WINGS Assignment #1

1. What impact did flight have on life in the twentieth century?

Flight brought about good and bad things to our society in the twentieth century. Flight in the twentieth century changed ways of transportation, exploration, business, and further invention. At first, aviation was seen as solely for the military or for the wealthy. As aviation improved over the twentieth century, it made it easier for countries to use airplanes as means of destruction to other countries. Not only was it America’s popular war tactic, but also other countries took advantage of the use of airplanes for war. Flight brought about airborne destruction in the twentieth century in America and all over the world.

The advance in aviation led to more and more of the public had the opportunity to use flight as means of visiting distant family or explore other countries. People were finally able to travel for business every day; communication between countries was made possible because of aviation. This allowed cultures to combine. A disadvantage to fusing cultures was the affect on the health worldwide because some cultures carry diseases that may not be harmful to one culture, but may be deathly to others. From flight also came the development of space travel, allowing humans to explore earth at a universal-level. Space travel also gave rise to exploring other planets and components of our universe. By exploring space, scientists were able to improve further inventions, especially with satellites. Cellular technology and the Internet would not be what it is today without space travel. Space travel also brought about conclusions or further research to unanswered questions, therefore improving science.

For centuries, people believed flight was impossible. Once it was achieved, more people began to believe anything is possible. More people began to experiment and come up with new ideas and inventions. Flight not only made traveling the world easier, but it also encouraged other scientists in their endeavors.

4. What three methods of solving the challenge of flight emerged by the late nineteenth century and how effective were they?

One method was the hot air balloon created in Europe. It allowed people to be in the air, but the balloon did not allow for much control over the speed and direction in which the person wanted to travel. Hot air balloons were especially known for their bright, colorful designs. They allowed people to travel from one place to another, but they were not very efficient. The got air balloon was also able to carry some cargo, so it was effective in that aspect.

Another method was the hang glider. Several people were killed attempting to perfect the use of the glider. The glider like Lilienthal used was built like an extension of the human body, giving man wings to produce flight. Several specifications were necessary in order to fly the glider; the wind had to be a certain speed and the pilot had to begin at the top of a hill or building so as to get in the air. The glider could not just start from the ground and lift into the air by itself. It was effective in the aspect that people were able to suspend themselves in the air for some time, but it did not provide much control and was, therefore, very unsafe. The glider was effective in providing to the data needed to make a plane. The experiment and mistakes contributed to the invention of flight. The glider crash by Lilienthal in the late nineteenth century actually inspired Wilber Wright to pursue his dream of flight.

A third method was the ornithopter. It was built like wings of a bird that flapped in order to fly. The ornithopter was powered by ways of steam, rubber bands, springs, or compressed air. The ornithopter had developed into a more simplified structure with more gears by the late 1800s. They were effective in a way that the pilot was able to travel meters in the air, but there was no control over speed or flight.

7. When and what was La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne and what significance does it have in aviation history?

La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne was a full week from Sunday, August 22 to Sunday, August 29, 1909, where pilots from all over the world came together to fly. The event took place at the Plains of Bethany in France and was sponsored by the top producers of champagne in the area. A total of 167,000 francs were given out as prizes for various aviation competitions throughout the week like greatest altitude, distance, speed, etc. People were excited for the event because this would be the first time, for some, to see people fly. Only seven people had ever flown over a minute before December 1, 1908, so the people that were creating the event were anxious to see if there would be more pilots show up to fly. On the first day, twenty-two men ended up coming to fly at the event.

In this event, the first pilot to die in a powered machine crash was one of the Wright Brother’s pilots, Eugene Lefebvre. Also, this meet had various styles of planes and allowed people to make comparisons between the different planes. They could see what the pros and cons were of each design in order to build off that and create a better structure of a plane.  The award that went out to the fastest airplane was called the Coup Gordon Bennett Trophy. It was a solid silver trophy and also came with a $10,000 prize. The Wright brothers did not participate in this race. Glenn Curtiss represented the Aero Club of America in the competition for aviator with the fastest time. The plane that he brought to fly in the competition had a larger engine and less surface area than any other plane he had shown to the Aeronautical Society of New York. Curtiss ended up winning with an average speed of 46.5 miles per hour. This event demonstrated the first improvement in the aviation field after the invention of the airplane.