1. The achievement of flight had a tremendous impact on the twentieth century. Crouch says, "To fly is to escape restraint, soar over obstacles, and achieve mastery and control of our fate." (Crouch 15). Flying back then sounded like a faraway dream- but once people started realizing that it could indeed become a reality, everything changed. Flight opened up the world to new methods of trade, created new industries, was a nation-building activity, allowed for the dispersal of international disaster aid/relief, and later allowed people to use air as a main method of travel. Not to mention, later on, flight would have a huge role in war. It was voted to be one of the top 4 events of the twentieth century, but I definitely think it was one of the most influential events worldwide. The plane was said to be the machine that would carry us into the future, and that it did.
3. The era of modern aviation began in the final years of the eighteenth century, and progressed from that point forward. To put it more broadly, the study of modern aviation began with Sir George Cayley (1773–1857). Cayley conducted much research and had the first major breakthrough in the area of heavier than air flight, and was one of the first to truly understand the principles of flight. He built and flew the first fixed-wing glider (to carry a human), and experimented with other self-made gliders, apparatuses, and later, flying machines. Cayley had the tools and brainpower that previous experimenters were lacking, and his extensive research renewed an interest in the possibilities of aeronautical activity altogether. Because of this, he is also credited as being the first aeronautical engineer: someone who researched, designed, developed, and tested aircraft technology. It is suggested that the modern aviation era begin with his time, because his successors were able to build upon all of his findings- including the Wright Brothers themselves.
7. La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne was a week-long aviation showcase that took place in August 1909, in Reims, France. It is very significant in aviation history because it was one of the first events to include worldwide participants/manufacturers (hundreds of thousands of them), and it was one of the most public attempts at flying to date. The showcase contained many contests and competitions, with aeronautical factors such as longest distances, fastest times, greatest number of passengers carried, and altitude heights. The Gordon Bennett Race was the most popular and prestigious competition among nations. U.S. aviator Glenn Curtiss won this particular race, which meant that the race would be held on U.S. turf next time. Although the Wright Brothers had 6 registered Wright Aircrafts at La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne, they chose not to compete themselves. At this point in their lives they were more focused on their patents and trying to sell their aircrafts to surrounding governments.
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