WINGS #3

2. What factors enabled aviation to emerge as a business in the United States in the 1920’s?

 

                One of the biggest obstacles to aviation becoming a money making business before this time, was its lack of utilization for money-making purposes. During this time, a few different methods emerged as possibilities for planes. Not only were they now being used to carry the mail, they were starting to be used to carry people. The better technology of the era allowed planes to become larger and carry more weight. They also became significantly safer and fatal crashes no longer seemed to be a daily occurrence. Since the new planes were able to carry more passengers and more cargo, it became a viable form of transportation and led businessmen of the era to invest capital and increase the manufacturing and research into aviation.

 

4. How did the science of meteorology relate to aviation?

 

                From the beginning of aviation, all the way into the present, the weather has always had a major effect on flight. Even today, when there are windstorms and heavy rain, flights are grounded or delayed, much to the displeasure of its passengers. The Wright brothers attempted their first flight in North Carolina due to the weather and geographical differences between it and Ohio. For quite a while, pilots were at the mercy of the weather, and had no way to predict what it would be so they could fly blind into a major storm. With the advent of meteorology and its application to aviation, flight was made safer and more predictable. Knowing the weather in advance can help a pilot avoid it entirely, or at the very least be a little safer when flying into some bad stuff. Meteorology and aviation go hand in hand, because those in the air are subject to the whims of weather, which can be very dangerous.

 

5. Describe the role of the U.S. Postal Service in the development of aviation as a business.

 

                The US government saw the new airplanes as a great mode of transportation for the post. No longer would people need to wait for weeks to get their mail by rail. Now, people on one coast could send mail to the opposite coast in a day or so. The postal service, however, did not own their own planes to run the post, so they sent out bids, and the response was overwhelming. All of a sudden, those with planes could make some money on their flights from more than just taking passengers into the air. Because of the amount of post at the time, this quickly turned into a lucrative business and started the custom of regular flights between different locations. The carrying of cargo since transitioned into the transport of passengers who could pay for that transport. Since the planes were becoming larger and could take more cargo/passengers, these flights gained in efficiency and were able to begin making some real money.