Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Wings Questions #2 -- Gwen Simonalle

3. Who took the lead in establishing aviation as a business and what effect did it have on the rest of the world?
The nation of France, or “La Belle France,” took the lead in establishing the aviation industry. This caused the rest of the world to become dependent on French manufacturers for airplane parts and designs. Not only this, but most aviators during the early twentieth century were French. It also profoundly influenced the very vocabulary of aviation, with word such as aileron, fuselage and helicopter becoming and remaining household names in flight—even the word “aviation” is of French origin. Pilots of other nations came to France to be trained to fly. Aviation was thus deeply marked as a French science and art from the beginning, and France itself as a major world power due to its aerial prowess. The rest of the world became secondary players by comparison.

7. What was the cult of the heroic airman?
The cult of the heroic airman was an ideological echo of the legendary medieval knight, a perception of aviation as a higher, finer form of warfare. It was also a logical continuation of the cult of the heroic racing pilot, which had thrilled so many spectators before the war. With the significantly smaller number of planes as compared to infantrymen, also, it was much easier to make a name for oneself as an “as,” or ace.  

10. When does the author mark the beginning of civil aviation and why?
The author states that civil aviation began in 1919, with the signing of the International Convention on Air Navigation at Paris, October 13. According to this treaty, all nations were free to pursue research and development in aviation. Furthermore, a Commission for Aerial Navigation was created to arbiter international use of free airspace. Thus adjudicated, expansions in the aerospace industry were no longer to be viewed as militarily aggressive, clearing the way for peaceful expansion.


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