The Aviation Fever After The World War I

World War II was one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. There were many different battles that took place within this war; some more important than others. World War II began once Germany’s new dictator, Adolf Hitler, decided that he wanted to gain power for Germany and for himself. One of Hitler’s first moves in power was invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Many other countries became involved in this war because of the alliance system. The two sides during this war were the Allies and Axis powers. German, Italy and Japan were on the Axis powers; France, Britain, and the United States were on the Allies. Germany first began with the Blitzkrieg tactic meaning “lightning war”. This tactic is based on speed, surprise and was

The launch of the Sputnik had such a big impact on America because “America thought of themselves as the world’s technological leaders” (Richerme 35). Also “the Soviets, after all, were not supposed to be good at technology” (DeGroot 3). This scared America and brought them into a big crisis or as some call a race. This race was known as the space race and it was a very long and twisted path that it bared on its shoulders.

With his new found fame, Lindbergh spent much of his time in promoting the aviation field while going around the United States with his iconic plane the Spirit of St. Louis. While visiting various cities in the US, he would participate in countless parades as well as give speeches. His fame grew to such height that he was soon regarded as an international celebrity who was nicknamed “Lucky Lindy” and “The Lone Eagle”. By 1927 he released a book entitled “We”, about his historic flight which quickly became a bestseller. Throughout all his rising fame and influence, Lindbergh had always stuck to helping the aviation industry as well as other causes which he felt important.

Over 100 years ago, when humanity looked for new places to conquer, two men looked to the skies. Wilbur and Orville Wright built the first working motor airplane, and after that day, the world took a huge interest in aviation, causing many leading pioneers and innovators in the aerospace field to emerge, revolutionizing the way we look at the skies.

The 1920s was a decade of drastic change in the United States, with many new conflicts, leisure activities, and heroes to worship (Nash 374). Charles Lindbergh was one of these heroes. Born in 1902, he was trained in aviation and worked as an airmail pilot (Bishop). Later, he made history by becoming the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone (Nash 388). On May twenty-first, 1927, Lindbergh traveled from New York to Le Bourget field in Paris in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis (James). He designed this plane himself, working to make it as small and lightweight as possible (Kessner “Charles Lindbergh, A New Hero”). Known as the “lone eagle”, Lindbergh became one of the biggest celebrities of the era (Chamberlain). His flight caused more excitement than any other event of its time (Nash 388). Approximately 25,000 people were at Le Bourget field to watch Lindbergh land (James). Upon returning to the United States, there were numerous parades and dinners to honor his achievement (“Lindbergh Visit Ends”). Charles Lindbergh was the most influential hero to emerge from the 1920s, making an impact by transforming aviation, as well as acting as a role model for the American public and encouraging a return to the old way of American life.

During World War II, the aircraft manufacturing industry took-off. According to Dr. Bright (1978), “by the year 1944 it was the largest industry in America” (p. 1). It soon declined in the years following due to material flaws, lack in engine performance, and production manufacturing methods.

Edward Vernon Rickenbacker, more commonly known as “Eddie”, was the third of eight children, born to William and Elizabeth Rickenbacker in Columbus, Ohio on October 8, 1890. Just as most adolescent boys, he went through a defiant stage. As a child, he was quite the delinquent, for he began smoking at the age of 5 and often spent time with a group of ornery kids called the “Horsehead Gang.” He was quickly whipped into shape by his father, however, who tragically died at a construction site in 1904. Due to the absence of his father and the toll it took on his family, Rickenbacker quit school at age 12 and brought it upon himself to assume the position as the provider for his family. His longing for aviation did not start at this time, but during World War I. Even so, he made his impact on history during the 20th century through his many successes in aerial warfare.

Before and during the Second World War people were fascinated with flight, the speed and the idea of flying high in the sky has kept people interested. Bombers and fighters alike both change dramatically in the twenty years after the Great War. From cloth wings to metal wings planes became bigger, faster, agile, and can hold a lot more fire power. The air war has changes significantly since the First World War. During the First World War bombers played a big role in the air war and after it left many questions whether it is the way to win wars. There has been speculation that future wars would be won by bombers and it can crush and the enemies at home and also the soldiers. Both book, Wartime by Fusslle and Why the Allies Won by Overy explain in depth what was the actual outcome of bombers and their roles before and after the war.

