Wings 5

1. Discuss the beginning of supersonic flight research in the United States and whether or not this technology was a priority.

 

The study into supersonic flight in the United States began as early as 1918, working with wind tunnels and aerodynamics, but obviously the world did not see a supersonic aircraft until much later. During WWII, Nazi scientists developed some pretty amazing technology, which is why all the countries were itching to pick up these scientists after the war. Their developments lead to the development of the engine that could support supersonic speeds. Britain placed a much higher priority on supersonic travel than the United States, but eventually the United States did expand research into that field. Chuck Yeager finally broke the sound barrier in a plane with a jet engine, changing aviation ever thereafter to what we know today.

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2. What role did the helicopter play in the development of aviation technology?

 

Airplanes are great for high-speed travel over any type of terrain, but they have one major disadvantage, the space required for landing and takeoff. An airplane needs a runway, and in a lot of situations/locations, runways are not readily available. But along comes the helicopter to save the day. Helicopters can take off and land from a significantly larger number of places, and they can hover in midair without having to keep moving forward. They still have all the advantages of an airplane, like high-speed travel (although to a lesser degree) and movement over any type of terrain, but without the major disadvantage of needing a runway. The helicopter was used at great lengths in the Vietnam war to drop and pick up troops from hostile areas. They are also widely used for search and rescue as well as medical transport.

 

 

3. Support or refute the statement that aviation was the most important military technology since the invention of gunpowder.

 

There is no doubt that aviation has had a major effect on wars and conflicts. Gunpowder revolutionized the way that wars were fought. Aviation did a similar thing, taking the conflict from the front lines and spreading it all over the regions in conflict. I imagine that the world would be a different picture today had aviation not been born. Therefore, I would agree that at its development, it was the most important military technology advancement since gunpowder. Now, however, I would argue that the development of nuclear technology has taken over that position. Although little used in actual conflict because of the ramifications, the threat of nuclear war has changed the world in which we live ever since the 1980s. And even though nuclear bombs would not be possible without the advances in aviation, I believe that nuclear technology currently has greater effect on the world.