfort levels with the idea of flying increased. As flying integrated itself into routine society, people became more willing to travel on planes, and with more successful flights, the reputability of airlines increased (3).
3. https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/age/1910/commercial.cfm Space Travel The idea that space travel was attainable by humans became practical in the early 20th century. Multiple nations around the world had been working on sending space shuttles into the atmosphere: Russia, the United States and Germany. In the post World War II world, the fight to reach space first became intense between Russia and the United States, who were in the Cold War. Then, on October 4, 1957, the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space, and on April 12, 1961,Yuri Gagarin (Russian) became the first human to orbit Earth in Vostok 1.
The first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, went into orbit after on January 31, 1958 and American Alan Shepard became the first US citizen in space in 1961. On February 20, 1962, the first American to orbit Earth was John Glenn (4). 4. http://www.aerospace.org/education/stem-outreach/space-primer/a-brief-history-of-space-exploration/ |