The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, possibly the two most renowned representatives of American aeronautics, were the first to experience controlled, continuous flight of a powered airplane in history. Despite being autodidactic in the area of engineering, the duo proved to be extraordinarily successful, testing and refining their strategies to overcome successive challenges that arose with the building of a plane (Crouch 226). The two were so far ahead in the race for flight that they even anticipated and found solutions to problems that more learned scientists could not have even begun to predict. Successful, man-controlled, powered flight was a fundamental turning point in history; it transformed the methods of how the United States

The men of aviation before the Wright brothers had little but significant impact on the process of building the airplane. George Cayley lived in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. He was one of the first men to understand that “to fly is not to imitate the flapping wings of a bird but to use rigid wings.” This was a very important idea that proved to be true for the future. Europeans were at work to beat the Americans in building the first heavier-than-air plane. Otto Lilienthal, a German engineer, experimented with hang gliders. His main focus was on a fixed-wing glider not on a

Following the devastation of trench warfare during World War I, early airpower theorist believed strategic bombing could be the new way to win wars and reduced the number of lives lost. Theorist like, Guilio Douhet, Hugh Trenchard, and William “Billy” Mitchel became pioneers and advocates of strategic bombing. They believed striking the enemy’s troops, war-marking industry, and vital centers would produce a decisive victory. The airpower theory would be a key element to the Allies strategy in Second World War (WW2). Leaders in Britain and the United States believed Germany was a greater threat than Japan. Thus, the airpower strategy of the European theater of operation became the primary focus. Allied airpower was decisive in the European

According to well-documented facts, Clyde V. Cessna developed the most produced aircraft in the world. He has developed over 100 revolutionary airplanes. His ideas and-and his great mind have greatly impacted the air travel industry. He should be inducted into The Historical Hall of Fame because he revolutionized the airplane making industry, he has invented over 100 airplanes, and he designed and built the most produced aircraft company in the world.

A pilot does not have to be an aeronautical engineer to learn to fly an airplane. However, it is a good idea to have good knowledge of aerodynamics and flight theory to be able to fly safely. There are four basic components in making an airplane fly, lift, drag, thrust, and weight. All of these work in unison to make a plane stay in the air. If one of the first three is taken out of the equation, gravity and weight will take over and cause the plane to descend. It is up to the pilot to understand how to make them equal in order to keep the airplane in flight or descend at an acceptable rate, in order to safely land the airplane. Before staring work to get a pilot’s license it would be a good idea to understand several aspects before the

The Wright Brothers had an interesting life that led to the inspiration of their inventions later on. On April 16, 1867, Milton was born in Millville, Indiana; Orville, his brother, was born on August 19, 1871 in Dayton, Ohio (Ryan). Neither of them attended college, but this did not diminish their intellectual abilities. Instead, they founded a print shop in 1889 and a bicycle shop a few years later to make money for their family and themselves. These businesses helped fund their aeronautical interests. They started off by making kites to observe the basics of flight (Reynolds 44). After making enough money, they began to experiment with various contraptions that resembled the German glider created by Otto Lilenthal and Octave Chanute. To help figure out how they would make their

The B707 was the first aircraft developed by Boeing in 1958, it is a narrow body , mid-size and a four turbo-fan engine aircraft ( Pratt & Whitney ) . Some people call it ( seven oh seven ) and it has different modules ( series ) that contains different capacity from 140-189 passengers .The Boeing 787 was produced in 2007 , it is a long-range , wide-body , twin turbo-fan engine ( GEnx or Rolls Royce ) aircraft . Passenger’s seat varies from 242-335 dependant on the series of the aircraft. Of course both aircrafts varies from the internal structures ,but almost the same design for the outer structure (body shape ) , and I’ll demonstrate the differences and similarities between both aircrafts , from structure design to the innovations made to the B787 , that surely made us look at the Boeing industry in a different perspectives.