1. What technological innovations in aircraft engine
design occurred during the period between the wars and how did it affect the
aircraft industry?
One of the major advances in aircraft engine design
was the development of the radial engine. This engine design had a narrow for
factor, the engine wasn’t very thick. The pistons were arranged around a central
crankshaft. This radial design was easier to maintain. The radial engine was
air cooled, which allowed the aircraft designers to get rid of the radiator and
other cooling accessories. This greatly reduced the weight to power ratio of
the engines. Radial engines powered many aircraft during World War II. The B-17
Flying Fortress used in World War II used four turbosupercharged radial engines that produced 1,200
hp. The B-29 Superfortress also had four turbosupercharged radial
engines; however, each engine produced 2,200 hp, almost double that of the
B-17. Charles Lindbergh’s plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, was powered by a J5-C
Whirlwind radial engine.
3. What role did Henry Ford and other businessmen
play in the development of the aviation industry?
Ford and other businessmen saw the potential in the
infant aviation industry; they invested money in small aviation companies.
Ford, being the business man he was, was always looking for the next
innovation. Ford invested mainly in the Stout Metal Aircraft Company, founded
by William Bushnell Stout, in 1923. Business Men like Ford provided the funds
that these small companies needed in order to make the aviation a viable
industry. Ford setup a factory for his newly acquired Stout Metal Aircraft
Company, he also setup an airport where he hoped to demonstrate aircraft.
Businessmen like Ford, mainly aided the development industry by funding the new
industry and lending their names. Prominent businessmen’s names carried a lot
of weight.
5. Describe the role of the U.S. Postal Service in
the development of aviation as a business.
The postal service made a way for aviation
companies, such as Ford’s company, to turn aviation into a profitable business.
The postal service needed a way for to transport mail across the country
quickly, with that need in mind, the government passed the Air Mail Act. This
act allowed the postal service to hire a company to transport the mail all across
the country. Ford’s aviation company was the company hired to do the job, at
first.
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