Wings Questions 2: Alexander Schlater

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

In my opinion, the Wright Brothers' patent suits did affect the progress of aviation, but only moderately. Those who chose to simply ignore the patents and steal the Wrights' model seemed to be commonplace, especially in the early age of aviation, and subsequent innovations seemed perfectly sustainable even devoid of the Wrights' patented ideas. However, despite the world of aviation developing full well without the Wrights', it is arguable that the companies restrained by their suits, especially smaller companies who could not fight off the matter indefinitely, as larger businesses are known to do, could have been far more useful to the developing science, had they been free to run their businesses unhindered. Aside from this point, is the fact that the Wrights', so enveloped in law suits, were, themselves, not contributing anything to the aviation field.

6. How did the military use the airplane prior to and during WWI?

The military uses of the airplane began quite simply, but quickly escalated as each nation attempted to gain any advantage they could over their opponents. Prior to the war aviation was used merely as a complement to communication and information gathering, the idea of the airplane as a weapon was still out of reach. It was not long, however, before the airplane completely overshadowed any other means of reconnaissance operations. As airplanes became more common over the battlefield, it became clear that armies needed a better way to fight their enemies in the sky. While ground to air fire was still largely used for this purpose, strategists soon began toying with the ideas of airplane on airplane fire. The fighter planes, as they would come to be called, were far from perfect, still requiring a propeller afront the plane, mounted guns needed a way to fire without destroying the very plane one which they reside. The most prevailing solution to this problem, despite its immediate absurdity in my opinion, was to make propellers, such that, if hit by a bullet, would then deflect that bullet in some other direction, not impossibly in the direction of the pilot shooting. The end of the war shown even further innovations, such as bombers and metal airplanes.

8. Did the war have an impact on flight technology? How?

The author blatantly states that nearly all of the ideas and innovations of the war were consequences of prewar thought, and would have came about regardless. However, they certainly would not have developed as quickly. The main impact of the war on aviation, was attitude it created towards aviation. Funding for planes, engines, aeronautical weapons, and other such innovations skyrocketed as a result of the war. Additionally, the prewar era possessed such an inferior level of production compared to what was shown possible during the war, that airplane manufacturing was brought into the spotlight on a whole new level. The main impact of the war on aviation, was the glimpse into the future it provided. The future of not only weaponry, speed, distance, and altitude, but of production, funding, science, engineering, and above all else demand.