WINGS #2

1. Did flight have any influence outside of aviation? If so, how?

Aviation is an amazing field, and the work of people like the Wright Brothers advanced its study tremendously. But flight was so popular that its influence spilled over into other fields. Artists, sculptors, poets, and writers were especially fascinated, because flight was something that even their art could not fully describe. It lit the imagination of such great artists as Picasso and Braque and directly led to some of their works. Amazingly, the biggest impact was on the pop culture of the time. Music, books, and toys all featured aviation and flooded the market of the time. It took the place of such imaginative themes as the Wild West. The heroes in the aviation stories captured the attention of children all over Europe and America. The toys and action figures that they played with took on the shape of airplanes and aviators.  This doesn’t include the impact on science and technology. With flight now a reality, all things that before seemed impossible now seemed achievable. Studies in a variety of subjects took on a new focus and the entire world was advanced further.

3. Who took the lead in establishing aviation as a business and what effect did it have on the rest of the world?

Louis Bleriot pioneered the business of flight. He was the first to really establish a manufacturing firm that produced a good number of airplanes. The airplanes produced by Bleriot Aeronautique quickly became some of the most popular and most widely used. Because of the success of Bleriot Aeronautique, many firms sprung up, especially throughout France, that also produced airplanes. This competition inspired further competition and the racing circuit became very popular. The producers of airplanes did whatever they could to increase the speed of their products. This included making the planes lighter and sleeker. Unfortunately, this led to an increase in the severity and number of aviation accidents. Instead of flying at a measly 30 miles per hour, like the Wright Brothers, these new airplanes were going much faster than automobiles. Add that to the lack of understanding of aerodynamics and the unreliable controls of these first airplanes and flight became a dangerous activity. The death toll started to mount while business competition continued to increase. However, because of the business competition, the technology surrounding aviation increased at a great pace.

5. In your opinion, did the Wright Brothers’ patent suits affect the progress of aviation?

The Wright Brothers were pioneers in the aviation industry. They were financially aware enough to attempt to protect their invention with patents. However, in such a rapidly growing field of study, it is difficult to conclusively prove the relationship between two company’s airplanes. With that, I do believe that the Wrights were in the right with most of their suits as other airplanes would not yet exist except for their efforts. As far as other companies’ aviation developments, they all stemmed from the Wright Brothers but went on to more and greater things. I do not believe that any of these other companies stalled the research and development that they were doing despite the lawsuits. The only effect the suits may have had on the progress of aviation is the lost genius of the Wright Brothers. They were personally involved very heavily in these patent suits and therefore were not personally available to continue the research of aviation. I believe that they may have had all the breakthroughs in the history of flight if they had focused all of their efforts on the research and experimentation rather than in the courtroom.